# The Car Thread



## bulb

I can't believe there isn't a car thread here, I searched and couldn't find a thing.

Along with Guitars and Gear, Cars are one of my loves, and I am sure I am not the only one here who feels that way, even though I have much more gear than I do cars, seeing as how I only have one haha.

Anyways, share what you got, what you want to get and are saving up for, what you want and will probably never haver, rumors etcetc.

Anything car related goes in this thread so let us make this thread as awesome as it deserves to be!


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## Bloody_Inferno

There were a few dedicated threads, the last one being in 2010.

Still... I still want a Nissan GT-R.







Until then, my 2000 Corolla will do until I run it to the ground.


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## MJS

Mine, back when I wasn't broke... waaaaa






Most of the cars I want are BMWs. If someone buys me a new 750Li or M6, I'll return the favor by giving them a ride in it.


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## bulb

Yeah dude, you can't go wrong with a BMW. Having test drove a bunch of them alongside a bunch of other cars I have to say I understand why they have the reputation of being "driver's cars". The way those things feel on the road just puts the silliest grin on my face, especially the E9x M3! So good.

With all of that said however, the next car I buy will be a GT-R. I don't know when that will be, but that is one of my dream cars and I will have it someday, that is all that I know haha. I have been looking at them for the last year or so and watching the prices on the used market actually INCREASE.

They are fucking investments haha.


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## Thrashmanzac

my car:




Uploaded with ImageShack.us
1977 holden gemini (not this exact one, but the exact same, paint and all)
unfortunately i lent it to a mate and he has let it die, so i need to go pick it up and see whats wrong with it


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## Electric Wizard

I used to be a massive BMW fan, as well as owner. To be honest, I think their styling has been hit or miss since the e36 days. I'm also not a fan of how the models have gotten progressively larger. I do like the 1 series though, if I had lots of cash to blow I'd consider a 135i.

I'm into Jaguars at the moment. My xj6 makes my old 3 series seem awful and cheap. The bimmer had lots of plastic trim whereas the Jag has burled walnut. I have no idea what I'm going to do when I need a new car because I probably won't be able to afford something that will live up to the current standard, haha.


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## MJS

bulb said:


> With all of that said however, the next car I buy will be a GT-R.


Guess that explains this. 

I just realized I might get bored with a garage full of BMWs, so I should probably throw in a 911 Turbo S or two to mix things up. I guess the 3.1 second 0-60 time is good enough for the occasional trip to Wal-Mart.


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## texshred777

Currently drive a Civic. 

I have a thing for Audi, BMW, and Infiniti. 

If I had 400k to blow a Lexus LFA would be my choice. I don't realistically see that ever happening(even on the used arket), but I could see me in a position to have a Nissan GTR some day.


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## texshred777

I just realized I might get bored with a garage full of BMWs, so I should probably throw in a 911 Turbo S or two to mix things up. I guess the 3.1 second 0-60 time is good enough for the occasional trip to Wal-Mart. [/QUOTE]

I can't help but agree with Jeremy Clarkson about Porsche.


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## Dan_Vacant

I don't own one my self but I drive my mom's huge Ford 250XL with out a muffler so it's super loud.  I feel invincible in it, as if it where a tank.


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## BucketheadRules

I don't drive yet but I'm old enough to now, hoping to start learning soon...

My first car will probably have to be something really shit (I think the term you have in America is "sub-compact" - that's what most people over here start out in because insurance is very, very unkind to 17-year-olds) but once I've got a little more experience I'd love something like a Ford Puma:






They look cool and they're supposed to be really fun to drive... not very big for hauling gear around but you can always fold the back seats down.

And you can pick them up for under £1000 over here so...


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## BucketheadRules

Japanese high-performance stuff is always really cool too... 

I love those new GT-Rs that Bulb was talking about, and the Honda NSX is said to be wonderful.
And don't get me started on the '91-onwards Mazda RX-7 

A used car dealer up the road from me is selling an R32 Skyline at the moment...


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## Customisbetter

I'm currently rocking a BMW e46 and a Mazda RX-7 Convertible.


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## ZEBOV

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/off-topic/198320-dedicated-new-vehicle-thread.html


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## jordanky

'04 VW R32


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## Konfyouzd

Currently driving a 2005 RSX-S and I really don't care to upgrade at the moment.

If I did, it'd be an old school BMW M3, though. I really liked those kind of squared looking ones from the mid 90s.


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## PureImagination

Still wish I had a Supra, cant wait till I can drive. Or a Noble M400


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## bulb

jordanky said:


> '04 VW R32



Fuck yeah, those are sick, always wanted to try one of those out!


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## bulb

MJS said:


> Guess that explains this.



Haha no that's to fund Camera equipment because Photography has become a rather expensive hobby as well. I need to stop getting into expensive things, I wish I were into cheaper things than Gear, Cars and Photography haha.


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## troyguitar

APR tuned, heading to Watkins Glen next weekend to run time trials with some race pads and tires, no other mods. It will be interesting to see how I fare against the Corvettes.


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## flexkill

troyguitar said:


> APR tuned, heading to Watkins Glen next weekend to run time trials with some race pads and tires, no other mods. It will be interesting to see how I fare against the Corvettes.


I love those VW's ....but you gonna get smoked


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## bhakan

My car, a '73 Roadrunner, along with the my dad's 70 which is mid restoration.


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## troyguitar

They're technically not in my class, but they will be on the track at the same time. I'm more curious than anything - especially since I am considering buying a Corvette in a year or 2. I drove a C6 Grand Sport for a few hours last weekend and it was a blast, ridiculously great car for $55k.


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## scherzo1928

Already let this one go. Changed for a normal 5 door Focus.





And uh...




Soon enough...


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## ddtonfire

My current ride:






BMW e46 M3


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## pink freud

scherzo1928 said:


> And uh...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Soon enough...




Ah, the Ford Martin DB-Fusion.


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## SuperMutant

........

Best car in history... To bad its more expensive than what I could afford, I want a R33 but I don't know where I could find one here.


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## Furtive Glance

^Was waiting for someone to post the R34. Mmmm.


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## troyguitar

Never got into the Nissan stuff, I don't want all of that technology. 

The main contender for my next car besides the Corvette is a supercharged Lotus Elise. Simple and perfect - it doesn't even have power steering!

I suppose this is the thread where I can lament the decline of the manual transmission too. Porsche 911 Turbo S = automatic only! WTF? If I wanted race car performance I'd buy a race car, not a street car. Give me the damn manual, it is slightly slower but way more fun. That is what I like in a street car: fun. Which means driving the damn thing myself even if a computer is 0.2 seconds faster than me 0-60.


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## Customisbetter

^You can't really complain about Porsche as they are the mass production only company that offers manuals on almost all of their vehicles in the US.


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## bulb

troyguitar said:


> Never got into the Nissan stuff, I don't want all of that technology.
> 
> The main contender for my next car besides the Corvette is a supercharged Lotus Elise. Simple and perfect - it doesn't even have power steering!
> 
> I suppose this is the thread where I can lament the decline of the manual transmission too. Porsche 911 Turbo S = automatic only! WTF? If I wanted race car performance I'd buy a race car, not a street car. Give me the damn manual, it is slightly slower but way more fun. That is what I like in a street car: fun. Which means driving the damn thing myself even if a computer is 0.2 seconds faster than me 0-60.




I think that a lot of it has to do with practicality, DCT and the like allow you to have a car that you can use as a daily driver even if you live in areas with horrendous traffic (living in DC means I will never own a stick as my DD) and also with the added benefit of being able to get faster and more consistent shifts than with a stick making them even faster on the track (the technology was developped for F1 cars to enable shifting without having to step off of the accelerator)
The idea of your performance car being a useful DD has been a big selling point as of late and you see a lot of cars trying to fit that market (M Series, AMG, Porsche 911 hell even the GT-R)

With that said, I can understand why a lot of people who are married to the idea of a stick being the "true connection" to a car would be frustrated, but that is at least the perspective that I can see it from and in someways this could be seen from the whole "tube amps and a 4x12 cab vs direct axefx" thing that has been going on.


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## flexkill

bulb said:


> the whole "tube amps and a 4x12 cab vs direct axefx" thing that has been going on.



Whats this about??? I haven't heard anything like this what's the debate???


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## Chickenhawk

It's pretty much exactly what I wanted. Time to start modifying


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## texshred777

I used to be all about the manual gearbox, particularly in a performance minded vehicle. Now, driving through traffic all the damn time, give me the flappy paddle gear box. After using one they're actually pretty fun.


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## troyguitar

bulb said:


> I think that a lot of it has to do with practicality, DCT and the like allow you to have a car that you can use as a daily driver even if you live in areas with horrendous traffic (living in DC means I will never own a stick as my DD) and also with the added benefit of being able to get faster and more consistent shifts than with a stick making them even faster on the track (the technology was developped for F1 cars to enable shifting without having to step off of the accelerator)
> The idea of your performance car being a useful DD has been a big selling point as of late and you see a lot of cars trying to fit that market (M Series, AMG, Porsche 911 hell even the GT-R)
> 
> With that said, I can understand why a lot of people who are married to the idea of a stick being the "true connection" to a car would be frustrated, but that is at least the perspective that I can see it from and in someways this could be seen from the whole "tube amps and a 4x12 cab vs direct axefx" thing that has been going on.



Yeah I realize that I am a dinosaur at this point  Unfortunately, unlike with tube amps, no one is making relatively high quality options at affordable prices anymore. The Elise is one of the cheapest (and only, even the 911 has power steering now) pure cars one can purchase and it starts at like $60k new.

I find that the manual gives me something to do besides fall asleep in traffic though - I never understood the "Manual is too hard in traffic" idea. They've been using them for decades in crowded European cities that make the worst American traffic look like a dream and I've had mine in NYC, Boston, and Detroit traffic with no issues.


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## Chickenhawk

troyguitar said:


> I never understood the "Manual is too hard in traffic" idea. They've been using them for decades in crowded European cities that make the worst American traffic look like a dream and I've had mine in NYC, Boston, and Detroit traffic with no issues.



Granted, Kansas City traffic is probably nothing compared to Boston or Detroit, but I've driven my big ass, heavy fucking truck (with a diesel, and a manual) in rush hour traffic quite a few times, and didn't have a problem.

My truck stops quicker by downshifting while braking anyways 

.... especially when I have the exhaust brake on.


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## MrPepperoniNipples

I have a whole bunch of cars:


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## bulb

troyguitar said:


> Yeah I realize that I am a dinosaur at this point  Unfortunately, unlike with tube amps, no one is making relatively high quality options at affordable prices anymore. The Elise is one of the cheapest (and only, even the 911 has power steering now) pure cars one can purchase and it starts at like $60k new.
> 
> I find that the manual gives me something to do besides fall asleep in traffic though - I never understood the "Manual is too hard in traffic" idea. They've been using them for decades in crowded European cities that make the worst American traffic look like a dream and I've had mine in NYC, Boston, and Detroit traffic with no issues.



I guess because I am so used to automatics it is just one less thing to have to deal with in traffic, I don't even like using the manual mode on my DCT in traffic hahah. Traffic sucks and I just want to zone out and have it be over with you know? You are right about europeans though, and I bet if I only ever had a stick I probably wouldn't complain about it in traffic either.


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## texshred777

I currently drive a manual, and it's not a problem, even in traffic. Automatic mode + manual mode with paddle shifting is more like a best of both worlds for me. I do agree that it's sad that some sports cars don't even get the option for a stick sucks. Sporty car with pure automatic(no manual mode) would be a fail for me.


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## MJS

bulb said:


> Haha no that's to fund Camera equipment because Photography has become a rather expensive hobby as well. I need to stop getting into expensive things, I wish I were into cheaper things than Gear, Cars and Photography haha.



You've got Nolly now... just tell him to follow you around and take pictures of anything you point at. Then, if you're not happy with the pictures he's taking, just tell him to sell some of _his_ gear to buy better equipment. 



troyguitar said:


> I never understood the "Manual is too hard in traffic" idea. They've been using them for decades in crowded European cities that make the worst American traffic look like a dream and I've had mine in NYC, Boston, and Detroit traffic with no issues.



They were okay back in the old days, before everyone started steering with their knees so their hands could be doing important stuff like texting, eating, playing air guitar and defending against the air bag when rear ending people from doing those other things.


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## bulb

texshred777 said:


> I currently drive a manual, and it's not a problem, even in traffic. Automatic mode + manual mode with paddle shifting is more like a best of both worlds for me. I do agree that it's sad that some sports cars don't even get the option for a stick sucks. Sporty car with pure automatic(no manual mode) would be a fail for me.



I agree that having the DCT is the best of both worlds, no clutch means you can keep your foot floored during shifts and get inhumanly fast shifts too.


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## darren

The Decimobile:


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## Mendez

Realistically this is the car I might be able to afford in the future. I haven't gotten a chance to actually drive one of these but, I'm completely happy they only make the STI in manual. 

I learned how to drive on automatic (mainly cause i was forced to), but once I got a 89 celica standard, I've been hooked on manual. Honestly traffic isn't too difficult or troublesome on a standard, it actually keeps me awake compared to driving an auto. Once I had to drive it uphill during traffic after a concert, that was fun! 

My current car is automatic, but man i hate how the tranny does the shifts. I guess i just love being in control of when it shifts and whatnot.


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## ZEBOV

Thanks to bulb, my car thread is going to disappear into the abyss of broken dreams.
HOWEVER! I just bought a 2011 Ford Fiesta with a manual transmission, which is a plus in my book since I was driving an auto transmission truck, and I hated not being in control of the gears. Coasting on the clutch FTW!





MrPepperoniNipples said:


> I have a whole bunch of cars:



I used to have 4 of those.


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## RevelGTR

2005 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT. Great for hauling gear with a canopy, and overall a great truck. The 5.7 hemi gets about 12 mpg around town though...


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## flint757

I like small cars personally; mini cooper s, mazda 3, BMW 3 series, and hell even the Miata. I prefer well rounded vehicles over straight speed, but the smaller the better.

Currently drive a Chevy Silverado and I hate it. The only advantage to a truck is people pay attention to you while driving instead of running you off the road because they can't be bothered looking out their side window. I'll probably keep the truck and invest in bike instead though...I'll save the cars for later.


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## AcousticMinja

Here's my little beast.  '03 Mazda Protege5.
I lovingly call it "The Swagon". I hate the word swag, but it's a funny story...I consider it a 4 door hatchback but my insurance shows it as an "S Wagon". So some coworkers were like "HA you drive a station wagon". So I retaliated and said, "NO! It says Swagon. Do YOU drive a swagon?!" and ended up laughing.  Kind of a had to be there moment, but still funny in my mind. 













It's got 113k miles on it now and I bought it back in January after my previous car, a 97 Acura CL 2.2 died on me... This was my first manual transmission car and I won't be going back. I learned how to drive manual at work and I've always wanted one, so I got this.  I'm very happy. It doesn't have a lot of horsepower (135hp) but it sure as hell puts it down well. Gets decent mileage and corners super fantastic. I love taking it through canyon roads...
Not only that, it hauls all my gear and more with ease! It consumes all.


I plan on getting an older BMW Z3 M someday. I want the non convertible weird hatchback alien thing. Those are awesome. Had a chance to drive a few at work and they feel so amazing. 

I have a huge list of cars that I'd like to own someday. Expensive, not, etc. I find that a lot of cars have personalities and even the cheap economy class cars can be insane fun. I love it.


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## thealexkelley

There's not enough red cars or any SUV's in this thread so here you go.





This is my '92 Corvette that my dad bought for me when I was born, cars have always been a big deal in my family and he'd been planning since high school, and also my '07 Hummer H3. Yes I barely get 14MPG... on a good day





This was during prom and I cared more about my car than my date, it's pretty much perfect with only 4,500 miles on it considering its 20 years old






and this is christmas at my place every year, when my grandparents match my dad and I with 3 red hummers. My grandpa bought it as a joke when he heard my dad freaking out over the special edition (only like 1400 in bright red in '04 and '07, both are '04's) and now my grandma drives it too. I thought about trading my H3 in but the only thing I really wanted was a evo x and figured out the gas would be the same and I'd probably get more speeding tickets.


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## Guamskyy

My ride:






04 Infiniti G35 Sedan, 102k miles on it. About 260 hp and 260 ft lbs torque running on stock 17" rims. My first RWD car, and it's hella fun to slide


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## pero

I`m a huge fan of Italian cars,
this is my daily drive, an Alfa Romeo GT Coupe 






and this is my project car, a Fiat Uno. I`m currently taking it apart and rebuilding everything into a new chassis. If all goes well I`m gonna be doing some hillclimb racing next season after a three years break


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## Riffer

My toy.....


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## ddtonfire




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## Chickenhawk

It's about fucking time, Riffer.

That's a running sumbitch


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## AndrewG716

This is in my future:


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## texshred777

AndrewG716 said:


> This is in my future:


 
I've heard really good things about those. They're definitely not super fast but I hear they're amazing driver's cars. I'm considering one for my next car.


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## troyguitar

Yeah if they put a 2.0 turbo in that thing like the one in my GTI it would be sweet. 300+ ft-lb of torque would make it so much more fun.


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## texshred777

The 2.0 boxer is a pretty sweet motor I'm reading. May only be about 200 HP, but great response.


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## squid-boy

darren said:


> The Decimobile:



You're telling me. I had a Smart car rear-end me at 80km/h while I was at a complete stop for 10-15 seconds. They are decimators.

That supercharged '78 Camaro made me wet myself a little bit. In a good way.


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## sahaal

Chickenhawk said:


> It's pretty much exactly what I wanted. Time to start modifying



Build up the tranny, then twin turbos, twin cp3s, bigger injectors, FASS fuel pump, head studs and other shit like that, EFILive!!! Boost elbow, BHAF (Big honkin air filter), 5 inch turbo back, etc etc. Basically what me and my buddy have done to his 08, minus the 10 inches of lift and 40s  I need to get a job so I can buy myself one, a 5.9l though


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## wilch

Here are some photos I've taken of mine and my partner's cars. We actually met at a Skyline Australia Show N' Shine event in 2005. 7 years later and we're still together.

My 1990 Mazda Roadster (miata) - supercharged with all supporting mods




...screams like a banchee




My partner's Boxster (2.7L manual)




...and here she is powering down the straight at Eastern Creek International Raceway here in Sydney




My R33 Skyline with GT30R turbo, 770cc nismo injectors, built engine etc etc etc




...and wearing an East Bear vented carbon fibre hood for track days




it's a good thing I don't gig anymore. None of our cars fit any of my gear. Even had to borrow a car to pick up my recent 7 string purchase!


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## Furtive Glance

That R33's pretty slick. I'm a huge tuner fan. Skylines/RX-7s/Supras/Silvias etc. So much WinRAR.


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## Chickenhawk

sahaal said:


> Build up the tranny, then twin turbos, twin cp3s, bigger injectors, FASS fuel pump, head studs and other shit like that, EFILive!!! Boost elbow, BHAF (Big honkin air filter), 5 inch turbo back, etc etc. Basically what me and my buddy have done to his 08, minus the 10 inches of lift and 40s  I need to get a job so I can buy myself one, a 5.9l though



Future mods:
H&S Mini Maxx
AirDog
BHAF
delete pipe
studs

THEN, if I'm not happy (which I won't be), I'll swap the turbo out for two, over cp3, injectors, 5" exhaust and EFI. 

The tranny is fine...just have to get a better clutch one day.

I need to keep it fairly reliable, since it's my daily driver, and work is 60 miles away.


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## sahaal

Chickenhawk said:


> Future mods:
> H&S Mini Maxx
> AirDog
> BHAF
> delete pipe
> studs
> 
> THEN, if I'm not happy (which I won't be), I'll swap the turbo out for two, over cp3, injectors, 5" exhaust and EFI.
> 
> The tranny is fine...just have to get a better clutch one day.
> 
> I need to keep it fairly reliable, since it's my daily driver, and work is 60 miles away.



haha sounds like it should be good for a while, but it never ends once you start.


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## Chickenhawk

sahaal said:


> haha sounds like it should be good for a while, but it never ends once you start.



Yea, I know. Exactly why I've been holding off on doing anything to it. I know once I start, I'll have to keep adding shit 

It's got a 2" leveling kit, and bigger tires. Needs brake pads, and probably ball joints. Got a noise in the front end I need to diagnose, but she drives just fine so I haven't been worrying about it. The guy that rides with me to work bitches every morning once we get off the paved road if we have the windows down.

"God damn it Chris, this is a $35,000 truck, and it sounds like a $500 Neon."


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## bulb

Chickenhawk said:


> Yea, I know. Exactly why I've been holding off on doing anything to it. I know once I start, I'll have to keep adding shit



I am in the same boat there, so tempted to mod my car, but goddamnit I don't need another money pit haha, and that is what it would become. Besides I LOVE the way my car drives, looks and feels, so I just need to remember that everytime I think about modding it haha.


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## bulb

AndrewG716 said:


> This is in my future:



Everyone raves about the BRZ, it's supposed to be a great track/dd/driver's car for not THAT much money, even with the 2.0T. The STI version should be pretty unstoppable when that comes out!


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## AcousticMinja

Don't forget about the Scion FRS! 






Had a chance to drive one and it was pretty cool. Not insanely fast, but zippy and fun!

Here's a cool comparison between the BRZ and the FRS...

2013 Subaru BRZ and 2013 Scion FR-S: A Study in Comparison and Contrast - Feature - Car and Driver


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## WarriorOfMetal

My car's been off the road for a few months, due to a problem I haven't been able to afford to fix (just bought the parts, though, should be fixed soon!), but here it is - a 1995 Nissan Maxima GLE. It's pretty quick, basically has a V6 sports car engine in it...and the trunk is big enough to fit a half stack without much difficulty!

It's gained a couple minor dings since these pictures were taken, but:


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## axxessdenied

Good thread 

This car is sitting in storage waiting to be restored. Need to finish my house first.
1973 bmw 3.0 CS





'98 323IS that I had





'01 Jetta TDI





'01 LR Discovery II





'03 Subaru Forester





'98 TJ rebuilt for offroading





our first lexus rx330:





Our current lexus rx330 in pearl white





My current work beater
'98 Forester with 518,000+ kilometers on it so far


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## axxessdenied

When we're finished building and renovating our house I plan on buying a newer car.

We had a 2012 G37x rental for a couple weeks. Didn't really care for it look-wise. But, FUCK ME once I started driving that thing around I fell in LOOVE. Such a smooth car. Absolutely effortless to crawl in stop and go. Super-responsive on the highway when you punch it. Super comfortable ride. Would definitely consider buying it!


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## sahaal

Chickenhawk said:


> Yea, I know. Exactly why I've been holding off on doing anything to it. I know once I start, I'll have to keep adding shit
> 
> It's got a 2" leveling kit, and bigger tires. Needs brake pads, and probably ball joints. Got a noise in the front end I need to diagnose, but she drives just fine so I haven't been worrying about it. The guy that rides with me to work bitches every morning once we get off the paved road if we have the windows down.
> 
> "God damn it Chris, this is a $35,000 truck, and it sounds like a $500 Neon."



haha that's fine, my 2001 Dodge that went from a couple rust spots nearly a year ago when I bought it to a truck with not a single rust free panel as of late has had almost 10,000 worth of work done to it, and it's basically had 2 complete front end rebuilds and now needs more work, whenever I hit a big enough bump I'm getting death wobble  not to mention my front bumper is destroyed due to buddy putting it in the ditch for me, and the various other dents it's received haha. I can't wait to get a new truck, I'm torn between an 98.5 to 02 Cummins or a newer third gen, so many choices. I'll never stop once I've got one


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## wilch

axxessdenied said:


> Good thread
> 
> This car is sitting in storage waiting to be restored. Need to finish my house first.
> 1973 bmw 3.0 CS



Ooh, very nice!


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## bulb

Riffer said:


> My toy.....




next time Periphery is in your neck of the woods, you should take me for a spin haha!


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## ddtonfire

WarriorOfMetal said:


> My car's been off the road for a few months, due to a problem I haven't been able to afford to fix (just bought the parts, though, should be fixed soon!), but here it is - a 1995 Nissan Maxima GLE. It's pretty quick, basically has a V6 sports car engine in it...and the trunk is big enough to fit a half stack without much difficulty!



I used to drive that exact model/year! They were pretty decently quick. We sold it with 220k miles on it too, those nissan engines!


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## bulb

I drove the new maxima not that long ago, the engine definitely surprised me in that car, its pretty quick, the cvt is interesting, when you floor it the engine kinda just stays at high revs and the car goes faster, like a video game or something haha


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## EdgeC

My baby! For me it's a manual RWD V8 or nothing at all! And with such a roomy wagon there's plenty o' room for the gear and the kids!


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## Riffer

bulb said:


> next time Periphery is in your neck of the woods, you should take me for a spin haha!


 
I'm down for that. I don't even know if I'll have it for much longer. I'm always trading cars and motorcycles.


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## darren

EdgeC said:


> My baby! For me it's a manual RWD V8 or nothing at all! And with such a roomy wagon there's plenty o' room for the gear and the kids!



Those are such great cars. It really pisses me off how there are so few proper wagons available in North America.


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## Church2224

My 2006 F150 when I got her last year. I would love to add an F350 diesel for work


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## troyguitar

CTS-V Wagon is the wildcard choice for my next car if I ever find a used one in blue with manual trans. That thing is a fucking beast, I'm just not sure I want a 4000+ lb vehicle.

...I just ordered some Hankook RS-3 tires on some cheap Sparco wheels to use at the track this weekend. Hopefully those and my brake pads show up by Thursday or it will be a sad track weekend


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## EdgeC

darren said:


> Those are such great cars. It really pisses me off how there are so few proper wagons available in North America.


 
They've tried exporting them as Chevrolet SS, a Pontiac GTO and even the Calais was being used as a highway patrol car for US police. But they only ever sent the sedan. 

Not only does the wagon look better but it's more practical. I can fit my Recto 4x12 and ENGL Fireball, plus two Schecter hardcases and not even lay the middle seats down. Can't do that in a sedan.


----------



## beneharris

I've got two myself not counting my wife's jeep.

Just picked this up yesterday:







And this is my DD to and from work


----------



## bulb

Riffer said:


> I'm down for that. I don't even know if I'll have it for much longer. I'm always trading cars and motorcycles.



Haha, well then whatever you trade it for as I have a feeling you go for those "direct injection of adrenaline" kind of cars haha.


----------



## bulb

EdgeC said:


> They've tried exporting them as Chevrolet SS, a Pontiac GTO and even the Calais was being used as a highway patrol car for US police. But they only ever sent the sedan.
> 
> Not only does the wagon look better but it's more practical. I can fit my Recto 4x12 and ENGL Fireball, plus two Schecter hardcases and not even lay the middle seats down. Can't do that in a sedan.



If they sold the HSV GTS here I would own one haha. I rode in one when we were in Australia last, and good lord those things are quick!


----------



## EdgeC

bulb said:


> If they sold the HSV GTS here I would own one haha. I rode in one when we were in Australia last, and good lord those things are quick!


 
There is nothing quite like a massive V8. The HSV's are amazing. I nearly got the HSV Clubsport Wagon but it was another $30k on top of what I paid for my SS. Plus i'm not a fan of the 'busy' looking front. Too much going on for me.


----------



## bulb

Amen to the V8 dude, I LOVE the one in my car, there is something just so satisfying about the way it sounds (and pulls of course haha)


----------



## Bekanor

EdgeC said:


> My baby! For me it's a manual RWD V8 or nothing at all! And with such a roomy wagon there's plenty o' room for the gear and the kids!



That's exactly what I want for my next car.

Or one of these.
















Still haven't decided which colour I like best but luckily I have a couple of years to decide and to wait for depreciation to put one squarely in my budget.


----------



## VILARIKA




----------



## MF_Kitten

i don't have a car, never drove one, and know very little about one.

some of them are pretty though!


----------



## poopyalligator

\

Not mine, but I might post pictures of it later.


----------



## Bekanor

I'm only keeping my first car until I go on to an unrestricted license and don't cost so goddamn much to insure. 

Here it resting after a fun afternoon playing in the sand at the beach.


----------



## Azathoth43

This thread makes me miss my e39.


----------



## Dan_Vacant

So today at dinner my mom and step dad told me something awesome. They said I can either have a graduation party or I can get a car, I told my mom if I choose car I want a Manual cause the only people I know that can drive a manual are either twice my age or are really in to cars (and it's super manly to know how to drive cars)


----------



## bulb

Dan_Vacant said:


> So today at dinner my mom and step dad told me something awesome. They said I can either have a graduation party or I can get a car, I told my mom if I choose car I want a Manual cause the only people I know that can drive a manual are either twice my age or are really in to cars (and it's super manly to know how to drive cars)



Plus if you never drive automatic and you happen to live in an area with bad traffic, ignorance will be bliss to you and you won't find the stick to be a hinderance!


----------



## bulb

Azathoth43 said:


> This thread makes me miss my e39.



Why did you get rid of it?


----------



## glpg80

I will be honest, i am into drag racing and hotrods way more than music. It is just a turn of events that music is much much cheaper than the machinery, shops, tools, and parts to do it. As in $250,000 cheaper.

I do have a plan for three vehicles though: an LM7 bored to 5.7L and stuffed into a miata behind a T-5 for a DD, a 25.2 certified 534 BBC GenI S10 backhalfed with a chris alston chassis, and a 25.1 certified 632BBC 1955 Chevy 210 hard top with an all fiberglass body painted flat black with pin striping/weld racing wheels representing old school.

That is over $60,000 in motors alone. Chances of me having these before i die are slim, but i like to dream. Hence why i play music lol


----------



## thealexkelley

just found this from jalopnik, essentially an '04 pontiac gto with an aventador body hahaha Replica/Kit Makes : "SEE NEW VIDEO" with BURN OUT AVENTADOR REPLICA in Replica/Kit Makes | eBay Motors


----------



## troyguitar

That is pretty cool. I wish I had the time and dedication to do things like that.


----------



## bulb

thealexkelley said:


> just found this from jalopnik, essentially an '04 pontiac gto with an aventador body hahaha Replica/Kit Makes : "SEE NEW VIDEO" with BURN OUT AVENTADOR REPLICA in Replica/Kit Makes | eBay Motors



Wow, im sorry, its a cool idea but the more pics i see of it the uglier it is. It doesn't look like a real one at all, what does that say about the person who actually drives that around claiming it's a Lambo haha?


----------



## Azathoth43

bulb said:


> Why did you get rid of it?









This last March I was driving home from work and a guy just pulled out infront of me turning left. I was doing 70 and literally walked away with just a scuff on my knee. He was taken to a hospital.

I've thought about getting another one since I have a set of M5 bumpers.

I also have a '93 750iL, but it needs some restoration and I'm afraid I've lost interest in it.


----------



## darren

Bekanor said:


> That's exactly what I want for my next car.
> 
> Or one of these.



For the life of me, i can't understand why Chrysler gave the Magnum a unique (and goofy-looking) front end. If they had made it with the Charger's front clip, i'm sure they would have sold much better, because it looks BADASS.

And apparently i'm not the only one to think so... this guy even went so far as to fabricate a small run of conversion front fenders, since the body lines don't exactly match up.


----------



## MikeH

My '03 1.8T Jetta. I have a grocery list of things I need/want to do, but just don't have the disposable funds at the moment. I am getting the inner and outer tie-rod ends replaced, new tires, and a new brake kit soon. After that will be a set of Raceland Ultimo coilovers, and then a Gonzo Stage 2 chip tune. The only thing currently done is a cat delete/new downpipe. And that has actually done wonders. It's more responsive, idles a bit lower, and it sounds pretty damn good. I've actually raced a few cars around here (mostly ricers who think their painted steelies and oversized exhaust make them that much faster ) and beat nearly all of them. The only two that I've lost to were reasonable, being a BMW 750li and an '02 Impreza STi. It's definitely a fun car.


----------



## axxessdenied

1.8T response wonderfully to exhaust + chip mods. My buddies old Jetta was so much fun after those mods


----------



## axxessdenied

I forgot to post pics of some of our other cars! 

The NSX is a buddies, the celica was ours.





We replaced the celica with an '03 C240 (not the actual car but same colour)





Replaced the Mercedes with an '07 Civic Hybrid


----------



## troyguitar

3 days to track time, can't wait! Wheels and tires, brake pads, and brake fluid all arriving for me to install in the next couple of days... should make a big difference.


----------



## MikeH

This is the general idea I'm going for. It's just a chore to find a set of Aristos that people aren't ridiculously overcharging for.


----------



## thealexkelley

bulb said:


> Wow, im sorry, its a cool idea but the more pics i see of it the uglier it is. It doesn't look like a real one at all, what does that say about the person who actually drives that around claiming it's a Lambo haha?



looks like this guy has a whole channel of replica supercars, here's another vid of a saleen s7 made from a C5 zo6 corvette... at least he claims to make 1200hp!


----------



## Bekanor

darren said:


> For the life of me, i can't understand why Chrysler gave the Magnum a unique (and goofy-looking) front end. If they had made it with the Charger's front clip, i'm sure they would have sold much better, because it looks BADASS.
> 
> And apparently i'm not the only one to think so... this guy even went so far as to fabricate a small run of conversion front fenders, since the body lines don't exactly match up.



Ow my balls that is so fucking awesome. 

Although it's worth mentioning that here in Australia the Magnum gets the Chrysler 300C front end, badges and the name "Chrysler 300C Touring".


----------



## MJS

Whoa... what a difference that Charger nose makes on the Magnum.


----------



## bulb

troyguitar said:


> 3 days to track time, can't wait! Wheels and tires, brake pads, and brake fluid all arriving for me to install in the next couple of days... should make a big difference.



I have been thinking about taking my car to the track, but I was wondering what stuff I should be ready to replace. Wheels/tires are obvious, I guess i will wear through my brake pads and from the sound of it I need brake fluid. What else would I need to account for to make sure my car would be track ready?

Oh and also, before I do that, I want to take some advanced driving courses. What good ones are there not too far from the DC/MD/VA area?


----------



## scherzo1928

bulb said:


> I have been thinking about taking my car to the track, but I was wondering what stuff I should be ready to replace. Wheels/tires are obvious, I guess i will wear through my brake pads and from the sound of it I need brake fluid. What else would I need to account for to make sure my car would be track ready?
> 
> Oh and also, before I do that, I want to take some advanced driving courses. What good ones are there not too far from the DC/MD/VA area?


 
Didn't read what car you've got, but practically any car is "track ready"... In fact most people are surprised by their cars when they take them to a track. You won't go through your brake pads in a single day at the track (not even close), but your brake discs might suffer some Judder. If you feel your brakes are vibrating a bit (not the ABS kind of vibration) ease on the GAS and let them cool down for a while.

As for driving courses, I only know of a couple in the Mexico City area


----------



## troyguitar

What car do you actually have? 

The big things are tires, brake pads, and brake fluid. Basically you need to be able to stop and turn 

Depending on your car and skill level you might be fine to go out totally stock at first: a high performance (or just plain light weight) car combined with a new driver will probably mean you can start learning without changing anything. I am swapping everything out for race-appropriate gear as I've got 20 years of experience racing and know I'll destroy stock tires/brakes very quickly, it will just be my first time out in this particular car.

AFAIK Summit Point WV is one of the closest nice tracks to you, followed by probably Virginia International Raceway and New Jersey Motorsports Park.

You can check out SCCA and NASA, both have track day programs with instructors for new folks.


----------



## GuitaristOfHell

http://gizmodo.com/270974/angel-sword-guitar-plays-iron-maiden-songs-slays-teen-pop-stars




The bigger XLT Sport version in black but other than that the same.

That and I love my dads 1999 Ford Tarus 24v DOHC V6. Shit has mad balls.


----------



## Faine

My car. 2002 subaru wrx









has lots of goodies and is pro tuned at 330hp to the wheels for now. 


Dream car #1. Supra. 





Dream car #2 C63 AMG Either in black.





Or white.


----------



## MikeH

That WRX is tasty.


----------



## axxessdenied

Supra's are overrated. Much better cars out there for the money 

Check out the C63 AMG in matte black option. sexy as fuck!


----------



## bulb

scherzo1928 said:


> Didn't read what car you've got, but practically any car is "track ready"... In fact most people are surprised by their cars when they take them to a track. You won't go through your brake pads in a single day at the track (not even close), but your brake discs might suffer some Judder. If you feel your brakes are vibrating a bit (not the ABS kind of vibration) ease on the GAS and let them cool down for a while.
> 
> As for driving courses, I only know of a couple in the Mexico City area





troyguitar said:


> What car do you actually have?
> 
> The big things are tires, brake pads, and brake fluid. Basically you need to be able to stop and turn
> 
> Depending on your car and skill level you might be fine to go out totally stock at first: a high performance (or just plain light weight) car combined with a new driver will probably mean you can start learning without changing anything. I am swapping everything out for race-appropriate gear as I've got 20 years of experience racing and know I'll destroy stock tires/brakes very quickly, it will just be my first time out in this particular car.
> 
> AFAIK Summit Point WV is one of the closest nice tracks to you, followed by probably Virginia International Raceway and New Jersey Motorsports Park.
> 
> You can check out SCCA and NASA, both have track day programs with instructors for new folks.



I have an '09 E90 M3 with DCT, should be good for the track as is, but I wouldn't want to ruin the PS2's I have on the car as those have about 90% tread currently, and I have heard some people say they have gone through their brake pads from a day at the track.

I have no experience whatsoever, so I would probably be after some advanced driving courses before I even touch the track, but I assume those would put similar strain on my car. Just trying to figure out what the ACTUAL cost of all of this would be. Don't want to get back from the track and realize that I have to replace a ton of shit haha.


----------



## troyguitar

Beginner with that car you can just go straight to a school type thing and run it stock, you can probably run it stock for a whole season depending on how quickly you learn. 

I think the good schools tend to cost somewhere around $2k.

The only other thing you'd need if you decide to continue after doing a school is a helmet for around $300.


----------



## axxessdenied

bulb said:


> I have an '09 E90 M3 with DCT, should be good for the track as is, but I wouldn't want to ruin the PS2's I have on the car as those have about 90% tread currently, and I have heard some people say they have gone through their brake pads from a day at the track.
> 
> I have no experience whatsoever, so I would probably be after some advanced driving courses before I even touch the track, but I assume those would put similar strain on my car. Just trying to figure out what the ACTUAL cost of all of this would be. Don't want to get back from the track and realize that I have to replace a ton of shit haha.



Depends how aggressive of a driver you are. If you go with the approach of full-throttle / full-brake and no inbetween your car won't last very long. No matter what, tracking your car puts quite the strain on it compared to regular driving.

My recommendation... get a track car you won't regret putting into the wall. You won't learn how to be an amazing driver without making mistakes and learning from them. You don't want to be making mistakes in a beautiful E90 M3


----------



## troyguitar

^ depends on the goal. If you just want to go learn a bit and have fun in your car, run the M3. If you want to get really good at racing cars, buy a used track-prepped Miata or E30 BMW for $5k and run that for 5 years upgrading it as you go.


----------



## bulb

troyguitar said:


> ^ depends on the goal. If you just want to go learn a bit and have fun in your car, run the M3. If you want to get really good at racing cars, buy a used track-prepped Miata or E30 BMW for $5k and run that for 5 years upgrading it as you go.



I'm not going to race it or anything, I'd just like to have a bit of fun on the track. Maybe it will develop from there, but I don't think I would be a good car racist.

I just want to know if I will ruin my tires/brake pads/anything else from a day at the track?


----------



## flint757

Well the world needs a few less racists


----------



## bulb

teehee


----------



## yellowv

Here's my mullet mobile.


----------



## texshred777

It'll be a couple years, but I think my next car will honestly be a 370Z. White. Manual. I've found a few in my price range already, and thought about pulling the trigger, but it can wait. 

It would definitely be my weekend car and one for occasional track use. I don't know that I'd do anything to it modification wise.


----------



## troyguitar

bulb said:


> I'm not going to race it or anything, I'd just like to have a bit of fun on the track. Maybe it will develop from there, but I don't think I would be a good car racist.
> 
> I just want to know if I will ruin my tires/brake pads/anything else from a day at the track?



Nah you'll be fine. It will take a lot of time to develop enough skill to overwhelm the M3 brakes/tires. Probably a whole season if not a couple of seasons would happen before you'd want better pads, longer for tires.


----------



## axxessdenied

bulb said:


> I'm not going to race it or anything, I'd just like to have a bit of fun on the track. Maybe it will develop from there, but I don't think I would be a good car racist.
> 
> I just want to know if I will ruin my tires/brake pads/anything else from a day at the track?



Don't worry about it. BMW knows how to build cars. It's not like 350Z Nismo was at first where you would end up in the wall because your brakes would fade without warning 

Wear thinner shoes so you can feel all the feedback the car will be giving you through the gas / brake pedals.


----------



## pero

troyguitar said:


> Nah you'll be fine. It will take a lot of time to develop enough skill to overwhelm the M3 brakes/tires. Probably a whole season if not a couple of seasons would happen before you'd want better pads, longer for tires.




+1 to what he said,
plus I would recommend you to have a different set of tyres for the track because 20 or more laps of aggressive driving combined with the negative camber of your car`s suspension will put alot of wear in the tyres 

Maybe get some street legal slicks like Toyo R888 or Yokohama Advan


----------



## shadscbr

VIR would be my trackday choice, great elevation changes...just a beautiful track. Here are a couple hot laps around VIR, set to a beautiful soundtrack 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTvnP89J7fs




Back in the day, I needed a cheap, fun to drive, economical car. I wound up falling in love with the 1991 Toyota MR2. Mid engine, rear wheel drive, 5 sp manual, T-Tops, ...and tire cables/chains in the winter. I commuted over an hour each way for years in these cool little 2 seaters. Those cars were not very fast, but they were so much fun to toss around the on-ramps and back roads, it's such a shame that formula had to die in favor stupid fwd crap. I still have a white 91 MR2 down in the garage, but It's been vandalized, and so she sits waiting for me to build her into an autocrosser/track day car someday 


We just bought a new family car (2012 Highlander Limited), now i'm looking for a new work car for me. Someone needs to make me an awd hybrid sport sedan that doesn't break the bank 

Shad


----------



## troyguitar

^ mid-90's MR2 turbos are actually quite nice and worth a relatively large amount of money these days. I like them.


----------



## thealexkelley

Does anyone here go to races or car shows? Near me there's the Brumos Porsche Race Team that races in the Grand Am thats slightly famous in endurance racing. In Daytona they participate in the 24 hours of Rolex and the Brumos 250. I usually go to the 24 in January every year and if you get special passes you can go into the garages and see all the Ferrari's BMW's and Audi r8's being worked on, really just a great atmosphere. Also around me in Daytona is obviously the Daytona 500 in nascar and bike week if you're into motorcycles. As far as car shows go theres the turkey rod run in the Daytona track with tons of muscle cars but up north in Amelia Island theres the concours d'eligance with some phenomenal race cars, concepts, and just overall rare and classy cars. Does anyone else go to races and car shows in their area?


----------



## MikeH

I usually go to cruise-ins or bum spots. Never races, though. We don't really have them around here, aside from the Kentucky Speedway, and I have 0 interest in Nascar.


----------



## poopyalligator

MikeH said:


> I usually go to cruise-ins or bum spots. Never races, though. We don't really have them around here, aside from the Kentucky Speedway, and I have 0 interest in Nascar.



I get people wanting to race me all of the time. It just isn't worth it. They think their upgraded neon will destroy my cts-v


----------



## thealexkelley

poopyalligator said:


> I get people wanting to race me all of the time. It just isn't worth it. They think their upgraded neon will destroy my cts-v



i know that feeling. I laugh at rednecks trying to take my corvette with their ford f150 lightnings, even though its a 20 year old car


----------



## darren

Racing on the street is just dumb.


----------



## MikeH

poopyalligator said:


> I get people wanting to race me all of the time. It just isn't worth it. They think their upgraded neon will destroy my cts-v



I'll do it on the highway for fun, but only for like 20 seconds, and when I have a straight shot to see if any troopers are waiting ahead. I've never done a full-on street race, though. Nor do I plan to.


----------



## poopyalligator

MikeH said:


> I'll do it on the highway for fun, but only for like 20 seconds, and when I have a straight shot to see if any troopers are waiting ahead. I've never done a full-on street race, though. Nor do I plan to.


 That is way different though. If you are on the highway and it is a straight shot with nobody there and it is safe I don't have a problem with that. I would be lying if I said I never drove my car at over twice the legal speed limit on a highway lol.


----------



## MikeH

120 is my top speed...



...so far.


----------



## Riffer

Street racing is the worst when kids do it on resiential streets that have intersecting streets running across them. That's when life ending accidents happen.


----------



## poopyalligator

MikeH said:


> 120 is my top speed...
> 
> 
> 
> ...so far.




170 over here. I know it can go a little more, but i don't want to hurt anything lol.


----------



## Chickenhawk

poopyalligator said:


> 170 over here. I know it can go a little more, but i don't want to hurt anything lol.



180 

EDIT:

In my old car, a 2004 GTO. Only have done 85 in my Cummins


----------



## MikeH

poopyalligator said:


> 170 over here. I know it can go a little more, but i don't want to hurt anything lol.



The V has a top speed of like 194 or something, right?


----------



## pink freud

MikeH said:


> 120 is my top speed...
> 
> 
> 
> ...so far.



Pft, I've done 120 without any motorized vehicle.

Granted, I was free-falling from 13,500 ft...


----------



## SuperMutant

I've had one of these in my driveway for a LONG time and I'm getting my permit (FINALLY) and the guy who owns it wants 2500$ for it.


----------



## poopyalligator

MikeH said:


> The V has a top speed of like 194 or something, right?



I have heard that it starts to limit at 189, but i am not 100% on that. Either way it is scary enough going at 170 lol. My buddy has a corvette zr-1 with a couple of mods, and we have gone over 200 in it. Over here we have this road that goes out of town to a casino that is about 8-10 miles, and there is generally no traffic. I couldn't believe how fast we got there lol.


----------



## troyguitar

Rain is the greatest equalizer at the race track. It was cold and raining all day at Watkins Glen today and the fastest car on the track was not a race-prepped Corvette, Porsche, or M3 - it was my almost stock GTI 

120mph at the end of the back straightaway in pouring rain coming into a hard corner =


----------



## axxessdenied

troyguitar said:


> Rain is the greatest equalizer at the race track. It was cold and raining all day at Watkins Glen today and the fastest car on the track was not a race-prepped Corvette, Porsche, or M3 - it was my almost stock GTI
> 
> 120mph at the end of the back straightaway in pouring rain coming into a hard corner =



a lot of guys have more money than skill  good job showing up all those losers 

there's a benefit to starting small and working your way up. If you never drive a car at the limit you will never learn to be a great driver, imo. Holds true whether you are on 2-wheels or four.
You can see it all the time on bikes. Guys go out and get a 600 or 1000 as their first bike and are generally mediocre riders because their bikes have way to much power for their skill level.


----------



## bulb

Here is a pic of my baby.


----------



## darren

Nice!


----------



## poopyalligator

bulb said:


> Here is a pic of my baby.




Man I love it. I am thinking about getting an M3 convertible soon. I have a cadillac cts-v coupe that I use as my normal driver, but I have been wanting a convertible also. You digging your bmw a lot? I drove a 335i convertible and I liked it a lot. I haven't had the chance to drive the m3 yet, but I hear good things.


----------



## hairychris

40 years old and never owned a car....


----------



## troyguitar




----------



## axxessdenied

My buddies M3.... probably the meanest M3 in canada atm.


----------



## bulb

poopyalligator said:


> Man I love it. I am thinking about getting an M3 convertible soon. I have a cadillac cts-v coupe that I use as my normal driver, but I have been wanting a convertible also. You digging your bmw a lot? I drove a 335i convertible and I liked it a lot. I haven't had the chance to drive the m3 yet, but I hear good things.



Dude, I am in love. I test drove a bunch of other cars, and the M3 not only put the biggest smile on my face when I was driving, but was one of the best looking cars too. Pics don't do it justice, sometimes I catch myself staring at it, it is just my type of car haha.

It drives as epicly as you would expect, and the MDM mode is fun and has allowed me to not kill myself when I have felt like a little spirited driving.

It is also such an awesome DD. It's enough of a sleeper to not attract attention to itself, I don't have trouble going over bumps, and in eco mode AKA not M mode, it really is a cruiser with a nice ride, and stupidly easy to drive.

I know a lot of stick fans probably don't like the DCT out of principle, but in the slower modes it is very smooth and feels like a fast automatic, and if you put it in manual mode with fast shifting it's like a damn video game, pedal to the floor and instantaneous shifts. So you can have fun driving your car, or you can just turn your brain off and drive in auto when there is traffic, no opportunities to actually drive your car.

Oh and it seats 5 and has a pretty big trunk. With the back seats folded i can fit quite a bit of stuff too!

As I said, I'm in love!


----------



## Dan

bulb said:


> Here is a pic of my baby.



YOU PARKED IN A DISABLED BAY!! 

for shame boy!!


----------



## bulb

Dan said:


> YOU PARKED IN A DISABLED BAY!!
> 
> for shame boy!!



Haha, its the next one over. I do that strategically since there are no cars that ever park there, and then I can park way far over and it minimizes the chance of people hitting their stupid doors into my car...yeah I definitely park a little differently with this car hahah.


----------



## pylyo

Wow bulb, congrats!

Huge fan of bmw here. I owned 5 cars so far in my history and all of them were bimmers. They just drive, FEEL and look so much better then anything else out there. My paps also had few of them so it's family love I guess. 
6 months ago I sold my beloved e90 325i and I am looking for a good 2nd hand Z4 FL. But for a few years now I am enjoying my main love, 2006 e46 325Ci FL coupe. This thing drives better than anything I have driven so far, it's so smooth and it's just timeless. To be honest, I like it more than e90 mainly because of the feel. I don't think I will ever sell it. 

Oh, and it has to have a stick!!!

Last two pics are summer edition, obviously


----------



## SirMyghin

Nothing too fancy from me (and no pics). Drive a 12 Mazda 3 with the skyactive tranny. Pretty good mileage even though not broken in (I drive very little) and was more fun than the competition (and base model, didn't want to get the 2.5L as fuel economy is a very big factor for me, being a cheap ass.)


----------



## poopyalligator

bulb said:


> Dude, I am in love. I test drove a bunch of other cars, and the M3 not only put the biggest smile on my face when I was driving, but was one of the best looking cars too. Pics don't do it justice, sometimes I catch myself staring at it, it is just my type of car haha.
> 
> It drives as epicly as you would expect, and the MDM mode is fun and has allowed me to not kill myself when I have felt like a little spirited driving.
> 
> It is also such an awesome DD. It's enough of a sleeper to not attract attention to itself, I don't have trouble going over bumps, and in eco mode AKA not M mode, it really is a cruiser with a nice ride, and stupidly easy to drive.
> 
> I know a lot of stick fans probably don't like the DCT out of principle, but in the slower modes it is very smooth and feels like a fast automatic, and if you put it in manual mode with fast shifting it's like a damn video game, pedal to the floor and instantaneous shifts. So you can have fun driving your car, or you can just turn your brain off and drive in auto when there is traffic, no opportunities to actually drive your car.
> 
> Oh and it seats 5 and has a pretty big trunk. With the back seats folded i can fit quite a bit of stuff too!
> 
> As I said, I'm in love!



Very cool. Thanks for the reply man! I am definitely thinking about pulling the trigger on one. I think I am going to go for the convertible coupe though. For some reason I have always wanted a convertible, and with every car I get I end up being a pussy and wimping out and getting a normal car instead lol. I really like the idea of the hardtop convertible though, without it being a girlier car like a volvo c70 or something (still kind of cool, but definitely on the older woman side) . At the same time I am thinking about getting your model because I already have 2 coupes, and adding another probably wouldn't be an amazing idea. Either way I am pretty confident that my next car is going to be a bmw m3. Ever driven a 6 series convertible by any chance?


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Here is my car:


----------



## troyguitar

I'd want an M135i if they would sell the damn thing in the USA... It's a badass 135i in 5-door hatch format!

320hp rwd hatch =


----------



## wilch

bulb said:


> I have an '09 E90 M3 with DCT, should be good for the track as is, but I wouldn't want to ruin the PS2's I have on the car as those have about 90% tread currently, and I have heard some people say they have gone through their brake pads from a day at the track.
> 
> I have no experience whatsoever, so I would probably be after some advanced driving courses before I even touch the track, but I assume those would put similar strain on my car. Just trying to figure out what the ACTUAL cost of all of this would be. Don't want to get back from the track and realize that I have to replace a ton of shit haha.



I don't know what it's like in the States, but over here there are quite a few club track days that you can choose from. You can go and spectate for free with most of them, so you can gauge what it's like for newbies. 

There's also "motorkhana" style days that you can go to (skid pan, with cones, and a set course to go around...timed. One car at a time). Can also spectate with these things.

The easiest way to start is to find a car forum/club online that has local events. Join up, and spectate. Then try it out if you feel comfortable enough. 

The motorkhana's are easier on the cars as you're only doing 10/10th for a very short period of time. Even club track days are easy'ish on the car as you generally have 1 warm up lap out, then the timed lap, then a cool down, and then you need to pit.

Sure there's wear and tear. But generally you're talking pads, tyres and fuel....and a service afterwards (oil change).

I remember taking my girlfriend to her first track day. Poor girl got scared on her first session out. It can be intimidating with faster more experienced people driving up your ass. She actually came back in crying because she got black flagged (marshall's suspected her car dropped some oil, it didn't). But everyone was friendly.

She eventually went back out and had the time of her life. 

Some clubs have a real family atmosphere. Hope you can find a good one whenever you've got some spare time off, so you can experience your car on the track. It's so much fun. So much fun.

(btw, thanks for the music! I only recently "found" Periphery. Love the music!)


----------



## Maniacal

Looks like everyone on here has a BMW. 

Bulb, that is an awesome M3! Clearly there is money to be made in metal 

I have a BMW 325i but also one of these, excuse the crap pic


----------



## bulb

Maniacal said:


> Looks like everyone on here has a BMW.
> 
> Bulb, that is an awesome M3! Clearly there is money to be made in metal
> 
> I have a BMW 325i but also one of these, excuse the crap pic



Nice Boxster!

Haha sadly no money to be made in metal, but plenty in production work hehe!


----------



## Maniacal

Oh I see! It's a shame I know next to nothing about producing music. 

Time to re-read "the complete idiot's guide to music production" and put the deposit down on that Lamborghini!


----------



## HighGain510

Need to get some decent pics up but I have a 2012 Subaru Impreza Sport 5-door. It's my daily driver so I didn't want to get anything ridiculously fast or overly expensive as you can't really use that in NoVa stop-and-go traffic anyway.  I will say on the few days we've had torrential downpours, the Symmetrical AWD in this thing fucking sticks to the road like nobody's business!  Haven't done a ton of work to mine yet either, mostly cosmetic stuff currently, list includes:

- Kart-Boy Front and Rear shift bushings
- Kart-Boy short throw shifter
- WC Lathe Werks custom shift knob
- Front, rear and hatch windows tinted @ 30% (with VA medical waiver... ridiculous that you should even need one for such a light tint, especially considering how light it is now that it has dried, but whatever mine is legal for this state at least since I have a legitimate reason to have it on my car )
- Subaru OEM Sport Spoiler (closer to the STI spoiler minus the points on the two sides)
- Rally Armor Urethane mud flaps
- Upgraded the radio to a Pioneer AVH-4400BH

Think that's it so far, I haven't wanted to mess with the engine or exhaust yet but maybe down the road once the warranty is gone.  I am still tempted to upgrade to a faster Subaru too, but we'll see, I'm sticking with this one for a while. 

I don't have any good (or recent, I guess) shots of my car but I do have some of the custom shift knob because it was too badass not to snap some pics of it!  It's stainless steel for the core and equator band to add weight to the throw, but the top and bottom are copolymer so when it's super hot outside it doesn't burn/freeze your hand nearly as much as a solid steel or titanium knob would when your car is left in the heat/cold for long periods of time.  Little Thorn nod in there too... 
































Installed:













I'll snap some pics of my car in it's current form soon, have to give her a wash and grab pics while the weather isn't crappy. Been tough recently since the weather has been all over the place lately! 


P.S. Misha, next time we hang out looks like YOU'RE driving!


----------



## shadscbr

Hey Matt, Killer Shift Knob!! I can't wait to see the matching Thorn  

Your Impreza is on my new car list (as is the WRX), what kind of overall gas mileage are you getting? 

Shad


----------



## MikeH

Just went and test drove this baby today. It was absolutely awesome. Unfortunately I can't front the $32,000 bill. My brother is looking at the $24,000 model, so maybe I'll borrow it someday.


----------



## troyguitar

MikeH said:


> Just went and test drove this baby today. It was absolutely awesome. Unfortunately I can't front the $32,000 bill. My brother is looking at the $24,000 model, so maybe I'll borrow it someday.



Base model GTI is where it's at. I paid $22k for mine and prefer it to the loaded ones. At $30k+ you are better off getting the Golf R or something else nicer than a Golf IMO.


----------



## MikeH

Yeah, I think I'd front the extra $5k and get the R.


----------



## HighGain510

shadscbr said:


> Hey Matt, Killer Shift Knob!! I can't wait to see the matching Thorn
> 
> Your Impreza is on my new car list (as is the WRX), what kind of overall gas mileage are you getting?
> 
> Shad



Haha it has a matching license plate surround that Ron made for me back when I ordered that CF tele!   IMO if you can swing the premium fuel costs, get the WRX bro. The average mileage on highway trips ONLY has been 30-33mpg without ANY stopping. The regular stop and go (minimal stopping too since there are hardly any cars out when I drive, just stoplights) mileage is running anywhere between 18-27mpg.  I think some folks have said the new PZEV (which is STANDARD on 2013+ models now) is part of why the fuel economy is all over the place, and you have to wait to let it warm up almost like you do with the glow plug on a turbo-diesel.  I'm like FFS, I went from a Prius averaging 45-50mpg to 21mpg and this isn't even the FAST Impreza!  Still kinda kicking myself for not just buying the WRX but then when I see how high premium gets down here I realize it might not have been totally the wrong call, especially if gas shoots up to $5 for premium.  

That being said, the symmetrical AWD on the newer Subie stuff is killer, and since IIRC you're up near Lancaster, when you get rain and snow you'll be riding safely and sticking to the road.  One of the things I loved about my car from the very first test drive is how much it feels like it is glued to the road.  If I had to go back, I'd likely have gone for the WRX as that same sticky tires feeling with even MORE POWAHHHHHHH behind it would be fantastic.  I know someone who would agree with me.....


----------



## troyguitar

I paid $8.50/gallon for race fuel at the track last weekend. I considered it a trial run for living in Europe


----------



## HighGain510

troyguitar said:


> I paid $8.50/gallon for race fuel at the track last weekend. I considered it a trial run for living in Europe



Ouch.  At least it wasn't per litre.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

finally...a car thread. if im not on here, its because im on one of many car forums. my hobbies are cars, guitars & music. also a movie buff too.

i have a 93 jdm mkiv toyota surpa, a 93 mazda twin turbo rx7, an 05 toyota x-runner and a 2000 ws6 trans am. heres pics of my t/a...i'll try to get some of my other up later.


----------



## shadscbr

HighGain510 said:


> Haha it has a matching license plate surround that Ron made for me back when I ordered that CF tele!   IMO if you can swing the premium fuel costs, get the WRX bro. The average mileage on highway trips ONLY has been 30-33mpg without ANY stopping. The regular stop and go (minimal stopping too since there are hardly any cars out when I drive, just stoplights) mileage is running anywhere between 18-27mpg.  I think some folks have said the new PZEV (which is STANDARD on 2013+ models now) is part of why the fuel economy is all over the place, and you have to wait to let it warm up almost like you do with the glow plug on a turbo-diesel.  I'm like FFS, I went from a Prius averaging 45-50mpg to 21mpg and this isn't even the FAST Impreza!  Still kinda kicking myself for not just buying the WRX but then when I see how high premium gets down here I realize it might not have been totally the wrong call, especially if gas shoots up to $5 for premium.
> 
> That being said, the symmetrical AWD on the newer Subie stuff is killer, and since IIRC you're up near Lancaster, when you get rain and snow you'll be riding safely and sticking to the road.  One of the things I loved about my car from the very first test drive is how much it feels like it is glued to the road.  If I had to go back, I'd likely have gone for the WRX as that same sticky tires feeling with even MORE POWAHHHHHHH behind it would be fantastic.  I know someone who would agree with me.....


 
Thanks Matt...yeah, the WRX premium gas deal is a bit of a sticking point, but so is price once you want leather and sunroof, its almost the same price as the leftover 2012 Acura TL's with SH-AWD. 

I want a hybrid WRX 

Shad


----------



## pylyo

Oh man, my knees get soft every time I see this car. 
Three years ago I missed one almost identical to this one on the pic, here in Slovenia. It was in 9,5/10 condition. I know which guy bought it though but he is not interested in trades nor sales...


----------



## vampiregenocide

This isn't a picture of my exact car, but it's the same model and colour. I love it. Does the job.


----------



## HighGain510

shadscbr said:


> Thanks Matt...yeah, the WRX premium gas deal is a bit of a sticking point, but so is price once you want leather and sunroof, its almost the same price as the leftover 2012 Acura TL's with SH-AWD.
> 
> I want a hybrid WRX
> 
> Shad



Yeah that's the reason I didn't go WRX when I bought my car, fear that gas prices will rise again and with that fuel economy drop it would be eating a hole in my wallet rather quickly, especially since most of my driving ends up being stop-and-go down here!  I could handle the cost of the car but that fuel cost adds up quickly. 

I've actually read they are trying to work on a hybrid WRX but not sure if/when it will see the light of day. If they put one together and it drives well, I might be in trouble!


----------



## shadscbr

I drive close to 20K miles/year, when you add the gas up, its hard not to choose the prius, with Blizzaks for snow. However, i'm going through a pre-mid life crisis, and I realy want a fun, all season car. The new Legacy w eyesight might be my poor mans TL 

Good luck w your new car Matt...now you're wishing for snow 

Shad


----------



## troyguitar

Going for my 20k mile service in 2 weeks on my 10 month old car. That's too many miles a year to be driving a Prius... I'll stick with 30mpg and the decently fun GTI.


----------



## HighGain510

troyguitar said:


> Going for my 20k mile service in 2 weeks on my 10 month old car. That's too many miles a year to be driving a Prius... I'll stick with 30mpg and the decently fun GTI.



I liked the way the newer GTI's drive, but considering I've had TWO VW's (different years too) that both had electrical problems and have heard that the newer ones still have some gremlins going on when it comes to the electrical side of things, I'm still too gun-shy to buy another one.


----------



## Jake

well this thread makes me feel bad about my car..however I'll be buying a bmw 3 or 5 series upon graduating from college

what I have now.


----------



## Gilbertsgotbrootz

Out of curiosity misha why not a Lexus isf or a m5 ? I love my is250 it has a turbo , new headers and a cold air intake and a borla exhaust it really screams . The paddle shifters are pretty sweet you can really take it up there in rpms and the blowoff is just sick when using the paddle shifters.
Here's a pic of her


----------



## wilch

Maniacal said:


>



Very cool! What other mods apart from wheels (and suspension?) do you have?

I just had a SCART RS-Tube exhaust installed on my partner's Boxster. Now it sounds like a real Porsche! hehe


----------



## angus

Picked up this new missus a few months back:






....only to find that only one of my basses fits in the trunk. Guess I'll be driving the lady's Prius a bit more more often. 

I also have a Mustang currently tuned at 880rwhp (it's been higher) over on the west coast.


----------



## angus

bulb said:


> I have been thinking about taking my car to the track, but I was wondering what stuff I should be ready to replace. Wheels/tires are obvious, I guess i will wear through my brake pads and from the sound of it I need brake fluid. What else would I need to account for to make sure my car would be track ready?
> 
> Oh and also, before I do that, I want to take some advanced driving courses. What good ones are there not too far from the DC/MD/VA area?



There are probably a number of good driving instructors at VIR, which isn't too far from you. Great track.

Expect to be changing out your pads each time you go (once you have some time under your belt, you'll be much harder on the brakes than if you were to go today). Rotors will last a few days- depends on the car. I've never had an M3, so I don't know their specifics, but given how heavy they are I wouldn't be surprised if you had to replace them in 5-6 days sessions. Brake fluid depends on temp, but once you get seriously you'll be replacing it frequently. In the beginning though, you won't be getting it hot enough to worry about as long as it isn't old. 

Tires depend on a lot of factors, but it's easier to see their wear. 

You should take it out to the track for an open track day- you'd have a blast, even if you have no idea what you are doing. There are always helpful people around who can guide you through it before you take some driving courses.


----------



## poopyalligator

angus said:


> Picked up this new missus a few months back:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ....only to find that only one of my basses fits in the trunk. Guess I'll be driving the lady's Prius a bit more more often.
> 
> I also have a Mustang currently tuned at 880rwhp (it's been higher) over on the west coast.



Man that is badass! I love those cars. I had thought about getting one, but I kind of fell in love with the cadillac cts-v coupe. Maybe on my next car purchase I will get a gtr. Amazing car!


----------



## potatohead

HighGain510 said:


> I liked the way the newer GTI's drive, but considering I've had TWO VW's (different years too) that both had electrical problems and have heard that the newer ones still have some gremlins going on when it comes to the electrical side of things, I'm still too gun-shy to buy another one.


 

I have a 2011 GTI, 30k on it, had it since new. It's not perfect but it's a good car. Had one of the lock cylinders replaced under warranty, other than that no real issues.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

finally got a chance to post it, here is my 93 twin turbo mazda rx-7

aka "papa smurf"





with the 99 mustang in the background...i like that dog a lot more than it lol.


----------



## maliciousteve

vampiregenocide said:


> This isn't a picture of my exact car, but it's the same model and colour. I love it. Does the job.



I've had a lovely encounter with one of these. I was in a big Ford Transit Tipper van and some one thought it was a good idea to come speeding downhill on a country road in one of those Arosa's. The Arosa became a lot more compact and gave my Van a nose bleed (broken radiator)


----------



## bulb

Gilbertsgotbrootz said:


> Out of curiosity misha why not a Lexus isf or a m5 ? I love my is250 it has a turbo , new headers and a cold air intake and a borla exhaust it really screams . The paddle shifters are pretty sweet you can really take it up there in rpms and the blowoff is just sick when using the paddle shifters.
> Here's a pic of her



I was thinking about an M5 for a while but after reading up and doing a lot of research, I found that the SMG is prone to issues and that the M3 seems to be seen as a more nimble and fun car. Also I kinda like the fact that my gas mileage is better in the M3 than it was in my SUV haha, but the gas mileage on the E60 V-10 is pretty terriboo. Maybe if I don't end up upgrading to a GT-R someday, I will go for an F10 instead as those really look amazing hehe, but that won't be for a while either way!

The IS-F is just rare and I never got a chance to test drive one. It would have been a tough battle for that car to win though because the M3 has been a dream car of mine since about as long as I can remember, and I think every iteration has gotten more and more beautiful. The IS-F seems like a cool contender, but I think the M3 is just more "me" if that makes sense and I was just so sold when I drove one for the first time. With all that said, both are absolutely fantastic cars.


----------



## jordanky

Since this IS the car thread afterall... I think I set a new record today haha


----------



## MikeH

Give me your wheels! I need Aristos!


----------



## squid-boy

jordanky said:


> Since this IS the car thread afterall... I think I set a new record today haha[/IMG]



You beat me, fo'sho. I used to stuff my cab, rack, and guitar case into my Golf with just enough room for me and my friend, Tall-Mat (6'7" or so).


----------



## troyguitar

jordanky said:


> Since this IS the car thread afterall... I think I set a new record today haha



Looks familiar


----------



## jordanky

troyguitar said:


> Looks familiar



I think we just bonded haha


----------



## darren

I miss our Golf. At our old house, we had to rebuild part of the back deck, and we loaded that puppy up with lumber. we had 8' lumber stacked between the hatch (closed!) and the windshield. I've got a picture somewhere.


----------



## wilch

lol. Nothing on you Golf guys, but I've had to do this crap a few times:


----------



## troyguitar

Do you get more downforce like that?


----------



## 7stringDemon

My theory on buying cars is that if I'm taller than it, I can afford the gas. Therefore, I got one of these. Why? Because it was cheap, I can afford the gas, and it can fit a 4x12, a 2x12, two heads and 4 guitars (in cases!). Great small SUV.

NOTE: This is not mine. Just took this picture from Google. My camera would have taken an even worse picture. Mine is also set a little lower. I set it low because I don't want a stupid, lifted redneck truck .


----------



## Chickenhawk

7stringDemon said:


> I set it low because I don't want a stupid, lifted redneck truck .





Honestly, I DO see quite a few trucks around here that have no purpose being lifted, but I see more that actually benefit from the extra clearance. Mine, for example. Considering going just a bit higher.

To each his own. I owned a Blazer when I first joined the Army. Biggest piece of shit I've ever had the (dis)pleasure of buying. HAD to have been a fluke, since I usually hear rave reviews.


----------



## 7stringDemon

Chickenhawk said:


> Honestly, I DO see quite a few trucks around here that have no purpose being lifted, but I see more that actually benefit from the extra clearance. Mine, for example. Considering going just a bit higher.
> 
> To each his own. I owned a Blazer when I first joined the Army. Biggest piece of shit I've ever had the (dis)pleasure of buying. HAD to have been a fluke, since I usually hear rave reviews.


 
I should have been more specific, IN MY AREA, the trucks are just stupid, loud and unnecessary.

I live deep in the heart of suburban Illinois. And only thing outside of my suburban area is an urban area. There is no point in owning a truck like that for the next hundred miles .

And my Blazer kicks ass! Good condition, medium miles, drives great, everything works, no leaks, nothing. All for $1600 used! At the same flea market that I got a mint RG7321 at I might add (I made sure with the police that they aren't stolen ).


----------



## sahaal

haha stupid big and unnecessarily loud is the way to go around here if you wanna do up your truck, but we actually use them, for example:





14 rounds loaded on that goddamn thing! Pulled as hard as a semi and went through more than the tractor haha


----------



## 7stringDemon

See, that's a prime example of why people SHOULD buy trucks.

Built to be used but still be fun when the work is done!


----------



## Chickenhawk

7stringDemon said:


> And my Blazer kicks ass! Good condition, medium miles, drives great, everything works, no leaks, nothing. All for $1600 used! At the same flea market that I got a mint RG7321 at I might add (I made sure with the police that they aren't stolen ).



I'll give you $15 for it. Cash money.

I seriously need to get a second vehicle to get back and forth to work most days. Diesel is killing me since I drive ~150 miles a day.


----------



## HighGain510

Still haven't had a chance to get her out in some sunlight with my SLR but I snapped two iPhone shots last night in the parking lot on my way home from dinner since I realized I still never posted any pics of my Subie. 

Behold, the MATTMOBILE!


----------



## MikeH

Currently in the process of getting the Jetta ready for winter. New tires, replacing the tie rod assemblies, flushing and filling the radiator, and possibly new brakes. I'd also like to do a complete Stage 1 suspension refresh, but I'm poor, so the last two probably won't happen.


----------



## sahaal

after two solid days of fucking around, me and buddy put stacks on his 6.7L, solid 5 inch from the turbo back split at a Y under the bed and run into the bed on either side to 8 inch mitre cut stacks straight from Peterbilt! Looks fuckin meeeeaan now, now to swap another leveling kit onto his to get another inch so we can fit the 40s back on haha. Oh and replace the rad he fucked too I guess


----------



## sahaal

now with pics since I'm apparently too dumb to edit my post:


----------



## Furtive Glance

New RX-7 in 2017!!! Woooooooooooooooooooooooooot!

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/mazda-rx-7-set-to-return-in-2017-ar137337.html


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

Furtive Glance said:


> New RX-7 in 2017!!! Woooooooooooooooooooooooooot!
> 
> Mazda RX-7 set to return in 2017 - Top Speed



That is DAMN sexy. :O 

I'm drivin' a 2004 Ford Explorer with the 4x4 NBX offroad package. Not bad, but it sucks on gas mileage!


----------



## axxessdenied

I was checking out the newer model Lexus RX400h. I like the newer body style and updates to the interior a lot! Got me wanting to upgrade our RX330


----------



## iliketofish

Just for the eyecandy, the Mclaren -12c spider...





Anyone else a fan of supercars?


----------



## groph

I had a 2002 Chevrolet Malibu. In classic GM fashion, on its tenth birthday everything started breaking bit by bit. Engine started ticking, apparently one or more of the pistons or some moving part was making contact with something it wasn't supposed to be making contact with, front left spring broke so we had to replace the front suspension, and to top it all off the rack and pinion fucked up completely out of the blue a couple of months ago.



Now I have a 2012 Mazda 3, paid for in cash as a graduation present. The Malibu was basically like driving a ... Malibu, and the Mazda 3 is worlds ahead in handling. I love going on pointless errands now.


----------



## Estilo

M3CHK1LLA said:


> finally got a chance to post it, here is my 93 twin turbo mazda rx-7
> 
> aka "papa smurf"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> with the 99 mustang in the background...i like that dog a lot more than it lol.



The car I've got the worst CAS for since I saw the yellow one in Initial D. Have heard horrendous things about how it handles though. Care to share your thoughts on this?


----------



## GuitaristOfHell

my friends fiero kills this corvette. He did a huge engine mod. Cops don't even bother


----------



## budda

That's an engine swap, not an engine mod


----------



## GuitaristOfHell

budda said:


> That's an engine swap, not an engine mod


Oh my bad . Shows you how much I know about cars. I just know it's fast as all fucking hell. They say there's this red fiero that speeds around but they can't prove it haha.


----------



## budda

I dunno why one would make their dragster their daily as well, but whatever.

I got my 2010 Matrix a month ago. The rear seats fold flat, so I kind of have a truck bed behind me  it's great. Small tank but mine's the 1.8 so it's no gas hog.






Edit: so bulb got his M series (but didn't get that blue!). Matt, that's an Impreza?! Now that I own a standard transmission car, I think that I'll be headed to Subaru when I need to cart a family around.


----------



## rogerskevin

I have been always fan of cars but I cant find a one which is very long and a very luxurious, Can you help me to find out that brand? I seriously dont remember the name of it.


----------



## iliketofish

^ Literally a long car? Maybach perhaps?


----------



## flint757

Rolls Royce maybe?


----------



## Kiwimetal101

Yea Rolls Royce comes to mind..


----------



## Arsenal12

GuitaristOfHell said:


> my friends fiero kills this corvette. He did a huge engine mod. Cops don't even bother




who the fuck plays Tears For Fears at a fuckin' racetrack??


----------



## troyguitar

budda said:


> I dunno why one would make their dragster their daily as well, but whatever.



Beats the hell out of only getting to drive the fun car for 10 seconds a couple times a month and driving the boring one 99% of the time!


----------



## VILARIKA

I had my Mustang for a year, still love it and took great care of it. Hurricane Sandy flooded my car and I lost it. Insurance covered the Mustang so I was able to get another car. Sticking with the American muscle thought I went from Mustang to...







Really happy with the choice, no regrets so far!


----------



## Darkened

My present car is: 





But I would love to have this:




5l/100km!


----------



## Estilo

VILARIKA said:


> I had my Mustang for a year, still love it and took great care of it. Hurricane Sandy flooded my car and I lost it. Insurance covered the Mustang so I was able to get another car. Sticking with the American muscle thought I went from Mustang to...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Really happy with the choice, no regrets so far!



Sorry about your Mustang dude. How does the Camaro compare to it? 

Also is it true that they cost $40k in the US??


----------



## sawtoothscream

I drive a jeep grand cherokee limited. If i could grab a new vichical it would be a ford ecoboost.


----------



## VILARIKA

Estilo said:


> Sorry about your Mustang dude. How does the Camaro compare to it?
> 
> Also is it true that they cost $40k in the US??



Thanks man. The Camaro and Mustang and neck and neck to me, but I think i'm having more fun driving the Camaro, it's a bit more of a challenge compared to the simpler Mustang. Mustang is a better every day car though. Yeah, both cars were under $40k.


----------



## troyguitar

Mustang and Camaro both start around $22k or so for the V6 and $30k for the V8's.

How do you deal with the fact that you can't see anything out of the Camaro, especially out the back and sides? That was the main reason I preferred the Mustang.


----------



## VILARIKA

troyguitar said:


> How do you deal with the fact that you can't see anything out of the Camaro, especially out the back and sides? That was the main reason I preferred the Mustang.



I said the same thing when I first sat in the Camaro a year ago. "It's too bulky, the sides are so wide that I can't see through my side mirrors, the back window is way too small", etc. It's a big reason why I chose the Mustang too.

I added the rear view package to help with backing out of parking and things like that, but I've already gotten used to the car a lot and how it's angles are. No doubt that the Mustang has better vision and is a better "every day" car, but the Camaro isn't as bad as it seems. Having owned it for a week now and driving in car flooded areas where I need to maneuver constantly, it's fun driving this car. Takes a bit more skill to get around, but it keeps me on my toes.


----------



## xFallen

I have a 1999 Buick Regal GS. It came stock with a super charger so I wanted it lol


----------



## sawtoothscream

xFallen said:


> I have a 1999 Buick Regal GS. It came stock with a super charger so I wanted it lol



Fun cars, My dad new a guy that had one and my dad would do the repairs to it. Moves pretty good


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

ok...you got to see pics of my green moster & papa smurf. its under construction, but here is my favorite car i own, a 93 jdm toyota supra h/t.

with current racinghart 19" wheels






with 18" xxr mesh...these are on my rx-7 now.






no...this pic is not mirrored


----------



## Riffer

My new project.


----------



## Joose

^Beast!!

I traded in my '06 Dodge Magnum R/T a few days ago. Loved the HEMI so much, that I bought another!

'07 Charger R/T "Sub Lime" Daytona #1036 of 1500


----------



## troyguitar

Can you actually get a proper transmission on those? That's my complaint with most of the recent Chrysler/Dodge products.


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> Can you actually get a proper transmission on those? That's my complaint with most of the recent Chrysler/Dodge products.



There is no manual option. However, these days, I don't consider manuals to be the only "proper" transmissions. I adore the auto in this. I did in my Magnum as well. Not in stock tuned form though..... but I have a Diablosport Predator; I use the 93 Octane Performance Tune. That alone improved my 0-60 from 6.33 to 5.78, which I consider to be a pretty significant difference for simply pressing some buttons on a handheld tuner lol. Some headers, exhaust, intake and maybe a throttle body spacer should have me at or below 5 seconds. Should be below, if I buy the right brands.

It has a manumatic tranny originally designed for the Mercedes E-Class, good enough for me.


----------



## longfxukxnhair

My Toy is a 2009 Dodge Challenger RT. Pictured in my avatar


----------



## longfxukxnhair

Joose said:


> ^Beast!!
> 
> I traded in my '06 Dodge Magnum R/T a few days ago. Loved the HEMI so much, that I bought another!
> 
> '07 Charger R/T "Sub Lime" Daytona #1036 of 1500



That is sweet! Love the color


----------



## longfxukxnhair

Riffer said:


> My new project.


----------



## longfxukxnhair

sahaal said:


> now with pics since I'm apparently too dumb to edit my post:



Damn!


----------



## longfxukxnhair

hairychris said:


> 40 years old and never owned a car....



I cant even wrap my mind around that


----------



## longfxukxnhair

Riffer said:


> My toy.....


----------



## pink freud

So, apparently this thing is making its way stateside. So fucking pimp:




Morgan 3 Wheeler

wantwantwantwant


----------



## angus

sahaal said:


> now with pics since I'm apparently too dumb to edit my post:



I'm setting up to buy a new diesel Ram, straight-black like above (or full schoolbus yellow). Second one- I miss it!


----------



## That_One_Person

Should be getting my 95 Camaro Z28 on Wednesday. SBC and no traction control will be quite an effort to control for my 19 year old self.


----------



## bulb

Took a few more pics of the whip, lighting wasn't ideal but whatever I love photographing this car haha! (Gf's Jeep is in the background hehe)


----------



## donray1527

M3CHK1LLA said:


> ok...you got to see pics of my green moster & papa smurf. its under construction, but here is my favorite car i own, a 93 jdm toyota supra h/t.
> 
> with current racinghart 19" wheels
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> with 18" xxr mesh...these are on my rx-7 now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> no...this pic is not mirrored



Damn Mech, RG8s and supras? You are my hero lol


----------



## donray1527

Bulb, i imagine you have the hottest GF that has ever lived on this planet lol or any other planet.


----------



## ddtonfire

bulb said:


> E90 M3



You really need to record that V8 roar for us one day.


----------



## the fuhrer

My trucks





7.3, 12" lift on 48's






Built SBC and th350. Super clean, looks faster than it is.


----------



## bulb

the fuhrer said:


> My trucks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 7.3, 12" lift on 48's
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Built SBC and th350. Super clean, looks faster than it is.



holy fuck let me rampage in that first one someday


----------



## bulb

ddtonfire said:


> You really need to record that V8 roar for us one day.



NA V8 at 8400 rpm really is something else haha!


----------



## the fuhrer

I'll trade ya


----------



## sahaal

the fuhrer said:


> My trucks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 7.3, 12" lift on 48's



what's all done to that old girl, engine wise? Looks like a bit of fun haha

also, badass picture of rust bucket my best friend did for me: 




and yes, this is a mildly sarcastic picture! hopefully selling it as soon as I get new doors and a new bumper on it, then buying a 1979 F150 I found!


----------



## the fuhrer

Basic bolt-ons, turbo, injectors and custom tune from Tony Wildman. It hauls ass for the size. Left a newer prelude with a big ass fart cannon sitting in a cloud of black smoke last night haha.


----------



## angus

I had a older prelude rev the bejesus out of his engine when I drove past him in my GTR (in rush hour traffic, so traffic was moving all of 30). I didn't look, so the next time his lane caught up to mine, he stopped completely, revved the engine, then tried show off his acceleration....only to hit the left side median as he avoided a car that entered his lane. Nice.

Again, rush hour. 

Sigh. This car kind of brings out the d-bags.


----------



## bulb

angus said:


> I had a older prelude rev the bejesus out of his engine when I drove past him in my GTR (in rush hour traffic, so traffic was moving all of 30). I didn't look, so the next time his lane caught up to mine, he stopped completely, revved the engine, then tried show off his acceleration....only to hit the left side median as he avoided a car that entered his lane. Nice.
> 
> Again, rush hour.
> 
> Sigh. This car kind of brings out the d-bags.



Nice one haha.
Thinking about upgrading to the GT-R in the future...someday haha.
I heard that if you get caught racing, they take your car and crush it, no questions asked. Don't know if that varies state by state, but I don't fuck with that shit because it's not worth it....


----------



## MetalBuddah

bulb said:


> Nice one haha.
> Thinking about upgrading to the GT-R in the future...someday haha.
> I heard that if you get caught racing, they take your car and crush it, no questions asked. Don't know if that varies state by state, but I don't fuck with that shit because it's not worth it....



The thought of a crushed GT-R makes my stomach sink


----------



## angus

bulb said:


> Nice one haha.
> Thinking about upgrading to the GT-R in the future...someday haha.
> I heard that if you get caught racing, they take your car and crush it, no questions asked. Don't know if that varies state by state, but I don't fuck with that shit because it's not worth it....



Well, in case I wasn't clear, I was just puttering along in traffic while the Honda was trying to dick fence. Only he ended up with his dick smashed into the median. 

I don't like, and won't get anywhere near to, the whole silly street racing BS. If I want to drive fast, I go out for a track day. 

I've never heard of anyone taking the car and crushing it, particularly since that would put the state in a very questionable legal situation (taking legal property and destroying it without warrant). I think that is really more of a movie thing. In real life, you'd just get a ticket, unless you did something much more serious, in which case you'd be arrested and the car impounded (ie, just a bigger ticket). 

The only time I've heard of a car getting crushed is when people import European or Japanese cars without getting a legal bond release to certify that they were imported legally and can be registered in the US without a US vin number. This happens a lot when someone buys and imports an older Skyline or European-spec Porsche, doesn't go through the appropriate channels, and when the Feds find out, they come to your home, confiscate the car, and crush it.

Enjoy the M3! A friend just bought a coupe a few weeks back, white with red interior, and it's great. It is a lot easier on the back than my car, and can actually fit a few guitars in it. I'm a bass player and I can't even remotely fit a bass into the trunk.


----------



## bulb

angus said:


> Well, in case I wasn't clear, I was just puttering along in traffic while the Honda was trying to dick fence. Only he ended up with his dick smashed into the median.
> 
> I don't like, and won't get anywhere near to, the whole silly street racing BS. If I want to drive fast, I go out for a track day.
> 
> I've never heard of anyone taking the car and crushing it, particularly since that would put the state in a very questionable legal situation (taking legal property and destroying it without warrant). I think that is really more of a movie thing. In real life, you'd just get a ticket, unless you did something much more serious, in which case you'd be arrested and the car impounded (ie, just a bigger ticket).
> 
> The only time I've heard of a car getting crushed is when people import European or Japanese cars without getting a legal bond release to certify that they were imported legally and can be registered in the US without a US vin number. This happens a lot when someone buys and imports an older Skyline or European-spec Porsche, doesn't go through the appropriate channels, and when the Feds find out, they come to your home, confiscate the car, and crush it.
> 
> Enjoy the M3! A friend just bought a coupe a few weeks back, white with red interior, and it's great. It is a lot easier on the back than my car, and can actually fit a few guitars in it. I'm a bass player and I can't even remotely fit a bass into the trunk.



Oh no, I totally got that you weren't racing, I was commenting on the fact that random people go for it. I don't get quite as many people trying to in my M3 as I am sure you do in your GT-R, but it still perplexes me. 

Even if your modded civic can beat a GT-Rin a straight line somehow, it isn't a marvel of modern engineering like the GT-R haha.

Do the back seats not fold down? I have to say, I have been LOVING how practical an every day car the M3 sedan is. With seats down I can easily fit 2 dixon cases (total of 6 guitars) and have room to spare for loose rack gear and what not. It's the one thing that is making me wonder if I should switch or not. Next time I'm in the area, you should take me for a drive haha.


----------



## troyguitar

The ultimate in speed+practicality is still the CTS-V Wagon. I want one.


----------



## matt397

I've seen trucks posted in here so I'll post up this bad boy. 












Obviously all stock but I got a few mods I want to do to it, all cosmetic. Replace that ugly ass chrome grill for this:






and these bolt style fender flares:


----------



## angus

bulb said:


> Oh no, I totally got that you weren't racing, I was commenting on the fact that random people go for it. I don't get quite as many people trying to in my M3 as I am sure you do in your GT-R, but it still perplexes me.
> 
> Even if your modded civic can beat a GT-Rin a straight line somehow, it isn't a marvel of modern engineering like the GT-R haha.
> 
> Do the back seats not fold down? I have to say, I have been LOVING how practical an every day car the M3 sedan is. With seats down I can easily fit 2 dixon cases (total of 6 guitars) and have room to spare for loose rack gear and what not. It's the one thing that is making me wonder if I should switch or not. Next time I'm in the area, you should take me for a drive haha.



I'm coming from an 1100 horsepower turbo mustang, so the GT-R is relatively "slow", but it's not a cantankerous, finnicky piece of shit with three cars worth of engine and suspension parts in it, so it is WAY worth the speed difference! I love the AWD, too. 

I actually don't know if the back seats fold down- I mean it would only add about an extra 4 inches of space.  I'll check. I can fit my tiniest, 33" scale bass in the trunk with a soft case, but only with weird-angle entry. I sold my Range Rover when I bought this, and the lack of functionality is not awesome. I'm considering getting another diesel truck. For the moment, though, I just keep using my girlfriend's Prius. The M3 makes much more sense for you (and probably for me too, realistically, though I guess I no longer haul my gear for income). 

I live in CT, but my girlfriend lives in Potomac- you guys are based in Bethesda, right? Next time I'm there with my car, you're welcome to drive it. I'll let you know ahead of time.


----------



## angus

matt397 said:


> I've seen trucks posted in here so I'll post up this bad boy.



Don't do the bolt-on fender flares and aftermarket grill! They'll make your nice new truck look cheap- especially the grill. 

Congrats on the awesome truck, though!


----------



## matt397

angus said:


> Don't do the bolt-on fender flares and aftermarket grill! They'll make your nice new truck look cheap- especially the grill.
> 
> Congrats on the awesome truck, though!



Thanks !

The thing is though I think the chrome looks tacky as hell.

I have time to think about it before I get the grill an flares, have to get the tool box first, that's a must have.


----------



## Joose

I love a straight piped HEMI...

I'll try to get an acceleration video soon; the high RPMs sound great.


----------



## troyguitar

C7 Corvette Stingray was revealed tonight and looks badass. 

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: Everything there is to know


----------



## Joose

It's looks so, so unbelievably great.

Easily my favorite looking 'Vette of all-time. Well done, Chevy!!


----------



## poopyalligator

Fuck that looks awesome. I only have one thing that I kind of dislike about it. I don't like the fact that they used the camaro lights on it. Granted they look a bit more slanted on the new vette, but still pretty similar. Other than that, it looks fucking amazing.


----------



## bulb

troyguitar said:


> C7 Corvette Stingray was revealed tonight and looks badass.
> 
> 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: Everything there is to know



Holy shit, if that is what the production model will look like then perhaps for the first time ever I would actively want a corvette!


----------



## bulb

angus said:


> I'm coming from an 1100 horsepower turbo mustang, so the GT-R is relatively "slow", but it's not a cantankerous, finnicky piece of shit with three cars worth of engine and suspension parts in it, so it is WAY worth the speed difference! I love the AWD, too.
> 
> I actually don't know if the back seats fold down- I mean it would only add about an extra 4 inches of space.  I'll check. I can fit my tiniest, 33" scale bass in the trunk with a soft case, but only with weird-angle entry. I sold my Range Rover when I bought this, and the lack of functionality is not awesome. I'm considering getting another diesel truck. For the moment, though, I just keep using my girlfriend's Prius. The M3 makes much more sense for you (and probably for me too, realistically, though I guess I no longer haul my gear for income).
> 
> I live in CT, but my girlfriend lives in Potomac- you guys are based in Bethesda, right? Next time I'm there with my car, you're welcome to drive it. I'll let you know ahead of time.



1100 horsepower? Good lord, yeah just about anything would seem tame or slow compared to that, but I am sure that you are glad to have a car you can drive without fearing for your life haha.

Damn dude, I'll definitely take you up on that offer that would be amazing! Potomac is not far from me at all!


----------



## JSanta

My wife and I are both TDI fans, she has a fantastic Tornado Red 2013 TDI Jetta and I am driving an 06 TDI Jetta. When it's time for a new ride I'll keep the 2013 and she is already set on the TDI Touareg.

Dream car? I want to build a Caterham for track days. As soon as I have the garage to to it in.


----------



## WaffleTheEpic

GuitaristOfHell said:


> my friends fiero kills this corvette. He did a huge engine mod. Cops don't even bother




My dad's got a stock '86 Fiero 4-cyl! Haha. Niiiice video though ;D

He got it about 6 months ago, with 16k original miles on it. Got it for 5 grand. Totally stole it.


----------



## angus

bulb said:


> 1100 horsepower? Good lord, yeah just about anything would seem tame or slow compared to that, but I am sure that you are glad to have a car you can drive without fearing for your life haha.
> 
> Damn dude, I'll definitely take you up on that offer that would be amazing! Potomac is not far from me at all!



And/or a car that has good driving manners, at least!

I'll definitely let you know when we are there visiting her parents next (sometime in the next 3-6 months). Happy to have you drive it.


----------



## shadscbr

Well, after shopping for many months, I finally made a car decision. I was looking for:


AWD with as close to 30MPG Hwy as possible
Regular gas
Sub 7 sec 0-60
Sporty handling
Leather & Moonroof
Price $25K- $35K(final price, not sticker)


So, there are not a ton of options that don't violate at least one of my rules above. 2013 is the first year Volvo has combined the Turbo 5cyl with AWD in the S60, and does not require premium gas, which made it the only car on my list to follow all the rules, while still keeping the cost very similar to a new Subaru Legacy. The recent IIHS top safety pick + didn't hurt either. The city safety braking system is very impressive, as is the safety structure/airbag system. This group of videos helped me decide on a few cars to take off my list, the IS250 being one of them.
 



Now that i've had the car for a couple weeks, for me, it definitely combines a great mix of performance and gas mileage. If i'm careful, I can get an overall average in the 26+ mpg range, and have crested 30mpg on a few hwy runs. Even when I feel like spinning up the turbo all day, it only drops to the low-mid 20's, which is still not bad for an aggressively driven AWD turbo. For comparison, my old 2007 Subaru Legacy, 4Cyl, 5 Spd manual, no turbo, 9-10 sec 0-60, got 24 Mpg overall. In my case, the turbo is proving to be a nice little shove in the back under acceleration without sacrificing Mpg, or paying for premium gas. Now I want the Polestar mod 


Here is my new 2013 Volcvo S60 T5 AWD- the leather color may not be for everyone...but I really fell in love with the baseball glove color 



























Shad


----------



## Chickenhawk

Ya'know, when I see a Volvo on the road I think to myself "Definition of grandmas car".

Then I see the interior, realize how great they drive, and their overall value...and I tell myself I need to buy one 

As I'm driving my big ass truck 60mp/h in a 70 cause my tires are shit.


----------



## shadscbr

Chickenhawk said:


> Ya'know, when I see a Volvo on the road I think to myself "Definition of grandmas car".
> 
> Then I see the interior, realize how great they drive, and their overall value...and I tell myself I need to buy one
> 
> As I'm driving my big ass truck 60mp/h in a 70 cause my tires are shit.


 
LOL...i hear you. I never set out to get a Volvo. "They're boxy but good" always comes to mind when I think of the brand. 

Shad


----------



## angus

The new Volvos are awesome. I've been considering either getting a small car or a truck (long story), and I could seriously consider the C30. They're great cars, and super, super comfortable. 

Congrats on the S60!! I love the baseball color- I had a car a while back with the same color interior and I've missed it ever since. Every friend of mine hated it, though, lol. That car looks great.

Newly found (old) pictures from my phone:







Turbo Saleen Mustang (still own, for now):


----------



## angus

...does everyone else see the Mustang picture sideways? It isn't like that on my computer but uploaded that way.


----------



## shadscbr

Thanks Angus, your GTR and Saleen are Sweet!!! Yes, stang is sideways 

you are spot on for the Volvo comfort. When I get to work in the morning, i sit in those awesome seats with the seat heaters cranked on high and listen to a few tunes before the day starts. My back feels so good afterwards 

Volvo...Y U No make Office chairs!!

Shad


----------



## donray1527

Crash test videos make me hate car companies. :'(


----------



## angus

shadscbr said:


> Thanks Angus, your GTR and Saleen are Sweet!!! Yes, stang is sideways
> 
> you are spot on for the Volvo comfort. When I get to work in the morning, i sit in those awesome seats with the seat heaters cranked on high and listen to a few tunes before the day starts. My back feels so good afterwards
> 
> Volvo...Y U No make Office chairs!!



Thanks!! I'll try to fix the picture. 

A Volvo office chair would be amazing. There are companies who made office chair bases that will fit on different make/model of car seats, so technically you could make it happen. But it would probably be $$ to get the seats, even from a wrecked car.


----------



## shadscbr

would also make a great gaming seat for racing games...multi-purpose 

Shad


----------



## bannyd

this is my baby
2007 Mazdaspeed3


----------



## Stricken

Such nice cars here. And now I'll ruin it 

The Daily






The Trucky







That ol Ford pulled out my two friends when they got stuck in the mud


----------



## darren

I may be the only person on the planet who REALLY doesn't care for the GT-R at all. I thought the concept looked awesome, but the production version looks like an oversized Z with bad orthodontics.


----------



## troyguitar

darren said:


> I may be the only person on the planet who REALLY doesn't care for the GT-R at all. I thought the concept looked awesome, but the production version looks like an oversized Z with bad orthodontics.



I respect its performance but I would never buy one or even really enjoy driving one. I've no interest in a computer doing everything for me.


----------



## Furtive Glance

As an engineering student, I would make sweet sweet love to a GT-R. Some spoiled kid on campus has one from his daddy's trust fund. So jealous. :\


----------



## Estilo

The R34 GTR is still THE GTR for me..


----------



## angus

darren said:


> I may be the only person on the planet who REALLY doesn't care for the GT-R at all. I thought the concept looked awesome, but the production version looks like an oversized Z with bad orthodontics.



Hahaha. I really don't see it at all- the Z has a much more rounded shape and profile the whole way around. I've never seen the car mistaked for a Z...though I have been asked where I got the body kit for my Mustang. 

It's not a beautiful car, but they're more fun to drive than the wildly-more-beautiful R8 or something similar.



troyguitar said:


> I respect its performance but I would never buy one or even really enjoy driving one. I've no interest in a computer doing everything for me.



If you drove it, you'd enjoy it. The whole "computer doing things for me" is a little silly, because if you took it to the race track, you'd have as much trouble getting a great laptime out of it as with almost anything else. Besides, what are you really doing versus the computer in any car when driving around on the street?

Besides, I've spent years racing formula cars and shifter karts, where there is zero computer involvement in the suspension, and I have the Mustang. I think I'm okay with a fun-to-drive, modern car for driving around the streets.


----------



## troyguitar

angus said:


> If you drove it, you'd enjoy it. The whole "computer doing things for me" is a little silly, because if you took it to the race track, you'd have as much trouble getting a great laptime out of it as with almost anything else. Besides, what are you really doing versus the computer in any car when driving around on the street?
> 
> Besides, I've spent years racing formula cars and shifter karts, where there is zero computer involvement in the suspension, and I have the Mustang. I think I'm okay with a fun-to-drive, modern car for driving around the streets.



I've done the same and I hate all of the electronics even in my car. As far as I'm concerned the shifter kart is the most fun to drive vehicle on the planet - though I have not raced anything REALLY expensive yet. I would just turn everything off in a GT-R making it pointless for me. At $100k+ I'd rather drive a ZR1.

I've no interest in flappy paddle gearboxes, fancy AWD systems, active suspensions, etc. An old-school super car with modern engine technology would be my ideal. Light weight, high powered, and simple. I'm considering a Lotus Elise supercharged to around 300 hp and 2000 lbs in a year or two - it doesn't even have power steering!

GT-R would be cool if I were actually racing the thing, not driving for everyday/fun.


----------



## angus

troyguitar said:


> GT-R would be cool if I were actually racing the thing, not driving for everyday/fun.



I thought that was exactly what you DIDN'T want? If you want full control, no power steering, purely manual everything- on the street- what is that really getting you? The only difference any of that makes (where a driver makes any difference) is actually on a racetrack. My grandma could drive a ZR1 to the grocery store. 

I used to race 450hp 1050lb formula cars, which are way faster than shifter karts, but 250cc shifters are still where it is at for me. No road car on the planet is that exciting after racing those.


----------



## troyguitar

It's getting you FUN, which is the point of buying anything beyond a $5k used hatchback for me. I'm talking about street and track day use, not a trailered race car.

If you're actually racing you just want whatever is the fastest thing possible, so break out the computers and go nuts - though most racing series don't allow some of the shit in a GT-R anyway 

I liked 125 shifters the best. They're slower but there is way more competition. 20-kart lead pack pushing each other around the track at Road America with 10+ lead changes per lap = winning.


----------



## metal_sam14

Finally upgraded from my first car (1994 Nissan pulsar) and got myself a car I have wanted for a long time: A Subaru Forester! This one is a MY07 X series model, stock. 










Absolutely loving this car


----------



## ddtonfire

My car's in the shop so they gave me a 2013 328i to drive... with only 780 miles on it 






...I miss mine dearly, though.


----------



## Transmissions

The new corvette is going to most likely eat the gt r in sales. Under 6 figures, and as fast/faster than the gt r? Sign me up.
Someone on this website, please give me $10k to buy a 1985 chevy k20, and but a built na 350 thatll push 400 hp. Pretty please?


----------



## traditional

Transmissions said:


> and as fast/faster than the gt r



Maybe in a straight line, but then those things called 'corners' show up. Something that almost every car reviewer rips in to Corvette's for.

I wish I had a nice car to post in this thread. I've always been a Holden guy, would love to drive a 2012 HSV GTS if I could. Or a GT-R if I win the lottery...


----------



## angus

Transmissions said:


> The new corvette is going to most likely eat the gt r in sales. Under 6 figures, and as fast/faster than the gt r? Sign me up.



In sales? Most definitely. But the only Corvette comparable to the GTR in numbers is the ZR1- which is a tremendous car, but is way over six figures. 

The new Corvette looks awesome though- finally! Really, really gret job they did.


----------



## troyguitar

traditional said:


> Maybe in a straight line, but then those things called 'corners' show up. Something that almost every car reviewer rips in to Corvette's for.



Are we talking about the same car?

List of Nürburgring Nordschleife lap times - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Corvettes are great in corners. Even the new Camaro (1LE and ZL1 versions) is good in corners.

The Holden HSV GTS aka Pontiac G8 GXP aka Vauxhall VXR8 is a very cool car and I'm thinking about tracking one down myself. In 2 weeks they are announcing a new Chevy version of that car to be sold in the US again - they are just calling it the Chevy SS. Supposedly it will be lighter and have the new LT1 V8, same as the C7 Vette. I'm hoping it gets the 7-speed gearbox too, that would be incredible and make for a very difficult choice between the Corvette and the SS.

The main problem with the Holden/G8/VXR8 is it weighs like 800 lbs more than the Corvette.


----------



## traditional

I wasn't saying a Corvette can't corner, I was just saying that a GT-R corners much better than a Corvette. Your Nurburgring reference confirms this too. Note, it's not that I wouldn't drive a Corvette. 

That's awesome about the HSV's going over, hopefully it does well over there. I know that they're heavier, but they are a big family sedan so it'll appeal to a different market. But yeah, the LT1 should go in it. We're supposed to get them in Aussieland at the beginning of 2014.


----------



## Transmissions

troyguitar: i just came buckets. im sorry but i did. i want a gxp soooo bad, im so happy they are bringing it back. is it going to be made by holden? i know they built a plant for it but then pontiac was discontinued, and it was all for naught. i heard roomers about the chevy ss. they 'accidentally' put it on some type of onstar type deal. hopefully its something that can compete with the vr6 and sti nuts, and leave them in the dust. they better not botch this like they did with the impala. front wheel drive v8? what? hopefully they can incorporate the new frame design they have with the corvette, and make it really light. i did hear they were making a twin turbo 3.6 for the camaros, so hopefully they have some sweet packages like that. they need something to appeal to kids like the camaros and mustangs did when they were conceived. im guessing theyll offer it in a na 3.6, turbo 3.6, 2.0t like the ats, and a 5.3 na or 5.3 supercharged. i really hope they make it something unique, and not just a slower/cheaper camaro. hopefully they put it in a good price range too. id be stoked to buy one.


----------



## Transmissions

i just looked up the concept car, its iffy, kind of looks like a cross between a wana be dodge viper and the old pontiac drop top from early 00's. i really hope they give it a fighter jet look similar to the pontiac, but better.


----------



## troyguitar

Transmissions said:


> troyguitar: i just came buckets. im sorry but i did. i want a gxp soooo bad, im so happy they are bringing it back. is it going to be made by holden? i know they built a plant for it but then pontiac was discontinued, and it was all for naught. i heard roomers about the chevy ss. they 'accidentally' put it on some type of onstar type deal. hopefully its something that can compete with the vr6 and sti nuts, and leave them in the dust. they better not botch this like they did with the impala. front wheel drive v8? what? hopefully they can incorporate the new frame design they have with the corvette, and make it really light. i did hear they were making a twin turbo 3.6 for the camaros, so hopefully they have some sweet packages like that. they need something to appeal to kids like the camaros and mustangs did when they were conceived. im guessing theyll offer it in a na 3.6, turbo 3.6, 2.0t like the ats, and a 5.3 na or 5.3 supercharged. i really hope they make it something unique, and not just a slower/cheaper camaro. hopefully they put it in a good price range too. id be stoked to buy one.



It's still going to be made by Holden and the rumor is it will sport the new LT1 V8 that is also going in the C7 Corvette. At least initially it will not be available with any smaller engines. It will cost more than a Camaro and be nicer inside. Probably starting at $40-50k depending on what all they end up doing with it. The car is supposed to be revealed in about 2 weeks, not sure if that will include specs and pricing though. 

It's hard to say exactly what they will do. It could have the LT1, 7-speed gearbox, and Heads-up display from the Corvette and be $50k or it could turn out more like a rebadged G8 GXP and be $40k. I kind of hope they go all-out and make it a 4-door C7.

The renders are fairly boring looking, but frankly I'm fine with that. I like the understated look of the GXP.


----------



## Transmissions

I mean, I feel like they are going to be eating themselves if they make it in that price range. They still don't really have anything to compete with Vw, or Wrx. I was kind of hoping they'd make something sporty, and fast. I dont know if Chevy needs another 40-50k car when you can get a Cadillac, a Camaro, a vette, the new Buicks are fast.
Gm's lacking in the cheap chevy department, the quality on the chevy cars is poor imo, and nothing is really all that fast. 
I think this is going to be the new Impala, but hopefully It looks more like this (COLORS - Caprice Coupe) VF Monaro SS - thus Chevy SS Coupe?


----------



## Jake

I got this cool 2007 Subaru Impreza today, pretty sweet


----------



## troyguitar

So I'm thinking about buying this thing and keeping it as a long term do-everything car:






2006 Audi S4 Avant. Fucking V8 station wagon, 350 hp AWD, 6-speed, Recaro seats... pure badassery.


----------



## Mendez

Audi makes some real nice cars. Is that your GTI back there? Diggin' that blue GTI


----------



## troyguitar

Yeah that is my GTI but it's a lease and I'm tired of front wheel drive, so looking at the Audi as a long-term replacement instead of buying out the lease.


----------



## spadz93

mine





nothin says "'Merrica!" like a 400hp v8


----------



## troyguitar

I like the Christmas tree front end


----------



## Prime




----------



## troyguitar

Wow, very clean ride. What year is that?

The S4 is being inspected by an Audi dealer tomorrow and if all goes well it will be mine this week. I'm already planning mods


----------



## Prime

troyguitar said:


> Wow, very clean ride. What year is that?
> 
> The S4 is being inspected by an Audi dealer tomorrow and if all goes well it will be mine this week. I'm already planning mods



Thanks! It's a 97 M Edition with about 60k miles on it.






The paint is like a mirror...








*Those S4's are awesome.*


----------



## Prime

I just recently did the brakes and rotors on it.









Then I installed some new coilovers.













And finished it up with new wheels and tires.








*15x7 6UL Nickel*

Detailed Description

New for 2012 Gen 3 design
15x7
+36 offset
11.5 lbs
4x100
Low pressure cast monoblock construction
T6 heat treated
67.1mm center bore
Double valve design
500kg max load rated
VIA Certified
JWL approved
Nickel painted, durable clear coated finish
Color matched bronze cap included
Valves not included
Uses standard 60° conical seat lugs



*B.F. Goodrich g-Force&#8482; Sport COMP-2&#8482;*


ACCELERATE FASTER. Best dry traction vs. the competition2on the track for 100% more fun on the street.

COMP-2 Compound - Silica-infused "COMP-2" compound is derived from racing technology and delivers sharp steering response and leading grip in wet and dry conditions, without sacrificing tread wear.

CORNER HARDER. More control for precise cornering with 30% better wet and 8% better dry grip.
Performance Racing Core (PRC) - Internal structure features a reinforced construction that delivers increased responsiveness, control and durability, as well as serious control in hard cornering.

BRAKE SHORTER. Stops up to 16 feet shorter in the wet and even up to 9 feet shorter in the dry for more control entering the corners.
Sport Tread Design - g-Force Sport tread pattern provides proven stability and maximum cornering power while g-Hooks provide biting edges for grip at any cornering angle.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I am pretty meticulous about the car. I have been through just about everything on it. 






Even the trunk is clean...







I bought the car with approx. 30,000 miles about 10 years ago.


----------



## pylyo

troyguitar said:


> Yeah that is my GTI but it's a lease and I'm tired of front wheel drive, so looking at the Audi as a long-term replacement instead of buying out the lease.



Keep in mind that Audi cars are very nose heavy, because the engine is pushed way to much forward, over the front axe. If pushed hard in the corners, and not necessary even that hard, you will still understeer, no matter if you have a 4wd. So basically your on the same as with GTI. Of course RS4 is much faster and brutal.
What's even funnier, they still didn't get it right and are doing it on the new models as well. Though it's better than on the older ones. Weird.

Forget the 50:50 weight distribution.


----------



## Prime

pylyo said:


> Keep in mind that Audi cars are very nose heavy, because the engine is pushed way to much forward, over the front axe. If pushed hard in the corners, and not necessary even that hard, you will still understeer, no matter if you have a 4wd. So basically your on the same as with GTI. Of course RS4 is much faster and brutal.
> What's even funnier, they still didn't get it right and are doing it on the new models as well. Though it's better than on the older ones. Weird.
> 
> Forget the 50:50 weight distribution.



I am thinking the weight distribution is better with this...






Since it's a station wagon.


----------



## Mendez

troyguitar said:


> Wow, very clean ride. What year is that?
> 
> The S4 is being inspected by an Audi dealer tomorrow and if all goes well it will be mine this week. I'm already planning mods



The APR stage 1 mod doesn't affect your lease/warranty?

Either way modding is fun, if i were to get a GTI i would get an APR stage 1 and vag-com mods right off the lot.


----------



## troyguitar

pylyo said:


> Keep in mind that Audi cars are very nose heavy, because the engine is pushed way to much forward, over the front axe. If pushed hard in the corners, and not necessary even that hard, you will still understeer, no matter if you have a 4wd. So basically your on the same as with GTI. Of course RS4 is much faster and brutal.
> What's even funnier, they still didn't get it right and are doing it on the new models as well. Though it's better than on the older ones. Weird.
> 
> Forget the 50:50 weight distribution.





Prime said:


> I am thinking the weight distribution is better with this...
> 
> Since it's a station wagon.



Bingo. The Wagon + Manual trans is actually 52/48 stock. 2 of my future mods planned if this goes through are a carbon fiber hood and relocating the battery to the trunk, which will bring it to 50/50.




Mendez said:


> The APR stage 1 mod doesn't affect your lease/warranty?
> 
> Either way modding is fun, if i were to get a GTI i would get an APR stage 1 and vag-com mods right off the lot.



You can essentially do whatever you want on a lease as long as you put it back to stock before turning it in. If I blew it up I'd probably be screwed on warranty but stage 1 is pretty conservative, not really worried about it. I was patient, I waited until 500 miles before getting the APR tune and vag-com


----------



## Mendez

Awesome, good luck to you sir. Wish I had friends that had decent sport cars, that way I could 'test' drive em 

Right now I'm thinking of getting a used Honda civic SI...not that it's bad, but when your broke, your broke.


----------



## bulb

darren said:


> I may be the only person on the planet who REALLY doesn't care for the GT-R at all. I thought the concept looked awesome, but the production version looks like an oversized Z with bad orthodontics.





angus said:


> Hahaha. I really don't see it at all- the Z has a much more rounded shape and profile the whole way around. I've never seen the car mistaked for a Z...though I have been asked where I got the body kit for my Mustang.
> 
> It's not a beautiful car, but they're more fun to drive than the wildly-more-beautiful R8 or something similar.
> 
> 
> If you drove it, you'd enjoy it. The whole "computer doing things for me" is a little silly, because if you took it to the race track, you'd have as much trouble getting a great laptime out of it as with almost anything else. Besides, what are you really doing versus the computer in any car when driving around on the street?
> 
> Besides, I've spent years racing formula cars and shifter karts, where there is zero computer involvement in the suspension, and I have the Mustang. I think I'm okay with a fun-to-drive, modern car for driving around the streets.



I want a GT-R so hard. Who cares that it isn't the prettiest car ever, it is a marvel of modern engineering, and totally usable as a daily driver.
She will be mine...oh yes... she will be mine!


----------



## troyguitar

Mendez said:


> Awesome, good luck to you sir. Wish I had friends that had decent sport cars, that way I could 'test' drive em
> 
> Right now I'm thinking of getting a used Honda civic SI...not that it's bad, but when your broke, your broke.



haha I understand that - I live in the middle of nowhere now and am almost the only person I know who does not drive a pickup truck. The GTI and hopefully the S4 are the first decent cars I've bought. My previous cars were all under $5k. You'll get there.


----------



## Transmissions

spadz93 said:


> mine
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> nothin says "'Merrica!" like a 400hp v8



i thought it only came with 300? or do you have work done to it/is it the turbo ss model?


----------



## pylyo

troyguitar said:


> Bingo. The Wagon + Manual trans is actually 52/48 stock. 2 of my future mods planned if this goes through are a carbon fiber hood and relocating the battery to the trunk, which will bring it to 50/50.



I'm pretty much sure you have messed the numbers, 'cause as far as I know it's more like 58/42. 

Which is quite... bad. hehe

And you ain't gonna solve it with carbon roof, imo.

That engine is heavy. And when flying in to the corner, it becomes much, much heavier, and even with all that grip of 4wd, you can't handle it, so it will understeer. 

Recently I watched a good review of the latest RS5 and suprisingly the damn thing still understeers pretty hard. But it's such a pretty car. And that sound...


----------



## Mendez

troyguitar said:


> haha I understand that - I live in the middle of nowhere now and am almost the only person I know who does not drive a pickup truck. The GTI and hopefully the S4 are the first decent cars I've bought. My previous cars were all under $5k. You'll get there.



All my cars have been under $2k....
95 Impreza - $300
89 Celica - $200
90 Eclipse - $400
95 Accord- $1800

In my defense, I buy them with some problems and I fix them. Some I gave up on...like the celica's suspension was like 2k, but I conviniently (it sucked, I liked the car) got into an accident and wrecked it. Sold it to a junker and got my 200 back though


----------



## troyguitar

pylyo said:


> I'm pretty much sure you have messed the numbers, 'cause as far as I know it's more like 58/42.
> 
> Which is quite... bad. hehe
> 
> And you ain't gonna solve it with carbon roof, imo.
> 
> That engine is heavy. And when flying in to the corner, it becomes much, much heavier, and even with all that grip of 4wd, you can't handle it, so it will understeer.
> 
> Recently I watched a good review of the latest RS5 and suprisingly the damn thing still understeers pretty hard. But it's such a pretty car. And that sound...



B7 S4 Weight Redistribution/Reduction

I've done my homework on this one - I am an engineer after all


----------



## Prime

troyguitar said:


> B7 S4 Weight Redistribution/Reduction
> 
> I've done my homework on this one - I am an engineer after all


 

52/48 isn't that bad to start with.


----------



## Prime

I'm kinda digging this...






Somehow


Here's another....


----------



## Mendez

Edit: reminds me of the batmobile for some reason.


----------



## pylyo

Strange that, Troy.

Since I have always read it's 58/42 and never found an opposite info but that PDF file reveals it all.

Is it just because of the manual gearbox?


Anyway, some bimmer love. I've noticed no one have mention it yet.

4 series.






and a render of M4 based on the upper one.






Dang. Why??


----------



## troyguitar

pylyo said:


> Strange that, Troy.
> 
> Since I have always read it's 58/42 and never found an opposite info...



It's possible that there's a typo in the Audi specs. I won't know for sure until I get the car on a scale. There's so much crap contradictory info online from seemingly credible sources, it's really annoying.


----------



## Prime

Mendez said:


> Edit: reminds me of the batmobile for some reason.




How bout the 8C Competizone? It's a little more consevative style-wise....


----------



## pylyo

Love the 8C looks and the side silhouette. But the price...


----------



## Prime

pylyo said:


> Love the 8C looks and the side silhouette. But the price...




I am a little partial to convertibles. So perhaps the Alfa 8c spider....


----------



## Prime

I made a Forza 4 version of my car (even made a M edition badge for it)......







Pretty Close....







And a little Movie Clip....

http://prime.aspserver.net/miata.avi


----------



## Mendez

Prime said:


> How bout the 8C Competizone? It's a little more consevative style-wise....



Well, I actually like the first one you put. I was just busting some chops


----------



## spadz93

the ss model comes with a 400hp stock ls2


----------



## Prime

pylyo said:


> Love the 8C looks and the side silhouette. But the price...



50-60k for the 4c though.


----------



## angus

bulb said:


> I want a GT-R so hard. Who cares that it isn't the prettiest car ever, it is a marvel of modern engineering, and totally usable as a daily driver.
> She will be mine...oh yes... she will be mine!



Hah. I told you- next time I'm in MD...


----------



## pink freud

Curious about the GTR...

Where do you go to fill your tires up?


----------



## Mendez

From what I've read, most tire shops have nitrogen for the tires.

Edit: I'm sure you could just add regular air...


----------



## Prime

Mendez said:


> From what I've read, most tire shops have nitrogen for the tires.
> 
> Edit: I'm sure you could just add regular air...




Air in Tires!?!?!?...Oh the Horror.


----------



## Mendez

But....but....its nitrogen! It's the new hip thing!


----------



## ddtonfire

pylyo said:


> and a render of M4 based on the upper one.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dang. Why??



If the M4 ends up actually looking like this, I'm going to rage in happiness! So awesome.


----------



## troyguitar

"Regular" air is already 78% nitrogen...


----------



## pink freud

Hey, I found a great deal on a Corvette, think I should go for it?






But seriously, texting while driving, not a good idea


----------



## troyguitar

Picked up the S4 last night, it's fucking awesome:


----------



## shadscbr

^^ AWD, V8, Manual...bring on the snow, happy drifting 

Shad


----------



## Prime

Congratz!!!!


----------



## Mendez

troyguitar said:


> Picked up the S4 last night, it's fucking awesome: Badass Audi S4 pics



Congrats man, looks freaking sweet! Gotta love them audi's


----------



## Transmissions

http://blogs.dieselpowermag.com/6788693/whats-new/14-chevy-cruze-clean-turbo-diesel/y

balls are empty

but yeah, this would be sick if the chevy cruz had a better chassis.


----------



## troyguitar

Transmissions said:


> http://blogs.dieselpowermag.com/6788693/whats-new/14-chevy-cruze-clean-turbo-diesel/y
> 
> balls are empty
> 
> but yeah, this would be sick if the chevy cruz had a better chassis.



What's the point? The regular petrol Cruze also gets 42 mpg on the highway, costs less money up front and uses cheaper fuel...


----------



## troyguitar

Mendez said:


> Congrats man, looks freaking sweet! Gotta love them audi's



Thanks, this thing is ridiculous. They bought it with every option and took damn good care of it:






I, on the other hand, was out doing donuts in an empty parking lot 2 hours ago to test the quattro system


----------



## angus

Awesome!!! Congrats!

Enjoy the Recaros- I've put them in every car I've ever had (exception trucks/SUVs). Need to get the office chair version soon.


----------



## Transmissions

troyguitar said:


> What's the point? The regular petrol Cruze also gets 42 mpg on the highway, costs less money up front and uses cheaper fuel...


Im guessing that it'd be easier to tune, and that it's a modified version of the 4.5 v8 they made but didnt sell because they spent too much on r&d so now they are just going to either a.) test the waters and see who really wants a diesel, or b.) try and get some of the cash back on that engine they built
Throw a head gasket spacer on and a tuner and you can crank out a ton of horsepower, and diesels also have less electrical problems, so these things should run forever. and then theres also bio diesel you can mix.


----------



## Mendez

troyguitar said:


> Thanks, this thing is ridiculous. They bought it with every option and took damn good care of it:
> 
> I, on the other hand, was out doing donuts in an empty parking lot 2 hours ago to test the quattro system



It's funny how they charge a gas guzzler tax...Nothing like finding a sweet car that's well taken car of and fully loaded

Well since you apparantly already have experience with the quattro system , how is it?


----------



## troyguitar

Quattro is brilliant, it goes through the snow almost like it's not even there - until you try to stop, that is


----------



## Shashing

troyguitar said:


> What's the point? The regular petrol Cruze also gets 42 mpg on the highway, costs less money up front and uses cheaper fuel...



The diesel's got double the amount of torque of the n/a 1.8 gas engine and 100 ft.lbs more torque than the turbocharged gasser. Good for towing things, and with the right exhaust you can close your eyes and pretend you're in a truck


----------



## Mendez

Well...I ended up getting an mk4 GTI


----------



## tacotiklah

Got back from getting my Tbird fixed up. Apparently I damaged the hell out of my front rotors and had to replace all of the brake pads on the car. Parts, labor, and diagnostic came out to $600. I really need to learn how to fix my own car.


----------



## Mendez

ghstofperdition said:


> Got back from getting my Tbird fixed up. Apparently I damaged the hell out of my front rotors and had to replace all of the brake pads on the car. Parts, labor, and diagnostic came out to $600. I really need to learn how to fix my own car.



My friend went to firestone and was got quoted $700ish for a brake job...it included front rotors, drums, pads, and labor. Way too much IMO. 

Hell they actually quoted him $1,121 or so because his tires were 'bald'. 

I did a whole brake job (front rotors, front and rear brake pads) and front suspension change for about $400 on my honda. Knowing how to do it your self certainly saves you a shit ton of money.


----------



## Transmissions

$200 in parts from a parts house+beer=a good afternoon and a lot of money saved.


----------



## troyguitar

ghstofperdition said:


> Got back from getting my Tbird fixed up. Apparently I damaged the hell out of my front rotors and had to replace all of the brake pads on the car. Parts, labor, and diagnostic came out to $600. I really need to learn how to fix my own car.



I haven't worked on drum brakes at all but if you have disc brakes then pads and rotors are a very easy job.


----------



## matt397

Pulled off the highway one day and started going throught the city to work and kept hearing a loud grinding every turn and every time I put the brakes on. To the point I didn't want to risk driving it to the shop.
Had a buddy tow it to the closest dealership ( I was 100 kms from home). Cost $800 for pads, rotors and I think calipers, they knew I was stuck, like sharks getting that first scent of blood. That includes a rental car cause they couldn't fix it right away. 
They charged for something like 6 hours of labor at $86 an hour. I told the guy they were either robbing me or they found the dumbest mechanics on the face of the planet because there is no way front end brakes take on a small car takes 6 hours.



troyguitar said:


> I haven't worked on drum brakes at all but if you have disc brakes then pads and rotors are a very easy job.



I attempted to do a set of drums once. Never again. Having said that, it took me 3 hours to do both drums for the first time ever doing them. I had a hanes manual to help though.


----------



## MrMcSick

Here goes my daily. Favorite color EVER. Basic bolt ons and suspension though I have a forged high compression gsr block to put in someday. These are all before I got a lip for the front as someone took the stock one off for some reason.


----------



## espman

Good news for hot hatch lovers that aren't in North America. Mercedes is now making the A45 AMG

The 2014 Mercedes A45 AMG Is The Ultimate Hot Hatch That We&#39;ll Never See


----------



## angus

I'm not normally a hatchback fan, but that car looks amazing.


----------



## JoeyBTL

I should go into OT more often because I didn't see this thread! I love cars. Mainly VWs, but thats mainly because its what I own. I'm a fan of A LOT of different ones.

These are my 2 current cars. One is an 03 24v VR6 GLI which is my daily. The other is a 92 GTI with a 12v VR6 swap. I don't put as much time/money into them as before because that gets put into gear and playing haha. With all the money I've spent on gear I could've properly turboed either one of these cars but I decided against that a long while ago. Putting that much into a fwd car isn't all that appealing to me anymore. I'd rather swap an LS1 into a Nissan 240 if I really wanted to have fun. 




[/IMG]









[/IMG]






I didn't list all the mods and things to each one but I can if anyones interested! I don't do much car talking since I don't visit vwvortex anymore haha


----------



## Mendez

Here's my old honda accord, it has around 198k miles and still kicking!:






My new daily driver, its a 2001 mk4 gti with 110k miles so far, it drives and handles amazingly. Certainly the funnest DD I've had so far, and it gets 30+mpg to boot!






A gun I want to shoot (Sig Sauer P229 Elite):






And the dash is awesome:


----------



## The Scenic View

Mmmm, dem old volkswagens.


----------



## Arsenal12

troyguitar said:


> Picked up the S4 last night, it's fucking awesome:



Congrats!! big fan of S4 Avants


----------



## BigBaldIan

espman said:


> Good news for hot hatch lovers that aren't in North America. Mercedes is now making the A45 AMG
> 
> The 2014 Mercedes A45 AMG Is The Ultimate Hot Hatch That We'll Never See



However it would appear you'll get a CLA version.

Mercedes CLA 45 AMG revealed | Auto Express


----------



## pink freud

In addition to the new 4C, it looks like Alfa Romeo is bringing back the Spider:





It and the new Miata are going to use the same chasis. If this comes in at 200+ HP and under 30K it should be pretty epic.


----------



## Joose

Geneva always brings great things.

LaFerrari


----------



## reth

Hi folks, I am somehow new here, but I've been reading the forums daily 
That's my sweetheart, BMW 525i 2.5l 203 HP, 1994. Great machine.


----------



## Vhyle

Yay, I love car threads! One of my other passions in life.

Most of you seem to have these new-fangled car machines, so here's my ride for some contrast.














1986 Chevy K5 M1009 CUCV. 59k miles.

If you're unfamiliar with it, it's a military K5 Blazer. Differences between the military and civvy K5s are that they were all equipped with the 6.2 non-turbo Detroit Diesel (which was an option for the civvy trucks also) and TH400 3-speed auto, 24v electrical system (2 batteries, 2 alternators), NATO slave receptacle, blackout lights, beefier suspension, true dual exhaust, and a few other odds and ends. The CUCV has been out of service for a while, since they were replaced by the HMMWV, but a lot of military posts still use them for work around post, range control, etc. Other countries still utilize them in service, however. The most common issues with these trucks are the electrical system. But anyone who knows how to read a military technical manual, and has some automotive experience can repair these trucks with ease. Parts are cheap.

If you need a good, reliable, inexpensive zombie apocalypse vehicle, look for one of these. You can snag a good one for about $4000-5000. In original factory configuration, they're typically painted in green camo. This one was painted matte black and coated with Line-X before I got it. I've only had the truck for a few months and it's needed some TLC. It had a few minor issues, but it's a solid-ass truck overall. And if you're wondering about gas mileage - the 6.2 was made with fuel efficiency in mind. It doesn't make a ton of power, but it gets about 20mpg around town. Not too bad for a 5500-lb truck.


----------



## VBCheeseGrater

hers my "new" 2003 forester...love the way it drives!


----------



## TMatt142

Didn't realize there was a car thread...Sweet! Here's my weekend warrior.


----------



## HighGain510

TMatt142 said:


> Didn't realize there was a car thread...Sweet! Here's my weekend warrior.



NOMS!!!!


----------



## Transmissions

Vhyle,you lucky sob, I want a k10 or 20 so badly. Those 6.2's kinda blow though, id rather have a big block or a 383. My buddies dad tried to turbo his detroit and it blew up, I did see that banks made a turbo package for the Humvee because they have the same engine.
Even though this is a na 6.2 you should look into something like this http://www.bankspower.com/galesinsidernews/show/94-hot-rod-humvee


----------



## HighGain510

Well after a few long trips and being pretty disgusted with the real-world fuel economy being not even close to the EPA estimated mpg's on the Subaru, finally decided to swap it out.  

The new Mattmobile:






Mazda3 (i Grand Touring package) with the Skyactiv engine/transmission, 6 speed manual of course!  Love it, shifts great, the new gearbox is nice and short stock and the 265w 10-speaker surround is awesome compared to the stock 6 speaker upgrade package on the Subie so I don't even need to touch the stereo this time around!  Plus highway mpg is reported to be *HIGHER* than the EPA estimates, some folks are getting 40+mpg on hwy trips going 65mph!  Stoked, I go back today to pick it up since by the time I signed all the paperwork last night it was an hour after closing and they still had to get the car prepared so it won't be ready until later today!  The best thing about this one is that the only thing it will need is tint (and I have the legal medical waiver for 30% all around, only time the stupid immunosuppresants have done anything beneficial! ) so I still have to get that done but it's nice buying a car and not having to plan out all the modifications right away.


----------



## shadscbr

Congrats Matt!! I think the the Mazda 3 is a great looking hatch, I always wished the 3 came with AWD.

Best of luck with the new ride 

Shad


----------



## pylyo

Congrats HG. 

That was a quick change though.

Have to say that I like this 3 series more than that Sub. 


I have to admit that I am considering a 2012 Lexus IS (even if I 'm not a fan of Japanese cars), becasue it has all the goodies I want in the car, like RW drive, short overhangs, good weight distribution, great build quality and with this one, you supposedly get a great reability and plenty of gagdets. But there is one big turn off - fuel consuption. Japanese were never that great at it (speaking for petrol), at least for the EU standards and Lexus just proves that. Even their diesel engine is not that good and fails to meet the promised numbers. And that's the main reason why they aren't that popular here. Last few weeks I tested one and it's just sucks fuel. Bimmer beats it here big time - more efficient and more powerful. Too bad, because I wanted to try something new but I'm sticking with bmw. Hope the new IS, which is on the way, will finally sort this out...


----------



## HighGain510

Yeah fortunately for me in this case, the Mazda is actually OVER-delivering on the fuel economy! EPA rating is 38mpg hwy but people are reporting consistent numbers of 40-42mpg hwy with the Skyactiv setup!  Snapped a few iPhone pics when I picked it up, I'll take better ones with my good camera this weekend if the weather is decent. 





































ZOOM ZOOM!  I'm glad the break-in period on the engine is only 600 miles!


----------



## Jemp

Well nice to know there's a thread like this too xD Here's my little fellow


----------



## Vhyle

Transmissions said:


> Vhyle,you lucky sob, I want a k10 or 20 so badly. Those 6.2's kinda blow though, id rather have a big block or a 383. My buddies dad tried to turbo his detroit and it blew up, I did see that banks made a turbo package for the Humvee because they have the same engine.
> Even though this is a na 6.2 you should look into something like this Banks Power | Hot Rod Humvee



I'm satisfied with the 6.2 because it's cheap to work on, and makes decent city mileage. Not much power though, obviously, but then again I'm not looking for gobs of power.

There's plenty of CUCV owners that have used turbo parts from the 6.5 in the HMMWVs to successfully turbo the 6.2. The cylinder heads are interchangeable.


----------



## Chickenhawk

Vhyle said:


> I'm satisfied with the 6.2 because it's cheap to work on, and makes decent city mileage. Not much power though, obviously, but then again I'm not looking for gobs of power.
> 
> There's plenty of CUCV owners that have used turbo parts from the 6.5 in the HMMWVs to successfully turbo the 6.2. The cylinder heads are interchangeable.



And that's the way to do it, with 6.5 parts.

Please don't waste your money on Banks. Seriously. You're over-paying for the name, and getting less than market standard performance out of their parts. There are better options, no matter what your goals might be.


----------



## wilch

Jemp said:


> Well nice to know there's a thread like this too xD Here's my little fellow
> 
> http://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/194094_1810759263180_6210457_o.jpg



Very tidy, Jemp! Love it.


----------



## Vhyle

Chickenhawk said:


> And that's the way to do it, with 6.5 parts.
> 
> Please don't waste your money on Banks. Seriously. You're over-paying for the name, and getting less than market standard performance out of their parts. There are better options, no matter what your goals might be.



Oh yeah. I don't even plan on turboing the CUCV... at least anytime soon. It's my daily beater anyway, so I'm just gonna maintain it as it is. No reason to change it. I'm gonna build a couple of nifty accessories for it (I'm a welder), but mechanically I'm just gonna leave it be. I'm satisfied with the non-turbo 6.2 and TH400 config.


----------



## Transmissions

HighGain510 said:


> Yeah fortunately for me in this case, the Mazda is actually OVER-delivering on the fuel economy! EPA rating is 38mpg hwy but people are reporting consistent numbers of 40-42mpg hwy with the Skyactiv setup!  Snapped a few iPhone pics when I picked it up, I'll take better ones with my good camera this weekend if the weather is decent.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ZOOM ZOOM!  I'm glad the break-in period on the engine is only 600 miles!



Do you mean 38 mpg on a gasser? Or do you mean the skyactive?
I'm pretty sure they'd get better numbers on skyactive because it's a diesel, and diesels get waaaay better milage than gassers.


----------



## Transmissions

Guys...does anyone have tissues? I'm not big on electric vehicles but damn 800hp Via Motors planning 70 mpg off-road pickup truck | Fox News


----------



## HighGain510

Transmissions said:


> Do you mean 38 mpg on a gasser? Or do you mean the skyactive?
> I'm pretty sure they'd get better numbers on skyactive because it's a diesel, and diesels get waaaay better milage than gassers.



"Skyactiv" is just the name of the Mazda engine/transmission. It is a gasoline-based engine, they don't sell the diesel version in the states. 38 is the EPA estimated mpg hwy for the gas version they sell here.  I'm sure the diesel version does even better but as with many other manufacturers, they don't offer the diesel version of this car in the states currently.


----------



## troyguitar

Met up with some GTI guys yesterday and one of them got a few good shots of the S4:
















Took a decent amount of work but the car is running great now, V8 = winning.


----------



## tacotiklah

Transmissions said:


> Guys...does anyone have tissues? I'm not big on electric vehicles but damn 800hp Via Motors planning 70 mpg off-road pickup truck | Fox News



I was about to shed a few tears of joy myself until I saw that hefty $74,000 price tag. Both my pocketbook and I started weeping in sorrow together...


----------



## Joose

@TroyGuitar: I love S4's. The fact that it's the Estate version makes it even better.


Took advantage of two double-parked trucks. My car seems huge until I'm next to trucks like these. (Excuse the quality, many auto-enhances to brighten the photo)





2 Daytonas are better than 1.


----------



## troyguitar

Yeah I am a big fan of the wagons. I briefly thought about buying a Magnum SRT8 and swapping the transmission with a 6-speed from the Challenger but decided it was too much of a pain. Got the S4 instead and ended up having to pull the transmission after a month for a clutch install anyway 

S4 is getting beastly though, sitting at 375hp right now and my fatter summer tires are being delivered today.


----------



## Joose

^Maggie SRT8's are so bad ass.

A 6 speed manual swap into one would be sweet. I got nothing against the Mercedes 5 speed auto, though. Not just because my Charger has it too haha. It's actually a pretty nice transmission. Can handle plenty of hp/tq, very quick shifts if you drive the car right... and what I mean by that is, pull fuse 11 and reset the adaptive computer every once in awhile and drive hard for the next couple days; otherwise it'll be a bit sluggish. Learned that in my Magnum R/T. Oh modern cars.


----------



## HighGain510

Happy to report that I finally took a tank from full to empty and it was an 80/20 split (hwy/cty), the on-board computer calculated 35.1 mpg however the actual hand-calculated fuel economy came out to 38.83 mpg!  The Mazda is doing GREAT on fuel economy so far, really happy about that because aside from not being as grippy as the Subie, it is really much more fun to drive too!


----------



## Joose

^Nice, dude.

Here's the best I've seen in mine. It was about 120 something miles with a 55mph speed limit the whole time. So cruised it at 60 of course.







Not bad right? All things considered.


----------



## HighGain510

Joose said:


> ^Nice, dude.
> 
> Here's the best I've seen in mine. It was about 120 something miles with a 55mph speed limit the whole time. So cruised it at 60 of course.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not bad right? All things considered.



Definitely, especially since yours has quite a bit more power to it! lol


----------



## ATOMICxTomato

Anybody here into drifting? Heres an awesome drifting documentary I found.

Keep Drifting Fun on Vimeo


----------



## Furtive Glance

Thought I'd keep this within this thread, but any of you guys like the Stance style? I think a lot of cars look ridiculously bad when they stretch the tires and whatnot, but some cars just look amazing on air/static that low. Case in point, this blog Stance Works - Low is a Lifestyle.

















Great photographers there too.


----------



## Bekanor

I've never hated not being legally allowed to drive a V8 more until the other day when I decided to have a look at some cars for shits and giggles online. 






It was a good price, although I'm sure it would cost a fortune to insure and Mercedes parts are always expensive as hell but still. All my want.


----------



## Furtive Glance

That looks like a drug dealer's car.


----------



## Bekanor

That was my first thought as well.

Then my second thought was "Man I'd feel like a boss driving that".


----------



## Azathoth43

I want a K5 Blazer/Jimmy so bad it hurts.


----------



## Joose

Bekanor said:


> I've never hated not being legally allowed to drive a V8 more until the other day when I decided to have a look at some cars for shits and giggles online.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was a good price, although I'm sure it would cost a fortune to insure and Mercedes parts are always expensive as hell but still. All my want.



Not legally allowed to have a V8? 

And is that an E55 AMG? They aren't too terrible to insure, now that they're old. Friend of mine's dad has a white one... it's a bad bitch.


----------



## Bekanor

Joose said:


> Not legally allowed to have a V8?
> 
> And is that an E55 AMG? They aren't too terrible to insure, now that they're old. Friend of mine's dad has a white one... it's a bad bitch.



In Australia drivers have to go through 2 provisional licenses before they get their unrestricted one. Under those licenses drivers are not allowed to drive anything super/turbocharged, V8s, V10s, V12s and such. Some exclusions apply like if you have to drive it for work and they don't class turbo diesels in that. 

I'm 6 months into my second provisional license and I have another 18 months on it. I'm chomping at the bit to get off it because it's a pain in the ass, mostly due to having to maintain zero blood alcohol level meaning I can't even have one beer if I plan to drive anywhere. 

The car is an E500 Avantgarde but according to the description on the listing it's had some upgrades with AMG parts. 

Do want, makes me sad that I have to wait another year and a half before I can even think about buying something this nice.


----------



## flint757

I honestly wish our licensing system was more strict, too many dumb asses on the road.


----------



## Bekanor

flint757 said:


> I honestly wish our licensing system was more strict, too many dumb asses on the road.



It doesn't help much here, there are still plenty of dumbasses that drive like idiots in V6 cars. 

All it really does is hinder older people like me who for whatever reason didn't get their license until their late twenties. 

Though it's probably best that I wait a couple of years (see: pay rises) before buying an expensive luxury/performance car.


----------



## flint757

Well I meant more strict in general. You can take your driving test and basically as long as you don't kill anyone and aren't a complete idiot you can walk out with a license.


----------



## MFB

Got my Altima's MPH up to 29.1  My drive to work each way is 33 miles, so I'm just shy of squeaking out a gallon per trip, which would be fantastic. Luckily I'll be moving soon, about 15 miles closer so I'll cut down there and be at like, half a gallon for each way.


----------



## Joose

Bekanor said:


> In Australia drivers have to go through 2 provisional licenses before they get their unrestricted one. Under those licenses drivers are not allowed to drive anything super/turbocharged, V8s, V10s, V12s and such. Some exclusions apply like if you have to drive it for work and they don't class turbo diesels in that.
> 
> I'm 6 months into my second provisional license and I have another 18 months on it. I'm chomping at the bit to get off it because it's a pain in the ass, mostly due to having to maintain zero blood alcohol level meaning I can't even have one beer if I plan to drive anywhere.
> 
> The car is an E500 Avantgarde but according to the description on the listing it's had some upgrades with AMG parts.
> 
> Do want, makes me sad that I have to wait another year and a half before I can even think about buying something this nice.



Well damn. More places should probably do things like that, honestly. These 16 year olds with rich parents driving around in STI's and new 5.0 Stangs are just an absolute danger to everyone. 

As far as the Merc, I should have guessed 500. Wheel arches aren't quite flared enough to be an AMG.

Either way man, just think of it as another 18 months to keep putting money aside for something awesome. Get a Commodore of some sort, dude. So, so sick...


----------



## pink freud

How does that regulation handle cylinder deactivation? What if you just pull four of the spark plugs?


----------



## Bekanor

Joose said:


> Well damn. More places should probably do things like that, honestly. These 16 year olds with rich parents driving around in STI's and new 5.0 Stangs are just an absolute danger to everyone.
> 
> As far as the Merc, I should have guessed 500. Wheel arches aren't quite flared enough to be an AMG.
> 
> Either way man, just think of it as another 18 months to keep putting money aside for something awesome. Get a Commodore of some sort, dude. So, so sick...



I'll probably end up doing that since I do really like the SS Commodore wagons and they're reasonably affordable on parts and insurance but every man and his dog has a Commodore here, I want something a bit special. 

I did myself another disservice last night drinking beer and looking at car listings online with my buddy. Someone in my state is selling a Delorean for $37,500. Do fucking want. It'd be an absolute shitbox but gah.


----------



## imprinted

It'd never rust though. DOOOO EEEET


----------



## Vhyle

Azathoth43 said:


> I want a K5 Blazer/Jimmy so bad it hurts.



Hehe. When I was younger, I loved to have had one back then. But over the years I just never bothered getting one and just grew out of it. But I happened across this one with a huge deal I couldn't turn up, and I ended up getting it anyway. Now I remember why I wanted one so bad. I love it!


----------



## Bekanor

imprinted said:


> It'd never rust though. DOOOO EEEET



If I was going to do it I'd go all out and swap the engine and transmission out. 

Since I can't afford that, I'll just have to be sad.


----------



## Vhyle

Bekanor said:


> I'll probably end up doing that since I do really like the SS Commodore wagons and they're reasonably affordable on parts and insurance but every man and his dog has a Commodore here, I want something a bit special.
> 
> I did myself another disservice last night drinking beer and looking at car listings online with my buddy. Someone in my state is selling a Delorean for $37,500. Do fucking want. It'd be an absolute shitbox but gah.



A DeLorean would be awesome! I love those cars; I don't care how terrible they are, mechanically. What year is it? I think in the final year of production, they included the little square hatch on the hood. Is it the grey or black interior?

Man I'd love to have one of those.

EDIT: Oops, that's the first year production DMC-12 that included the cut hoods. 1981.


----------



## Bekanor

Vhyle said:


> A DeLorean would be awesome! I love those cars; I don't care how terrible they are, mechanically. What year is it? I think in the final year of production, they included the little square hatch on the hood. Is it the grey or black interior?
> 
> Man I'd love to have one of those.
> 
> EDIT: Oops, that's the first year production DMC-12 that included the cut hoods. 1981.



It's an 81. 


I just watched a video of a Delorean with a 2JZ twin turbo Supra engine. 394HP. Fuck that would be awesome.


----------



## EdgeC

Bekanor said:


> I'll probably end up doing that since I do really like the SS Commodore wagons and they're reasonably affordable on parts and insurance but every man and his dog has a Commodore here, I want something a bit special.


 
Who cares what every man and his dog have? If you like it get it.

And you can't tell me this aint special...


----------



## Bekanor

EdgeC said:


> Who cares what every man and his dog have? If you like it get it.
> 
> And you can't tell me this aint special...



Dude that is fucking GORGEOUS!


And thus all my fucks about Commodores being everywhere were removed.

I've got car GAS so bad.


----------



## Joose

I wish I lived in Australia just so I could have a Commodore, or 2, or 10....

Words can't describe how badly I want an HSV GTS...










But the closest I'll ever get is a G8 GXP or the new Chevy SS that's coming out; and don't get me wrong, I adore the GXP, and you rarely see G8's here... But the Commodores are just more special to me. The Chevy SS is bound to be everywhere, but I'd still drive one.

G8 looked a little meaner than the SS, in my opinion. But the SS looks nicer, lol.










There's something just so awesome about practical, 4 door muscle cars.


----------



## Azathoth43

Vhyle said:


> Hehe. When I was younger, I loved to have had one back then. But over the years I just never bothered getting one and just grew out of it. But I happened across this one with a huge deal I couldn't turn up, and I ended up getting it anyway. Now I remember why I wanted one so bad. I love it!



Funny thing is is that it's kind of your fault. 
Your M1009 is amazing.


----------



## wilch

The silly thing in Aus with car prices is that you can get a nice low'ish km Sports Euro (c63, M3, M5) for the same price as a top of the line HSV.

The HSV's "brand new" interior will also start to look and feel the same as a 5 year old Euro interior after only a year. All you have to do is go to the Sydney Motorshow on day 3 and have a look at the squashed, out of shape leather drivers seat of all the HSV's that people are allowed to sit in, and check out the fit and finish after only 3 days of wear and tear.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of HSV's, especially when modded with cams and exhaust. But the quality isn't there.


----------



## EdgeC

Joose said:


> I wish I lived in Australia just so I could have a Commodore, or 2, or 10....
> 
> Words can't describe how badly I want an HSV GTS...
> 
> 
> 
> But the closest I'll ever get is a G8 GXP or the new Chevy SS that's coming out; and don't get me wrong, I adore the GXP, and you rarely see G8's here... But the Commodores are just more special to me. The Chevy SS is bound to be everywhere, but I'd still drive one.
> 
> G8 looked a little meaner than the SS, in my opinion. But the SS looks nicer, lol.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There's something just so awesome about practical, 4 door muscle cars.


 
The new chev SS in the pic above is basically the new VF Commodore.

I thought about trading my VE in for the new VF but everything is the same except the interior and front bar, lights etc. Considering I don't really care about the interior I'm going to save the trade in difference and get mine supercharged.







That would give me 600HP of family wagon.

I love the HSV. But I've wanted the SS since this came out all those years ago.


----------



## EdgeC

Here is a VL SS in the flesh:


----------



## Bekanor

Well that tears it, one SS wagon for me when I'm off my P's.


----------



## Kiwimetal101

Bekanor said:


> In Australia drivers have to go through 2 provisional licenses before they get their unrestricted one. Under those licenses drivers are not allowed to drive anything super/turbocharged, V8s, V10s, V12s and such. Some exclusions apply like if you have to drive it for work and they don't class turbo diesels in that.
> 
> I'm 6 months into my second provisional license and I have another 18 months on it. I'm chomping at the bit to get off it because it's a pain in the ass, mostly due to having to maintain zero blood alcohol level meaning I can't even have one beer if I plan to drive anywhere.



They changed the "restricted" test in NZ just under a year ago, the pass rate in my region went from 88% to 41%.... 

Really makes you wonder what kind of fucknuts are on the road..

Plus theres no restrictions on what you can drive, turbos/superchargers, v8's, RB20 R34's being driven around by 16/17 year olds...... As long as any mods are safe/been certified, anyone can drive anything they like really..

The latest craze is put lexus v8's in toyota hilux's... Which is fucking badass!! But really shouldn't be in some peoples hands

EDIT: They changed the law so that anyone 20 or under has to have a zero blood alcohol level at the same time


----------



## Bekanor

Kiwimetal101 said:


> They changed the "restricted" test in NZ just under a year ago, the pass rate in my region went from 88% to 41%....
> 
> Really makes you wonder what kind of fucknuts are on the road..
> 
> Plus theres no restrictions on what you can drive, turbos/superchargers, v8's, RB20 R34's being driven around by 16/17 year olds...... As long as any mods are safe/been certified, anyone can drive anything they like really..
> 
> The latest craze is put lexus v8's in toyota hilux's... Which is fucking badass!! But really shouldn't be in some peoples hands
> 
> EDIT: They changed the law so that anyone 20 or under has to have a zero blood alcohol level at the same time



In reality I think the no turbos/v8s/superchargers for P platers is a good idea. It means less 17 year old dickheads with high performance cars and less than a year's driving experience. I'm just bummed about it because I'm a 28 year old dickhead who wants a V8 right now hahahaha.


----------



## MikeH

Furtive Glance said:


> Thought I'd keep this within this thread, but any of you guys like the Stance style? I think a lot of cars look ridiculously bad when they stretch the tires and whatnot, but some cars just look amazing on air/static that low. Case in point, this blog Stance Works - Low is a Lifestyle.
> Great photographers there too.



Stanceworks is my inspiration for life.  My buddy used to have a Rabbit that was featured in SW.





He's now working on an S13 project, which will inevitably be awesome. I'm also gonna be stopping by a VW meet on Thursday, so maybe I can get some local stance pics for you guys.


----------



## Joose

@EdgeC: Yeah, I really like the new Chevy SS; but I'd rather have a G8 GXP. Any 4 door muscle car works for me though. I adore my Charger.


----------



## EdgeC

Joose said:


> @EdgeC: Yeah, I really like the new Chevy SS; but I'd rather have a G8 GXP. Any 4 door muscle car works for me though. I adore my Charger.


 
Funny thing about that is that the Pontiac G8 GXP is essentially a VE Commodore.

So your essentially choosing between the VF SS (Chev SS in the US):





Or the VE SS...





...with a pontiac front end (Pontiac G8 in the US):


----------



## Joose

Mmmm love these cars! I need to buy a winter car before I buy a 2nd fun car. Since I'm moving to a place with snow. I'll never get rid of my Charger, only 1500 of them; but a G8 GXP or even GT would be a sick car to make my new daily driver.


----------



## EdgeC

Joose said:


> Mmmm love these cars! I need to buy a winter car before I buy a 2nd fun car. Since I'm moving to a place with snow. I'll never get rid of my Charger, only 1500 of them; but a G8 GXP or even GT would be a sick car to make my new daily driver.


 
Here is a supercharged VE SS Wagon with a pontiac front end tuned by Walkinshaw.

Best of both worlds.


----------



## Joose

^Fuckin' beautiful.

My last car was a Dodge Magnum R/T. Love a bad ass wagon. Love those Utes you guys have too. I was so pissed when GM shut down Pontiac (but kept freakin' Buick), I wanted them to release the G8 Sport Truck (Ute) so bad.


----------



## EdgeC

Ove here people just buy the Commodore Ute and either put a Camaro front end on (needs some mods)





Or the G8 (straight swap):






I'd quite easily have either. But I've always wanted and old school Holden FX Ute:






I actually looked at this exact car last weekend. This photo is from the showroom.


----------



## jordanky

My dirty girls:

2004 Volkswagen R32, 1989 Sporty


----------



## troyguitar

I would have bought a Commodore wagon instead of the Audi if they were allowed in this country.

The Chevy SS is automatic only == worthless.


----------



## EdgeC

MikeH said:


> Stanceworks is my inspiration for life.  My buddy used to have a Rabbit that was featured in SW.
> 
> 
> He's now working on an S13 project, which will inevitably be awesome. I'm also gonna be stopping by a VW meet on Thursday, so maybe I can get some local stance pics for you guys.



I know I'm banging on a bit about commodores but this is a nice stanced wagon:







And G8:


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> I would have bought a Commodore wagon instead of the Audi if they were allowed in this country.
> 
> The Chevy SS is automatic only == worthless.



I enjoy a nice automatic. A good tune for your paddle shift/autostick mode makes a huge difference. Would I like a clutch in my Charger? Meh, kinda. It's really nice to have an auto when you have a mobile job though. The Auto in my old Grand Prix GTP was absolute junk... but the one in my Charger is fantastic once its tuned; which mine has been.


----------



## troyguitar

Yeah I'm a bit of a dinosaur/purist. If it weren't for weather and hauling things, I would buy a Lotus Elise and drive it every day. Solid manual trans, no power steering, no traction control, no stability control, no active suspension, no computer driving the damn car for me.


----------



## Joose

^One of the most fun times I've ever had was driving my friend's Lotus Exige through a vacant, mostly built neighborhood. Fresh, clean, black asphalt in the middle of nowhere.

Absolute blast, no other way of describing it.


----------



## squid-boy

Just purchased myself a 2006 VW Golf. Woot.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

here is a new sig i had made for the many car/truck forums im on...


----------



## imprinted

jordanky said:


> My dirty girls:
> 
> 2004 Volkswagen R32, 1989 Sporty




Spot the differences!





My one's on Weitec GT coilovers, has a Carbonio CF CAI, Seat Cupra R front splitter, R36 Coilpack Covers, Milltek Cat-Back exhaust and a minor remap. It's lovely but I'm wanting to go back to a Jap Twin Turbo machine again as they're more fun for me!


----------



## jordanky

imprinted said:


> Spot the differences!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My one's on Weitec GT coilovers, has a Carbonio CF CAI, Seat Cupra R front splitter, R36 Coilpack Covers, Milltek Cat-Back exhaust and a minor remap. It's lovely but I'm wanting to go back to a Jap Twin Turbo machine again as they're more fun for me!



Nice! I wish I had the extra dough to mod mine a bit, but I've had nothing but shit luck out of this thing since I bought it. I kind of can't wait to get rid of it :/


----------



## jonajon91

Okay. 17, UK, just about to do my driving test. I hear that if you own a business, you don't have to pay any VAT on a van. My dad says that I could start a business do nothing for a month, buy a van with no VAT, close the business.
Will this work or is he making it up?


----------



## angus

That would be fraud if you were in the US. Sounds like a horrible idea.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

guess what car movie is just around the corner?

 ---> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/movies-books-tv-media/226774-fast-furious-6-a.html


----------



## Vhyle

Azathoth43 said:


> Funny thing is is that it's kind of your fault.
> Your M1009 is amazing.



Haha, thanks man. I get compliments almost daily around here. I'm definitely not used to it but it turns heads. Especially on post, where everyone else and their mom drives new Mustangs, Camaros and Challengers.

I did a bit of painting to it recently. I painted the bowtie trim and instrument cluster trim with Chevy engine orange. And I painted the blackout light and slave port black, to match the rest of the truck


----------



## Furtive Glance

M3CHK1LLA said:


> guess what car movie is just around the corner?
> 
> ---> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/movies-books-tv-media/226774-fast-furious-6-a.html



I wish it was just 2 hours of the BenSopra GT-R accelerating and backfiring


----------



## Mendez

Just liked all the recent VW Golf/rabbits/GTI/R32 

My GTI has been alright, handles pretty damn good and all. That tiny turbo takes some getting used to, just kicks in with no turbo lag. Gotta be careful with that gas pedal haha.


----------



## jordanky

Mendez said:


> Just liked all the recent VW Golf/rabbits/GTI/R32
> 
> My GTI has been alright, handles pretty damn good and all. That tiny turbo takes some getting used to, just kicks in with no turbo lag. Gotta be careful with that gas pedal haha.



My R32 is by far one of the most fun cars that I've ever driven. It's like a giant go-kart!


----------



## Mendez

Well. You sir, have changed how I view my self in my car


----------



## imprinted

I'll have to back that statement. Lowering it just adds to the sensation! It is eminently chuckable round corners and with a good set of tyres on it it's magnificent. Like I said - JDM RWD TT is next I think. Maybe an R33 GTR if I can find a LM edition in Champion Blue but they won't be cheap!


----------



## MikeH

I guess I'm the VW dummy who bought a Jetta instead of the cool GTI/R32.  Alas, I shall make it my own.


----------



## Vhyle

imprinted said:


> I'll have to back that statement. Lowering it just adds to the sensation! It is eminently chuckable round corners and with a good set of tyres on it it's magnificent. Like I said - JDM RWD TT is next I think. Maybe an R33 GTR if I can find a LM edition in Champion Blue but they won't be cheap!



Lucky for you, R33s (or any other Skyline) are readily available. For us, getting one here involves a lot of red tape, even more money, and many hassles. Years ago, I looked into the process of getting a Skyline shipped here legally, and it made my head spin. It may be different now, I don't know. But I imagine it's even harder now because the EPA and DOT make big bucks for making it harder.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FQ04rIxQ9Ws




edit: can someone fix that ^^^

why does is show the video sometimes and other times just a link? how to fix?


----------



## Joose

Just applied for a job test driving new cars on pre-determined routes. You drive for many hours and tell them what you like and don't like, in a nutshell. Um, sounds amazing!


----------



## matt397




----------



## The Scenic View

Vhyle said:


> Haha, thanks man. I get compliments almost daily around here. I'm definitely not used to it but it turns heads. Especially on post, where everyone else and their mom drives new Mustangs, Camaros and Challengers.
> 
> I did a bit of painting to it recently. I painted the bowtie trim and instrument cluster trim with Chevy engine orange. And I painted the blackout light and slave port black, to match the rest of the truck



You sir, know how to do up an old chevy! When I saw your initial post I was instantly hooked (blazer, diesel, military grade etc.). I would not mind driving one of these pups around, especially for their practicality of hauling gear. How has it been holding up?


----------



## kochmirizliv

jordanky said:


> My dirty girls:
> 
> 2004 Volkswagen R32, 1989 Sporty



Whats the bike name again?  Looks awesome!


----------



## MikeH

Just started a fund for these, if anyone cares to contribute. 

Volkswagen Jetta IV 1.8T > Suspension > Cup Kits > ES&#35;10686 High Tec Sport Suspension Cup Kit - FK99VW061


----------



## ddtonfire

It about blew my mind when I made an order from ECS Tuning and I get a package from Wadsworth... about 20 minutes from where I used to live!


----------



## Mendez

MikeH said:


> Just started a fund for these, if anyone cares to contribute.
> 
> Volkswagen Jetta IV 1.8T > Suspension > Cup Kits > ES#10686 High Tec Sport Suspension Cup Kit - FK99VW061



Those are interesting, I was thinking of lowering my car. I don't want to go too low though. I might have to wait for you to try them before I decide anything though


----------



## MikeH

Well I found out it's cheaper to buy brand new OEM struts and shocks, and then use FK lowering springs. I think it's a 2.25" drop in the front and 1.6" in the rear. I think it totals out just under the price of these. Like $315ish?


----------



## troyguitar

If you just want to go lower you can probably get much cheaper shocks than OEM and combine them with some decent lowering springs.

I have a hard time recommending that sort of thing though as you're hurting both ride quality and performance... 

I've found myself looking online at Audi R8's recently for some reason.


----------



## angus

I love the R8- it doesn't get nearly the cred it deserves. I really wanted an R8 V10, but that was a push too much (...by very much).


----------



## Furtive Glance

<3 the R8.


----------



## troyguitar

If the V10 didn't cost like $40k more than the V8 I might seriously consider one. I don't think I'd buy the V8 but maybe I'll change my mind in a few years when they are cheaper used.


----------



## axxessdenied

I'm really liking the Passat CC right now.


----------



## pink freud

On the Audi R8: There is an on-again/off-again rumor of an Audi R4 or R5. Smaller engine than the R8 but also lighter.


----------



## angus

They could've done something cool with the RS5 if they had given it the appropriate amount of horsepower. 

I still wish for Audi to bring the V12 TDI back- I should've gotten one of those when I had the chance. The V10 TDI Touaregs were awesome, too. 

...now I'm left with only I4 and V6 diesels to look at.  I need a big vehicle again.


----------



## SjPedro

I am perfectly happy with my 1991 Renault 5 TR  

great consumption,comfortable ride,and it's CNG (natural gas)  so it's much more economic


----------



## wilch

Went for a drive this morning




Supercharged MX5/Miata by wilch, on Flickr

...and stopped by a local meet, The Sydney All Stars Stance Off. Just to visit, meet and greet, and take some shots. They had just arrived and started setting up, 7:30am'ish on a Sunday.




All Stars Meet - Silverwater - May 2013 by wilch, on Flickr


It's funny how you get to meet people through cars, and car clubs...and some times make new friends. So many of my non-car friends always ask why I bother, what for. It's a lifestyle choice  lol.

(I'm not into the stance thing though, I'm more of a track guy. But I just wanted to say Hi to some friendly people. Still though, power to those that love stance and everything in between!)


----------



## Prime

wilch said:


> Went for a drive this morning
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Supercharged MX5/Miata by wilch, on Flickr
> 
> ...and stopped by a local meet, The Sydney All Stars Stance Off. Just to visit, meet and greet, and take some shots. They had just arrived and started setting up, 7:30am'ish on a Sunday.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All Stars Meet - Silverwater - May 2013 by wilch, on Flickr
> 
> 
> It's funny how you get to meet people through cars, and car clubs...and some times make new friends. So many of my non-car friends always ask why I bother, what for. It's a lifestyle choice  lol.
> 
> (I'm not into the stance thing though, I'm more of a track guy. But I just wanted to say Hi to some friendly people. Still though, power to those that love stance and everything in between!)



....in awesome bro!!! 

I have a 97 MX5 M-Edition.


----------



## Prime

Here is mine...



Prime said:


>


----------



## pink freud

I'd love to drive one of these:


----------



## maliciousteve

Just got back from my honeymoon in Florida. When I arrived at Orlando international I upgraded my rental car to a Mustang. It's been a dream of mine to have or drive a Mustang so I had to go for it.






It's the base model. 3.7 Litre V6 with 305bhp. It may not be the 5.0 GT but it's still awesome. Especially when you shift to sport shift mode and turn off the traction control.

Now I have to go back to driving my ....ing Focus


----------



## Robby the Robot

Just bought my friend's '94 Toyota Celica 5-speed yesterday!


----------



## Joose

Just a few shots of my Charger in its new home state.


----------



## Chickenhawk

Pop Quiz: Answer one or all.

What is this? Why did I take it off my truck? What did I do to it? Why did I do what I did?

Winner(s) gets a prize!





EDIT:

Reminder: I have a 2009 Dodge Ram 2500, with a 6.7l Cummins I6, 6 speed manual, EGR and DPF are gone, and an H&S MiniMaxx programmer I run on the hottest setting. Oh yea, and 35x12.5x17 Cooper Discoverer STTs. Only one part of that could help with the answer.


----------



## Joose

^I tried. But I got nothin'. I don't know jack about trucks or diesels.

Only thing I can guess is that it is has something to do with running on the hottest setting lol.


----------



## maliciousteve

The colour of that Charger is awesome!


----------



## Joose

^Thanks man! "Sub Lime Metallic". Doesn't look metallic from afar, but up close you can see just a hint of it.


----------



## Chickenhawk

Joose said:


> ^I tried. But I got nothin'. I don't know jack about trucks or diesels.
> 
> Only thing I can guess is that it is has something to do with running on the hottest setting lol.



Doesn't have anything to do with the fact I run the piss out of my truck (well, not directly) 

That Charger is pretty badass, btw.


----------



## Joose

Thanks dude.

And well, I really have no idea then haha.


As far as my Charger goes, I noticed since moving to Colorado a few weeks ago that my t-stat has been reading 205°-215°, whereas in Florida it never made it above 202°. Cooler climate, higher engine temp? Odd.

I'm thinking I should just replace it with an OEM T-Stat. If I still lived in FL I'd get a 180°, but I feel that will be useless here for most of the year.


----------



## flexkill

Joose said:


> As far as my Charger goes, I noticed since moving to Colorado a few weeks ago that my t-stat has been reading 205°-215°, whereas in Florida it never made it above 202°. Cooler climate, higher engine temp? Odd.
> 
> I'm thinking I should just replace it with an OEM T-Stat. If I still lived in FL I'd get a 180°, but I feel that will be useless here for most of the year.



Higher altitude....less air.


----------



## Joose

^Thought about that. But why did it take 3 weeks to start? Computer adjusting itself maybe?

Either way, it's like a $30 part and takes less than 5 minutes to install, wouldn't be a bad thing to replace at 85k miles anyway I suppose.

Power mods are very much on my mind since moving here though. 0-60's have gone from low 5's in FL to low 7's here... not okay! Need a supercharger, stat!


----------



## flexkill

Joose said:


> ^Thought about that. But why did it take 3 weeks to start? Computer adjusting itself maybe?
> 
> Either way, it's like a $30 part and takes less than 5 minutes to install, wouldn't be a bad thing to replace at 85k miles anyway I suppose.
> 
> Power mods are very much on my mind since moving here though. 0-60's have gone from low 5's in FL to low 7's here... not okay! Need a supercharger, stat!



In the drastic altitude change that you have gone through....I'm pretty sure your car is going to need a new tune up/set up to run at it's peak. Pretty common for your situation.


----------



## Chickenhawk

Joose said:


> ^Thought about that. But why did it take 3 weeks to start? Computer adjusting itself maybe?
> 
> Either way, it's like a $30 part and takes less than 5 minutes to install, wouldn't be a bad thing to replace at 85k miles anyway I suppose.
> 
> Power mods are very much on my mind since moving here though. 0-60's have gone from low 5's in FL to low 7's here... not okay! Need a supercharger, stat!



Turbo, supporting fuel mods and a good tune. Would wake your car up pretty well.

The picture I posted was of my CCV filter. Gutted because it was pointless. Also, because I like throwing the bird at the EPA.


----------



## Joose

^Never been a turbo fan. I respect them, but I like superchargers. I figure forced induction, regardless, will be good.

Also, about pissing off the EPA....

A couple weeks ago, a guy in a big ol' diesel Ford purposely (it was so obvious) blew a maaaaassive plume of black smoke all over an emissions group that was recording on the side of the road. I laughed so hard it hurt. His timing was so perfect; clearly he'd done this before.


Edit: Also, I should rephrase; I don't like turbos on _muscle cars_, lol.


----------



## JEngelking

I come to ruin your streak of good cars with my boat, because I feel like sharing.


----------



## Chickenhawk

Joose said:


> ^Never been a turbo fan. I respect them, but I like superchargers. I figure forced induction, regardless, will be good.
> 
> Also, about pissing off the EPA....
> 
> A couple weeks ago, a guy in a big ol' diesel Ford purposely (it was so obvious) blew a maaaaassive plume of black smoke all over an emissions group that was recording on the side of the road. I laughed so hard it hurt. His timing was so perfect; clearly he'd done this before.
> 
> 
> Edit: Also, I should rephrase; I don't like turbos on _muscle cars_, lol.



I hate people that blow smoke everywhere. They're the reason my truck had so much emissions crap on it to start with. Their stupidity plus the EPA's ignorance equals choked, fuel guzzling, nutless trucks that are 'good' for the environment. 

/rant 

Probably was pretty funny, though.


----------



## Joose

Oh it was hilarious. There was no way to refrain from laughing. I definitely agree with you, but yeah it was great to watch.

@JEngelking: Just because it's not "nice" doesn't mean it's not awesome. Crown Vics are so damn rugged. Really the last generation of truly rugged cars. Mine has a sunroof, and Chargers with sunroofs have a bad habit of the corners around the sunroof sinking a little, causing creaking noises when you go over bumps or dramatic dips. One of my corners just started doing it, gonna see if one of these hail damage repairing places can do something about it.

Car feels like it's built like a tank, but little things like that.... pitiful. All because not enough testing was done with the sunroofs. Oh well, at 14 grand (significantly under KBB) my car was a steal anyway.


----------



## JEngelking

Joose said:


> Oh it was hilarious. There was no way to refrain from laughing. I definitely agree with you, but yeah it was great to watch.
> 
> @JEngelking: Just because it's not "nice" doesn't mean it's not awesome. Crown Vics are so damn rugged. Really the last generation of truly rugged cars. Mine has a sunroof, and Chargers with sunroofs have a bad habit of the corners around the sunroof sinking a little, causing creaking noises when you go over bumps or dramatic dips. One of my corners just started doing it, gonna see if one of these hail damage repairing places can do something about it.
> 
> Car feels like it's built like a tank, but little things like that.... pitiful. All because not enough testing was done with the sunroofs. Oh well, at 14 grand (significantly under KBB) my car was a steal anyway.



Yeah it is pretty rugged. I'd love to keep it around a while, but before we had it the previous owner really didn't use it so it just sorta sat around. The result was the frame, suspension and really a good portion of the handling and internal systems getting rusted. Shame, really. It's been a real problem child in regards to having to get repairs done. Otherwise I enjoy how it drives and it's nice and roomy and comfortable.


----------



## MikeH

One day, gentlemen. One day....


----------



## Chickenhawk

FYI: Updating the tuning on an H&S Mini Maxx takes for....ingever. 

Should be worth it, though. I've enjoyed this programmer so far, and now that they've got a very well known, and respected tuner working for them (Ryan Milliken also known as EFIBYRYAN), things should be rather kick ass.


----------



## ras1988

'07 BMW e92 driver here.... it's a love hate thing. It's finicky, needs large ticket repairs and constant maintenance (all of the window regulators, a few ignition coils, and two head gaskets already WTF), the run-flat tires are just about worst things created, and its interface is very nuanced. However, when you hit a nice empty stretch of I-35......nothing has ever put a grin on my face quite like it. I am totally ruined on other cars, everything feels so vague and unresponsive, almost like driving a boat through toffee.

I think I will stick with the brand for a while. The other German marques don't appeal quite as much, haven't tried an American car I like yet, the Japanese manufacturers make some fun cars (Mazda 3 ^_^, Nissan 370z, etc.) but aren't quite as appealing to me. So it stands a little expensive and annoying to live with but it all pays off for "that" moment.


----------



## Chickenhawk

ras1988 said:


> '07 BMW e92 driver here.... it's a love hate thing. It's finicky, needs large ticket repairs and constant maintenance (all of the window regulators, a few ignition coils, and two head gaskets already WTF), the run-flat tires are just about worst things created, and its interface is very nuanced. However, when you hit a nice empty stretch of I-35......nothing has ever put a grin on my face quite like it. I am totally ruined on other cars, everything feels so vague and unresponsive, almost like driving a boat through toffee.
> 
> I think I will stick with the brand for a while. The other German marques don't appeal quite as much, haven't tried an American car I like yet, the Japanese manufacturers make some fun cars (Mazda 3 ^_^, Nissan 370z, etc.) but aren't quite as appealing to me. So it stands a little expensive and annoying to live with but it all pays off for "that" moment.



I've heard that from quite a few BMW owners. 

I feel pretty similar about my truck. I don't enjoy shelling out what it costs to maintain and modify my truck...but it's pretty enjoyable to hook up to the corner of a house and watch it collapse without the truck even trying 

The look on a lot of import owners faces is pretty decent too, when an 8000lb diesel outruns their "suped up" Hondas.


----------



## UV7BK4LIFE

Chickenhawk said:


> Pop Quiz: Answer one or all.
> 
> What is this? Why did I take it off my truck? What did I do to it? Why did I do what I did?
> 
> Winner(s) gets a prize!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> Reminder: I have a 2009 Dodge Ram 2500, with a 6.7l Cummins I6, 6 speed manual, EGR and DPF are gone, and an H&S MiniMaxx programmer I run on the hottest setting. Oh yea, and 35x12.5x17 Cooper Discoverer STTs. Only one part of that could help with the answer.


 
That's clearly a Seymour Duncan Dimebucker. And you ruined it.


----------



## Chickenhawk

UV7BK4LIFE said:


> That's clearly a Seymour Duncan Dimebucker. And you ruined it.



You can ruin a Dimebucker? I'm pretty sure they're unruinable by nature. Shit is already shit.


----------



## troyguitar

So I'm probably trading in my GTI for one of these:







Girlfriend wants something with automatic transmission that is small, nice, fun, and AWD - test drove a TT and loved it. Probably getting black with tan leather interior, kind of reminds me of an old 911 or something.

Our garage will be her TT and my S4, hard to complain about that!


----------



## Joose

^Definitely can't complain!


I'm going to a Cars And Coffee show tomorrow. So excited! I've always wanted to go, and apparently there are 2 here, 1 of them being weekly. Not sure about the other.

Lambos, Ferraris, GTRs, Bentleys, classic muscle, modern muscle, even a couple more modern Charger Daytonas .

Usually, there would be a Ferrari F40.... however, earlier this month, a fcuking MINI-VAN merged into him, caused him to lose control and then the motherfcuker fled! It's a dream of mine to just see one in person, I'm so depressed about it. Probably nowhere near as much as the owner though. I mean, can you repair a car that was hand built by 17 people in 1990?

Aftermath:


----------



## Prime

*That Will Buff Out*


----------



## wilch

Spent last Sunday at the Porsche Rennsport Motorsport Festival in Sydney @ Sydney Motorsport Park and had the best time. By far the most interesting car event I've ever been to. So much to do and see. I've never been more tempted to sell my two toys and become a Porsche only household. Everyone was so happy, so many smiles, the whole vibe was amazing and fun. No hate, no bad vibes, only good.

We were told to park with the rest of the Porsche's. Porsche's as far as the eye could see.



Rennsport Festival - Sydney 2013 by wilch, on Flickr

other photos on my flickr.


----------



## angus

May have a "ordered a new car" post soon- just trying to finalize which diesel SUV I end up ordering. I'll probably only shell out for the cheapest because I'm turning into a cheapskate, but I need to make sure the others don't change my mind!



ras1988 said:


> ...the run-flat tires are just about worst things created...



AMEN to that. I freaking hate them on my GTR. I drove a friend's with non-run flats and it completely changed how nicely the car rode. I can't wait to get rid of the run flats.


----------



## Furtive Glance

Joose said:


> ^Definitely can't complain!
> 
> 
> I'm going to a Cars And Coffee show tomorrow. So excited! I've always wanted to go, and apparently there are 2 here, 1 of them being weekly. Not sure about the other.
> 
> Lambos, Ferraris, GTRs, Bentleys, classic muscle, modern muscle, even a couple more modern Charger Daytonas .
> 
> Usually, there would be a Ferrari F40.... however, earlier this month, a fcuking MINI-VAN merged into him, caused him to lose control and then the motherfcuker fled! It's a dream of mine to just see one in person, I'm so depressed about it. Probably nowhere near as much as the owner though. I mean, can you repair a car that was hand built by 17 people in 1990?
> 
> *Snip



I remember seeing those on a photographer's facebook page. Heartbreaking  But I think it can be fixed from what I remember reading.


----------



## scherzo1928

I kept reading this thread, and being surprised at how much "petrolheads" care about MPGs. I always care about 2 things and 2 things only... handling and power. Ok, and looks... in that order.

BUT THEN, I come over to the US for a couple of weeks (might be spending lots of time here in the near future), and seeing how people actually drive here it makes perfect sense. I'm driving a 2012 Focus (same car I drive in Mexico (well, last moth I was using a 2013 Fusion Titanium (what a fudging great car!!))) and I'm getting 31 MPGs, while back home I only get 14.1... I don't think I've even gone over 3500 rpms in here.

Just for reference, "back home" is in Mexico city at over 8300 ft altitude. All roads around me are windy mountain roads, and a couple of aaawesome highways


----------



## troyguitar

scherzo1928 said:


> I kept reading this thread, and being surprised at how much "petrolheads" care about MPGs. I always care about 2 things and 2 things only... handling and power. Ok, and looks... in that order.
> 
> BUT THEN, I come over to the US for a couple of weeks (might be spending lots of time here in the near future), and seeing how people actually drive here it makes perfect sense. I'm driving a 2012 Focus (same car I drive in Mexico (well, last moth I was using a 2013 Fusion Titanium (what a fudging great car!!))) and I'm getting 31 MPGs, while back home I only get 14.1... I don't think I've even gone over 3500 rpms in here.
> 
> Just for reference, "back home" is in Mexico city at over 8300 ft altitude. All roads around me are windy mountain roads, and a couple of aaawesome highways



When you drive 30000 miles a year it is worth considering mpg. That's why I drive a 4000 lb V8 AWD performance car that gets 19 mpg on the highway


----------



## Joose

I love that I can get 25-26 mpg if I need to. But can also get 8 or 9 if I feel like having some fun haha.


----------



## scherzo1928

troyguitar said:


> When you drive 30000 miles a year it is worth considering mpg. That's why I drive a 4000 lb V8 AWD performance car that gets 19 mpg on the highway



 

Driving here is just such a different experience. I actually have to watch my speedometer!

But yeah, I don't mind spending more on gas, I see it as an investment in mental health.

Aaaanyways, once I'm back home I'll try and post pics of the cars I've had... it's a sweet list


----------



## Chickenhawk

This is a long shot:

Anybody here ever ran nitromethane in a diesel? I've been reading up on it, and am very...VERY interested. 

If you have, or know somebody that has, PM me. I have questions.


----------



## angus

Run it in a few racing motors I've built (in a previous life) and seen it run in diesels. Sounds great, but nitromethane is extremely hard on the motor- it'll wash your bearings and cylinders pretty quickly, and it destroys oil in no time flat. Nitromethane has substantially less combustion energy available than diesel, so even running 1/3 nitro, 2/3 diesel you'd be dumping in almost double the fuel volume to keep up. The only reason nitro is used in racing applications is because it burns with less oxygen, so you can dump wildly more fuel in than with gasoline (or diesel). This gets expensive really, really quickly.

If you were building a drag racing diesel truck or something, then fine, but not for something you drive. You'll destroy the motor in no time flat.


----------



## Chickenhawk

angus said:


> Run it in a few racing motors I've built (in a previous life) and seen it run in diesels. Sounds great, but nitromethane is extremely hard on the motor- it'll wash your bearings and cylinders pretty quickly, and it destroys oil in no time flat. Nitromethane has substantially less combustion energy available than diesel, so even running 1/3 nitro, 2/3 diesel you'd be dumping in almost double the fuel volume to keep up. The only reason nitro is used in racing applications is because it burns with less oxygen, so you can dump wildly more fuel in than with gasoline (or diesel). This gets expensive really, really quickly.
> 
> If you were building a drag racing diesel truck or something, then fine, but not for something you drive. You'll destroy the motor in no time flat.



I had heard that, and was thinking it myself, but I hadn't heard it from someone that had actually used the shit 

It's not going in a drag truck. I'm very curious as to how much power I can make with just a lift pump and tuning. Eventually I'll swap out the turbo to something slightly larger, same with injectors.

There's 6.7l Cummins that dyno'd 525hp with just a tune (and probably a lift pump). Very curious as to how much higher that number can go...that's where the nitro came in. 

I might just have to steer clear for now. Thanks man


----------



## angus

Nitro is a horrible idea when the Cummins can make a ton of power with just injectors, pump and exhaust. 

Besides, at that hp level you are already going to have to replace the transmission with a built unit soon anyway, so going higher without saving for a trans is silly.

This makes me miss my 5.9L, especially when I'm about to buy another diesel vehicle!


----------



## Chickenhawk

angus said:


> Nitro is a horrible idea when the Cummins can make a ton of power with just injectors, pump and exhaust.
> 
> Besides, at that hp level you are already going to have to replace the transmission with a built unit soon anyway, so going higher without saving for a trans is silly.
> 
> This makes me miss my 5.9L, especially when I'm about to buy another diesel vehicle!



The g56 can handle a lot more than I'll ever throw at it. I'm gonna replace the clutch, and that's it. 

Honestly, unless I win the lotto or land some amazingly high paying job, my truck will be lucky to break 500hp.


----------



## angus

Oh, if you have the manual then you are golden. I'm always thinking automatic. 

500hp in that truck is great for everyday driving. My 5.9L had about 600hp, and it was excessive; I usually tuned it down to around 450-500ish for regular driving and still got great mileage if I wasn't hooning around.


----------



## UV7BK4LIFE

angus said:


> 500hp in that truck is great for everyday driving. My 5.9L had about 600hp, and it was excessive


 
LOL, wut?  That makes me so jealous  I drive to work in a 75hp car that weighs 2100 lbs! It does 42 Miles to the US Gallon. This is my Smart ForFour:







For weekend trips with the kids I have a Mercedes C class, needless to say that's quite a relief 

I love this topic. My favorite cars are late 60's muscle cars. And Buick Boattails. But gas costs $8 per US gallon in the Netherlands. (&#8364;1.80 per liter) Too bad...


----------



## CRASHER369




----------



## Herrick

Hello mangs. I went to a Ford dealership on April 9 and I ordered a Fusion Hybrid. The salesmang said it would take 4 to 6 weeks & that he'd call me every two weeks to update me. Well, after 5 weeks he never called so I called him. He said they had the VIN & that I'd get the car at the end of May or the beginning of June. He said he'd call every Thursday with an update. Hasn't called me yet  I'm bored so I thought I'd complain here. 

I've never had a hybrid before so I'm looking forward to this one. I currently drive a 210 Honda Civic that gets about 25 mpg in the winter & 27 in the summer. The Fusion has some weird thing blocking the oil filter & drain plug so I don't know how I'm supposed to change the oil on that. Anyone with a Fusion know what I'll need to remove it? I'm not a very handy mang, but I can at least change oil.


----------



## Chickenhawk

UV7BK4LIFE said:


> LOL, wut?  That makes me so jealous  I drive to work in a 75hp car that weighs 2100 lbs! It does 42 Miles to the US Gallon. This is my Smart ForFour:



That's the diesel world. A local shop has a 2010 Chevy Duramax they use as the company show/tow/play truck. On a conservative tune (just towed a 45' trailer with a truck and a few engines and transmissions in it), it put down over 1400 ft/lbs of torque on the rollers. Drives like stock (well, not as much of a dog as stock), gets great fuel mileage...and will flat out haul ass. Unfortunately he hasn't dyno'd it with the crazy ass hot tune, but I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers were north of 1800 ft/lbs. It's pretty impressive seeing a 4 door, long bed dually keeping up with new Mustangs. 

Even crazier when you realize his truck isn't that impressive compared to the big dogs trucks (ATS, Suncoast, H&S, etc). 



Herrick said:


> The Fusion has some weird thing blocking the oil filter & drain plug so I don't know how I'm supposed to change the oil on that. Anyone with a Fusion know what I'll need to remove it? I'm not a very handy mang, but I can at least change oil.



...but, you can't change your own oil now 

Got a picture? My brother-in-law and nephew work for Ford, and my sister drives a fairly new Fusion. If none of us on the forum can help you by seeing a picture, I'll swing by their house and take a look at one in person, and ask my BIL.


----------



## angus

Yeah my old truck made about 1250 ft lbs, hauled ass, and drove better than stock. It was my daily driver. I regularly would get ~20mpg, and 25-28 on long drive (not towing). Ridiculous. This was a 5.9L Cummins, though- the new ones only get like 15mpg, even though they are 10x the truck! 

Badly wanting to go back to diesel for my daily driver though. My girlfriend is trying to keep me from getting another car, though. :\


----------



## Chickenhawk

angus said:


> Yeah my old truck made about 1250 ft lbs, hauled ass, and drove better than stock. It was my daily driver. I regularly would get ~20mpg, and 25-28 on long drive (not towing). Ridiculous. This was a 5.9L Cummins, though- the new ones only get like 15mpg, even though they are 10x the truck!
> 
> Badly wanting to go back to diesel for my daily driver though. My girlfriend is trying to keep me from getting another car, though. :\



I've got a 6.7 and got 21mpg the past couple of days 

I could get more if I paid more attention. The sweet spot for mileage with the 6.7 is about 1500rpm. I cruise on the highway at 1700-1900rpm. Over 2 grand if I'm trying to keep up with crazy ass traffic around Kansas City. Usually I just set the cruise at 70 and let them get pissed off 

Stock I averaged 15mpg or so. All the emissions crap and conservative as shit tuning that come on the truck from the factory choke the hell out of it. Let her breath, and fix the stupid injection timing and fuel pressure bullshit the factory thought was a good idea and she goes right into 5.9 territory, only with more power 


EDIT: If I ever get the money, I'm going to push the Cummins in the garage to prepare for an all out assault, and get a Jetta TDI as my daily. Better than any economy car / hybrid on the market...in every way.


----------



## UV7BK4LIFE

Chickenhawk said:


> That's the diesel world. A local shop has a 2010 Chevy Duramax they use as the company show/tow/play truck. On a conservative tune (just towed a 45' trailer with a truck and a few engines and transmissions in it), it put down over 1400 ft/lbs of torque on the rollers. Drives like stock (well, not as much of a dog as stock), gets great fuel mileage...and will flat out haul ass. Unfortunately he hasn't dyno'd it with the crazy ass hot tune, but I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers were north of 1800 ft/lbs. It's pretty impressive seeing a 4 door, long bed dually keeping up with new Mustangs.
> 
> Even crazier when you realize his truck isn't that impressive compared to the big dogs trucks (ATS, Suncoast, H&S, etc).


 
Those are some impressive numbers! It must be a pleasure to drive. 
I considered getting an American car and have LPG installed to reduce fuel cost, but the monthly tax on car ownership would be killing because the tax amount is based on vehicle weight. So a Caddilac Escalade or Dodge Ram pickup and the like would cost around $400 a month just to have it parked in front of your house.  My Mercedes costs $90 and the Smart $35 a month...


----------



## Chickenhawk

UV7BK4LIFE said:


> Those are some impressive numbers! It must be a pleasure to drive.
> I considered getting an American car and have LPG installed to reduce fuel cost, but the monthly tax on car ownership would be killing because the tax amount is based on vehicle weight. So a Caddilac Escalade or Dodge Ram pickup and the like would cost around $400 a month just to have it parked in front of your house.  My Mercedes costs $90 and the Smart $35 a month...



Yea, not worth it, man. I enjoy the hell out of my truck, but it's not THAT expensive to keep. $650 a month payment, $100 insurance, and whatever my taxes are at the end of the year (couple hundred bucks, usually). 

The bank breaker is buying parts for this damn thing 

$1500 clutch
$400 ball joints
$300 break pads
$130 oil changes (if I do them myself)
$3500 injectors
$2500 turbo (minus the necessary downpipe, intercooler tubing and manifold)
$650 lift pump
$450 head studs (if you want the cheapest ones)

I paid $960 for my programmer, but it's been discontinued, and now would easily fetch $1500 on eBay.

Shit's expensive. Hell, the lift kit I want is going to cost almost $15,000.


----------



## Herrick

Chickenhawk said:


> ...but, you can't change your own oil now
> 
> Got a picture? My brother-in-law and nephew work for Ford, and my sister drives a fairly new Fusion. If none of us on the forum can help you by seeing a picture, I'll swing by their house and take a look at one in person, and ask my BIL.



Sorry no pictures. I don't have the car yet. I couldn't find a picture online either. It'll be many months before I have to change my oil so I'm not worried about it right now. I change the oil on my Civic about twice a year  

Thanks for the offer but I'll check out the Ford Fusion Hybrid forum. There's bound to be a thread about this already over there.


----------



## HubertCumberdale

Well, On the topic of Cars, I'm a lucky one to have a Drag Car, As shown in the picture.






It's a Holden Monaro, Which is the Aussie Equivalent to a Pontiac GTO.

Definitely quite a bit of fun throwing thousands of bucks at it. 

Although, We're moving away from Drag Racing now and onto Hot Rodding, We're gonna buy a Ford Roadster Pickup.

Should be fun


----------



## troyguitar

Chickenhawk said:


> EDIT: If I ever get the money, I'm going to push the Cummins in the garage to prepare for an all out assault, and get a Jetta TDI as my daily. Better than any economy car / hybrid on the market...in every way.



I sometimes wish I'd got a 6-speed TDI Jetta Wagon instead of my S4 wagon. 45mpg highway versus 19 would save me enough money to buy a real sports car to screw around with


----------



## Chickenhawk

HubertCumberdale said:


> Well, On the topic of Cars, I'm a lucky one to have a Drag Car, As shown in the picture.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's a Holden Monaro, Which is the Aussie Equivalent to a Pontiac GTO.
> 
> Definitely quite a bit of fun throwing thousands of bucks at it.
> 
> Although, We're moving away from Drag Racing now and onto Hot Rodding, We're gonna buy a Ford Roadster Pickup.
> 
> Should be fun



I had an 04 GTO. Loved that car, but you damn Aussies got the better deal. The Monaro (and all it's different versions) outshined the GTO quite a bit.


----------



## HubertCumberdale

Chickenhawk said:


> The Monaro (and all it's different versions) outshined the GTO quite a bit.



Oh definitely, To simply say it, It just had nicer curves. It look sculpted, Not manufactured. And when you sit inside of the road bound Monaro, It feels the same.


----------



## angus

The TDI Jetta is great. If they made it in AWD, I'd get it as my daily in a second.



Chickenhawk said:


> The bank breaker is buying parts for this damn thing
> 
> $1500 clutch
> $400 ball joints
> $300 break pads
> $130 oil changes (if I do them myself)
> $3500 injectors
> $2500 turbo (minus the necessary downpipe, intercooler tubing and manifold)
> $650 lift pump
> $450 head studs (if you want the cheapest ones)



Been there, done that. You don't want to know what I sank into my Mustang (think: could've purchased a new 911 Turbo). Guh. 

At least my truck ran perfectly...minus the shitty steering box I never replaced. Straight was ~45-50 degrees to the right, with a good 10-15 degrees of slop. Somehow it never bothered me, even though in cars I can't handle even a few degrees off center when alignment or tire wear shifts the centerline.


----------



## sahaal

Amen to the parts bills, my 01 Ram 1500 cost me over 12,000 in the 2 and a half years I owned it in repairs..

but, I traded the ....er in on a 2011 F150 SCrew 5.0l FX4!
meet Merle


----------



## Shredderboy1658

sahaal said:


> Amen to the parts bills, my 01 Ram 1500 cost me over 12,000 in the 2 and a half years I owned it in repairs..
> 
> but, I traded the ....er in on a 2011 F150 SCrew 5.0l FX4!
> meet Merle



I have a 2010 FX2 supercrew with the 5.4L engine, things a beast, can't wait till I get my license


----------



## Dooky

Ever since seeing & hearing one of these at Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2009 I've wanted one. I've always been a huge Rally nut, and read & watched plenty of things to do with Group B rally - but to see and hear one of these in the flesh was amazing for me.


----------



## jordanky

Chickenhawk said:


> Yea, not worth it, man. I enjoy the hell out of my truck, but it's not THAT expensive to keep. $650 a month payment, $100 insurance, and whatever my taxes are at the end of the year (couple hundred bucks, usually).
> 
> The bank breaker is buying parts for this damn thing
> 
> $1500 clutch
> $400 ball joints
> $300 break pads
> $130 oil changes (if I do them myself)
> $3500 injectors
> $2500 turbo (minus the necessary downpipe, intercooler tubing and manifold)
> $650 lift pump
> $450 head studs (if you want the cheapest ones)
> 
> I paid $960 for my programmer, but it's been discontinued, and now would easily fetch $1500 on eBay.
> 
> Shit's expensive. Hell, the lift kit I want is going to cost almost $15,000.



I saw ya talking about getting a Jetta... That truck seems crazy expensive but wait 'til you have to buy VW parts, when and if you can find them. No fun brother!


----------



## Joose

Chickenhawk said:


> I had an 04 GTO. Loved that car, but you damn Aussies got the better deal. The Monaro (and all it's different versions) outshined the GTO quite a bit.



Agreed. The Holden versions of the GTO and G8 were much nicer to look at. That being said, the '06 GTO and '09 G8 GXP are 2 of my all-time favorite Modern American Muscle cars. At least the GTO's and Monaro's had the same seats; those glorious, _glorious_ seats.


----------



## wilch

Went for a bit of a drive up the highway to grab some of the sounds of my supercharged mx5/miata



But then I took my Skyline out too...and this is the reason I prefer turbo's over supercharger's.


----------



## Joose

^I have to disagree; the supercharger sounded much better.

Turbos sound cool, but superchargers scream.


----------



## wilch

Joose said:


> ^I have to disagree; the supercharger sounded much better.
> 
> Turbos sound cool, but superchargers scream.



But the power delivery is what I was talking about.  It's explosive in the turbo.

I mean, to put things in perspective, I prefer the sound of my girlfriend's Porsche:




...but it needs a turbo setup to have that explosiveness, just to make it a bit more fun.


----------



## MikeH

I get to do fun maintenance shit when I get home from the studio next weekend. Full brake job, replacing the driver front tie rod, alignment, oil change, spark plugs, thermostat, and fuel filter. Good fun.  But I suppose the outcome of a great drive will be worth the couple hundred bucks.


----------



## Joose

Wilch: Well I'm gonna have to do one or the other to my Charger eventually. This power loss due to the altitude is driving me insane. Me and some guy in a Trail Blazer SS had a little highway race last night; 40mph roll up to about 130. Dead even until about 110, then I started to pull ahead. Fun, but I miss the jolt I got from a 40 roll in 2nd gear at sea level lol.

It will probably be a supercharger though. If I had anything but a HEMI it might be a different story. But something about that whine with the low rumble of a HEMI is damn near sexual. 

Definitely thinking Procharger.


----------



## Joose

Mmmm what a phenomenal carrier to cruise next to!

2013 Charger SRT8 w/Appearance Package, 2013 300C SRT8, 2013 Grand Cherokee SRT8, 2013 Challenger SRT8 "Core"


----------



## angus

Joose said:


> It will probably be a supercharger though. If I had anything but a HEMI it might be a different story. But something about that whine with the low rumble of a HEMI is damn near sexual.
> 
> Definitely thinking Procharger.



If you want the whine, get a roots or (preferably) screw-type supercharger, like a Kenne Bell. The centrifugal superchargers don't have much whine, except for the noise at idle. Much less fun, too, especially on motors not designed for high RPM. 

Screw-type superchargers are a ton of fun.


----------



## ddtonfire

I'm very tempted to get a supercharger, but I also love that my car's making so much power just as it is while NA.


----------



## angus

That's never been a good excuse!


----------



## narad

Chickenhawk said:


> Pop Quiz: Answer one or all.
> 
> What is this? Why did I take it off my truck? What did I do to it? Why did I do what I did?
> 
> Winner(s) gets a prize!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> Reminder: I have a 2009 Dodge Ram 2500, with a 6.7l Cummins I6, 6 speed manual, EGR and DPF are gone, and an H&S MiniMaxx programmer I run on the hottest setting. Oh yea, and 35x12.5x17 Cooper Discoverer STTs. Only one part of that could help with the answer.



BKP Blackhawks? What do I win?


----------



## tacotiklah

So after getting those catalytic converters put on the thunderchicken (my tbird), I can legally pass smog without trying, and I have done so for this year. 

It took a while, but I got her running and fixed up for the most part. Still need to figure out why my fuel gauge isn't working properly. I'm guessing that someone is gonna have to drop the fuel tank and tinker a bit. Since I don't have the correct know how, I'm gonna look to have someone else do it.


----------



## angus

I had a midpipe with six catalytic converters I rigged with little high-temp heaters that I could bolt up into my extraordinarily smog-unfriendly turbo Mustang when I needed to get it smogged in Washington (same rules as California). Worked like a charm...then swapped them right out.


----------



## Azathoth43

Picked this up today.






Needs a bit of work but boy is it fun.


----------



## Robby the Robot

After having Judy for a month, I've decided I'm getting another manual after I have to retire Judy. I enjoy getting 30-35mpg combined.


----------



## Joose

Azathoth43 said:


> Picked this up today.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Needs a bit of work but boy is it fun.



Want!


----------



## Seanthesheep

hey guys, quick question about repairs. I drive a 2003, VW TDI Golf and its incredibly noisey when turning right. me and my dad thing one or both of the bearings are bad. anyone have an idea as to how much it should cost to get a mechanic to fix it? from the bit of reading Ive done, it seems some places say 250$ tops with parts included and other places say 250$ only covers parts. anyone got any advice?


----------



## troyguitar

Wheel bearings are around $100 each for the part. If both are shot in front then you're looking at $200 minimum for parts.


----------



## Jes

98 Ram 1500 4x4 5.2L Magnum V8(302) manual everything lol


----------



## troyguitar

Jes said:


> 98 Ram 1500 4x4 5.2L Magnum V8(302) manual everything lol



I didn't know those came in manual. Cool.


----------



## Jes

troyguitar said:


> I didn't know those came in manual. Cool.




sure does, I actually had a co worker(on the rigs) who had a 2004ish F250 diesel
that was standard.


----------



## Vhyle

Azathoth43 said:


> Picked this up today.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Needs a bit of work but boy is it fun.



Welcome to the K5 club! Nice truck. What year is it? 305/350 or diesel? Spill the beans!


----------



## Vhyle

Jes said:


> 98 Ram 1500 4x4 5.2L Magnum V8(302) manual everything lol



5.2L is a 318, not a 302.


----------



## Vhyle

If we're still on K5s, I gave my CUCV a bit of "character reinforcement" last night. It was a blast, as always.


----------



## Jes

Vhyle said:


> 5.2L is a 318, not a 302.



Right! brain fart.


----------



## ddtonfire

Jes said:


> Right! brain fart.



Actually that would be a left brain fart.


----------



## Azathoth43

Vhyle said:


> Welcome to the K5 club! Nice truck. What year is it? 305/350 or diesel? Spill the beans!



Thank you!

It's a 1990, with a 350. Needs some work but I'm loving it.

Had the top off the other day.






Now I just need a way to take it off by myself.


----------



## Joose

Huh... so out of nowhere, I may have a 2nd job moving (in the parking lots) and filling up (at a gas station about 4 miles away) cars at an Aston Martin/Lamborghini/Maserati/Jaguar dealership. 

Um, yes please? The interview was basically, "Do you have a Driver's License? Do you know a good bit about the products we sell and how special they are? Do you know how to drive a standard transmission? Do you know how to operate a paddle shift gearbox?"

I answered the last one honestly, "no". But I also added that I know most of them have a reverse button instead of a gear; and that they're quite touchy in city driving. 

Talk about an awesome 2nd job, that would hopefully blossom into an only job selling the products. But I'll glady put some fuel in any of the cars on that lot. Be it the matte black V12 Vantage, Gallardo LP-550 Spyder, 2013 Vanquish, 2012 Quattroporte, 2012 XKR-S, or anything else haha.


----------



## Blind Theory

Joose said:


> Huh... so out of nowhere, I may have a 2nd job moving (in the parking lots) and filling up (at a gas station about 4 miles away) cars at an Aston Martin/Lamborghini/Maserati/Jaguar dealership.
> 
> Um, yes please? The interview was basically, "Do you have a Driver's License? Do you know a good bit about the products we sell and how special they are? Do you know how to drive a standard transmission? Do you know how to operate a paddle shift gearbox?"
> 
> I answered the last one honestly, "no". But I also added that I know most of them have a reverse button instead of a gear; and that they're quite touchy in city driving.
> 
> Talk about an awesome 2nd job, that would hopefully blossom into an only job selling the products. But I'll glady put some fuel in any of the cars on that lot. Be it the matte black V12 Vantage, Gallardo LP-550 Spyder, 2013 Vanquish, 2012 Quattroporte, 2012 XKR-S, or anything else haha.



Your profile says you live in Denver. I am an hour away in Greeley. Where at is this dealership? I know of the Ferrari/Bentley/Maserati dealership. Is the new Lamborghini Denver dealership selling Aston Martins and Maserati's alongside the Lamborghini's? I know that dealership opened last week but that is the only one I can think of that might be it.


----------



## Joose

^To be exact, I actually live in Henderson.

But it's Sill-TerHar Motors. It's in Broomfield.


----------



## Vhyle

Azathoth43 said:


> Thank you!
> 
> It's a 1990, with a 350. Needs some work but I'm loving it.
> 
> Had the top off the other day.
> 
> Now I just need a way to take it off by myself.



Ah yeah. I've had the top off of mine since April. It's definitely a 2-man job. But I've left it off because mine is rhino lined all through the interior, so I'm not worried about water damage from the rain.

Since mine doesn't have a/c, the top off is really the best way to not burn alive so quickly in these southeastern summers.


----------



## troyguitar

So it's a done deal. My GTI (right) was traded in yesterday for this TT (left) for my gf to drive. Better pics to come this weekend sometime!











(actual price of TT was only $25k for us - buy used and save!)


----------



## Joose

I'm surrounded by about 50 Astons, 4 Lambos, 11 Maseratis, 2 Audi R8 V10's and tons of Jags right now. This is a heavenly place.


----------



## Joose

Some highlights...

V12 Vantage









V12 Vantage and DBS




Inside the DBS





A selection of Gallardos





















Didn't go to the Maserati side yet. And I was so distracted by Astons that I forgot to take pics of Jags.


----------



## troyguitar

^winning


----------



## shadscbr

^ That flat black Aston is killer...Congrats, do you get an employee discount? 

Shad


----------



## pink freud

I can't imagine the hassle of keeping that Aston's finish in that condition if one were to actually drive it outside...


----------



## Vhyle

The matte black Aston Martin is downright ....ing sexy.

You win the internet for the day, sir.


----------



## Joose

^Woot!



shadscbr said:


> ^ That flat black Aston is killer...Congrats, do you get an employee discount?
> 
> Shad



Haha, not enough of one for me to ever buy one. Or even a loan, which I'd never do on cars like these anyway. Don't need a mortgage payment on a car. 


Gotta go through 1 more interview, which I suspect will involve driving something. I hope to work my way up to a sales position eventually. I know more about these cars than the current salesmen do. 


Edit: Oh and I apparently failed to mention that matte black aston is a Carbon Black Edition, #019 of 40. Anyone got 213 grand to spare?


----------



## angus

pink freud said:


> I can't imagine the hassle of keeping that Aston's finish in that condition if one were to actually drive it outside...



Matte black is super easy to maintain, actually. Much, much easier than gloss black.

Besides, it's an Aston Martin- it'll be spending most of its time in the shop anyway.


----------



## Joose

^Not true anymore, about Aston reliability. Supercars in general are actually quite reliable nowadays. There's a guy where I used to live who drove his V8 Vantage 5 days a week. He put 18,000+ miles on it the first year, no problems.

And matte paint is a major pain in the ass. If a bird shits on it, you better get it off there immediately. Whoever buys the Aston should have it wrapped in the same matte black, then it'll be easy.


----------



## MikeH

Plastidip.


----------



## troyguitar

I actually think the flat black is the ugliest Aston I've ever seen, but that must just be me 

If I had a spare $175k or so I'd order one of these:


----------



## Mendez

^That's the first time I see an R8 in that color. Freaking gorgeous.


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> I actually think the flat black is the ugliest Aston I've ever seen, but that must just be me
> 
> If I had a spare $175k or so I'd order one of these:



You bite your tongue. 

But, if you think _any_ R8 is better looking than _any_ Aston, then I guess you don't deserve any hate. I love R8's, but that matte black V12 Vantage is damn near as sexy as the black 2013 Vanquish they have right now. (I didn't get a photo, as it was at an event when I was there)


----------



## troyguitar

The Astons all look great except the matte one, it just looks unfinished.

I'd go R8 for practical reasons, both look fantastic - mid-engine AWD with manual gearbox beats front engine RWD automatic for me currently.

Not that it matters much in reality, I'm not about to buy a $100k+ car since by the time I can afford it I will be too old to enjoy it


----------



## Joose

^It's fun to dream. Especially because you never know what may fall in your lap someday. 

We'll see if I change my mind in time with this job, but as of right now I prefer a nice "flappy paddle" gearbox. Thing is, that's based off the paddle shifts in the new SRT8's and a Scion FR-S. But I can't imagine a 6 figure car's paddle shifts are worse. 

I love a good manual too, though. I can't wait to take a manual Aston V8 Vantage or something to an event. Just sitting in those Astons was a nice exprerience. There's a sense of quality around you that I had not experienced before. And the shifter was in the most perfect spot I've ever seen.


----------



## troyguitar

Funny thing is you're basing that opinion off of some fairly shitty gearboxes. When you try the VW/Audi/Porsche/Lambo DSG/S-Tronic/PDK/whateverlambo calls it (all of those are the same thing), BMW DCT, or even the ZF 8-speed being used by BMW/Audi/Chrysler you will be much more impressed. I'm not sure what Aston uses, they're out of my realm of knowledge since I can't buy one 

With my new commute of 55 miles each way, all of which is on cruise control on the interstate with almost no traffic, I am starting to understand the idea of the big luxury car a bit more but still not quite enough to get an automatic. That might change though after I drive the new TT some more, it is its own flavor of fun for sure with the flappy paddles.

My next car in probably 3-5 years will be more expensive but the likely highest possible price will still be under 6 figures - BMW M3/M5, Audi S7/TT-RS, Cadillac ATS-V, or perhaps a real sports car like a Cayman S or whatever they call the next Corvette Z06 equivalent. Still pretty pie in the sky though, I'll likely just get a used M3 or S4 depending on whether I still need the AWD or not.


----------



## Joose

Actually the Scion's was pretty damn good. It had very quick changes. And the 2012+ SRT8's have great ones too. I have the WA580 in mine, and with a tune on the changes are quite satisfying. Same tranny in the 2012+ SRT8's but with the option to paddle shift, and they're already tuned like mine. The shifts were damn near as fast as the 2011 911 Turbo S I got to drive awhile back. 

The Scion may not have the best gearbox, but the changes were still pretty damn quick. And the WA580 is the same one used in the Mercedes S65 AMG/SLR/various others with 5 speeds... it's good, very good.


----------



## Mendez

The FR-S has a regular tranny that simulates a dual clutch, sounds a lil iffy to me, but I've heard they work fairly well. I personally prefer driving stick because of how much control I have over the car. Although the DSG tranny in the GTI was pretty damn nice. So nice I ALMOST picked up an Audi A3 with DSG 

Edit: Also having the "flappy paddles" is tempting sometimes lol


----------



## angus

That R8 is the best color I've seen on that model ever. Awesome. 



Joose said:


> ^Not true anymore, about Aston reliability. Supercars in general are actually quite reliable nowadays. There's a guy where I used to live who drove his V8 Vantage 5 days a week. He put 18,000+ miles on it the first year, no problems.
> 
> And matte paint is a major pain in the ass. If a bird shits on it, you better get it off there immediately. Whoever buys the Aston should have it wrapped in the same matte black, then it'll be easy.



My dad is big into British cars, and has had three Astons since 2003. One of them was purchased back by AM on the lemon law! They were all headaches- two DB7 GTs and a Vanquish. He loved them, but reliable they were not, and the head mechanic in the area said the experience was fairly normal.

And don't get me started on the number of interior fit&finish issues and reused Ford parts! 

I'm not saying reliable doesn't happen- because of course it does- and certainly the interior design and quality has taken strides in recent redesigns, but "supercars are reliable" is definitely relative. Low production vehicles are never going to be reliable in the way that higher production models are, so they almost universally need more maintenance as years go on. It's part of the reason why Porsche have the reputation they do for reliability- they produce enough numbers that it makes critical sense to focus on engineering reliability (of course there are more reasons for that, as well).


----------



## Joose

Well... that's unfortunate for your dad. But, you did say 2 DB7 GT's and a Vanquish. Those fall very, very far from the reliable category haha. But my dad's friend takes his DB9 Volante for every road trip he makes. Just him and his wife. The last trip was from Miami, to Los Angeles, to San Francisco, to Denver and back to Miami. Last I heard, he was pushing 75k miles on that thing with only scheduled maintenance. He's put quite a few miles on his 2009 Gallardo Spyder and 2008 Viper SRT10 as well, with no issues. 

As Jeremy Clarkson put it, "Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, used to be bi-words for "fragility"... not anymore".

Are they gonna be able to put up with the same shit as an F150 or something? No. But they're not meant to. These are cars you buy to enjoy the way they're meant to be enjoyed. You also have to buy them, knowing that if 1 little thing does go wrong, it throws the whole car off; because they're hand built and made an exact way.


----------



## Vhyle

If I were to buy a car with an excellent repair record and reliability in mind, I would not think of an Aston Martin first. But if I wanted a British piece of sex on wheels, that's another story. Especially the car from Casino Royale. I would do some nasty things to that car.


----------



## Joose

^Ah yes, the unbelievably sexy DBS.

And lol, no, of course you wouldn't buy an Aston for reliability. But they aren't necessarily cars you buy expecting to spend tens of thousands a year repairing anymore. 

I suppose I should specify that a "reliable" supercar is not the same as any other car.


----------



## angus

Joose said:


> Well... that's unfortunate for your dad. But, you did say 2 DB7 GT's and a Vanquish. Those fall very, very far from the reliable category haha.



Yep, all modern, all Aston Martins, and the latest one is of the current vintage. 

He's taken a number of road trips with them, too- it's not like they are always broken, but the stack of service papers is mind boggling! 



> As Jeremy Clarkson put it, "Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, used to be bi-words for "fragility"... not anymore".



Because no production cars are really like that anymore (luckily!).



> You also have to buy them, knowing that if 1 little thing does go wrong, it throws the whole car off; because they're hand built and made an exact way.



This is BS. If they were engineered so poorly that changing one thing "throws the car off", then you shouldn't even be paying Kia prices. Any good mechanic can work on any car if they know what they are doing, and you are not sullying any vehicle ("throws the whole car off") by performing maintenance. Unrealistic worship. Maybe worship isn't the right word, but it is putting the car on a pedestal that isn't really warranted.

A Ferrari, fundamentally, works the same as a Pontiac Fiero. Updated, more complex transmission, but the same. All just cars!


----------



## Joose

Sorry, but I disagree. Something like... a Lamborghini Aventador, we'll just go all out. It's engineered and built to what they consider perfection. So yes, if something in a shock, the balancing, the transmission, anything really, gets a little off, it is no longer perfect. And in something as pronounced as a supercar, that's a problem.

I'm not saying it like, they're all built to fail or anything like that. I'm just saying that they're built to function an exact way. A Kia is built to be a car. Just a car. A supercar is built to eat winding or straight roads and melt your face off. What would be a minor inconvenience in a Kia, is devastating in a supercar.


----------



## angus

So if it has the transmission replaced, it will be built to the same spec. If the engine is replaced, it will be built to the same spec. Otherwise every Lamborghini would be "devalued" if it had the shock replaced. But they're fine, and you would never notice if you drove it if proper people are working on it. 

I think it's a huge exaggeration, mostly put forward by companies that suggest that every component is built to work together in absolute harmony. In reality, the tolerances are all the same in each individual part, and while often they will make sure the tolerances are in spec with the engine/trans, if you had either replaced, they would individually be in spec and the difference would not be noticeable.

Edit: Although I should mention, if I were hiring you for the position you are applying into, I'd definitely want your attitude over my (engineer's) attitude, as it sounds like you were be much more likely to take good care of the vehicles!


----------



## Joose

^Haha. Word.

I guess I just think of it like calibration almost.

Though my '07 Charger R/T Daytona has higher quality parts than the '06 Magnum R/T I used to have, the Magnum didn't feel like it was really losing much when things went wrong or were no longer performing as well as they used to. But in the Charger, it's _very_ obvious to me that front passenger side suspension needs a little work after all the thrashing around I've done on these desolate mountain roads, since moving to CO. 

I definitely thrashed the Magnum around in FL as well; and even though it was clear that it needed some work, it wasn't like "Damnit, I gotta go get it fixed next week". As for the Charger, tomorrow's bill is probably going to suck, since it's basically an SRT8 with a 5.7 instead of a 6.1. But, it needs to be done... as it's not doing its near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution much justice at the moment. Beauty of 4 wheel independent is not having to fix the entire front end though haha.


----------



## angus

Joose said:


> ^Haha. Word.
> 
> I guess I just think of it like calibration almost.



Definitely! But that would be part of any scheduled maintenance or part replacement/servicing. It's all in who does the work. 

My GTR definitely feels very different after a gearbox relearning at each service (resetting the clutches and bite points). All part of happy maintenance. 

Oh, and expensive maintenance once the warranty runs out.


----------



## Joose

Oooh, you have a GTR? Love them.

And I love talking cars. I love this thread.


----------



## ShadowAMD

Just ordered a Mazdaspeed 3, Looked around and the only other car I wanted was a Maserati Granturismo which as I've just bought my first house going to happen.

Looking at the BBR stage upgrades for around 330HP and around 0-62 around 5 seconds dead..


----------



## ShadowAMD

angus said:


> Definitely! But that would be part of any scheduled maintenance or part replacement/servicing. It's all in who does the work.
> 
> My GTR definitely feels very different after a gearbox relearning at each service (resetting the clutches and bite points). All part of happy maintenance.
> 
> Oh, and expensive maintenance once the warranty runs out.



Well you must have a fair bit of cash to afford it in the first place ..


----------



## pink freud

ShadowAMD said:


> Just ordered a Mazdaspeed 3, Looked around and the only other car I wanted was a Maserati Granturismo which as I've just bought my first house going to happen.
> 
> Looking at the BBR stage upgrades for around 330HP and around 0-62 around 5 seconds dead..



Hopefully it has some fancy stuff going on up front or 330hp with FWD will be 0-62 around five seconds... dead.


----------



## ShadowAMD

pink freud said:


> Hopefully it has some fancy stuff going on up front or 330hp with FWD will be 0-62 around five seconds... dead.



It'll be a pussy cat and by far not the most powerful car I've ever owned or driven. It has a limited slip diff and there a few reports around that they run great..

If you ever get the chance try a TVR Cerbera, the first hint of disrespect and it will drag you into the bushes and make you pay.


----------



## pink freud

ShadowAMD said:


> It'll be a pussy cat and by far not the most powerful car I've ever owned or driven. It has a limited slip diff and there a few reports around that they run great..
> 
> If you ever get the chance try a TVR Cerbera, the first hint of disrespect and it will drag you into the bushes and make you pay.



Used to know a guy who had an NSX that was like that. It could never decide which way was forward.


----------



## ShadowAMD

pink freud said:


> Used to know a guy who had an NSX that was like that. It could never decide which way was forward.



Lol very true, one of the best cars I owned was the Lexus ISF.. for the first year or so, then the £350.00 / $530 fuel bill every month £1000.00 / $1500 road tax for the first year coupled with service costs, depreciation etc. it just became too much.

That's why I love hot hatches, cheap to buy, cheap to run and little drawbacks.. Looking forward to seeing how they evolve.


----------



## angus

I've driven a couple TVRs. Ugly things, but just evil monsters. They feel like British Vipers- all crude purity. Love them. 



ShadowAMD said:


> Well you must have a fair bit of cash to afford it in the first place ..



Enough yes, though after you pay for it you don't really want to be outlaying for cash to keep it alive!!  The only way I'm swinging it internally is that the depreciation is lower than just about anything else currently on the market, so if I decide I don't want to be paying for it, I can offload it for minimal damage. Not a great policy, though.

(It helps to have no kids and no mortgage, by the way.)


----------



## ShadowAMD

angus said:


> I've driven a couple TVRs. Ugly things, but just evil monsters. They feel like British Vipers- all crude purity. Love them.
> 
> 
> 
> Enough yes, though after you pay for it you don't really want to be outlaying for cash to keep it alive!!  The only way I'm swinging it internally is that the depreciation is lower than just about anything else currently on the market, so if I decide I don't want to be paying for it, I can offload it for minimal damage. Not a great policy, though.
> 
> (It helps to have no kids and no mortgage, by the way.)



Oh I know before I put a deposit down on a house I was looking for my next massive car venture.. You move up earn more, I don't have kids either.. Misses brings in a fair income.. That said it's always hard to justify continuously paying out to that extent. I've had classic Alfa's to Porche's and it's been a financial money pit.. I might look at a Maserati in a couple of years until then small and cheap ..


----------



## synrgy

Few weeks back, my PT got a death sentence from our mechanic: Beyond the $2300 in repairs it needed to get through inspection, the crank shaft was on its way out.

Out with the old 







In with the new! 






2013 Focus SE 5-door. First time my wife or I have had a brand new car. We're pretty stoked.


----------



## Jes

I sold cars for a while when the market bottomed out and I always loved the focuses and fusions. Lots of fun to drive, last forever, and this coming from a guy who doesnt like Ford much. lol. Pretty happy with it so far?


----------



## synrgy

Mostly, yeah.

There's a pinch of growing pains related to the transmission:

It's "jumpy" in the lowest gears, which is pretty annoying in a high-traffic situation.. Which accounts for roughly 75% of the driving we do, around here.. 

Then, there's this weird sound that happens somewhere between 2nd and 3rd gear, that sounds like we're dragging tin cans like we're 'just married' or something.. Not my video, but same problem:



Then there's this weird clicking thing that happens whenever we open/close the doors.. Again not my video, but same problem:



When we took it into the dealer to be like "Hey, this isn't right", they told us it was all 'normal' and to wait until we crossed the 1,000 mile mark. *sigh*

Other than that, though, it's great!!


----------



## pink freud

Lexus is cooking up something very impressive:





Possibly the most impressive interior I've ever seen.


----------



## MFB

Finally, now all those hot trophy ex-wives I pick up will have less to climb over while they go road-dome on me while we go back to my place and they realize the Lexus is a rental and I might as well work for peanuts

Lexus, you've done it again!


----------



## JEngelking

Well my car may have met its inevitable demise. I was driving around yesterday when I felt some big clunk but didn't think anything of it cuz I was able to drive around just fine after that. Later on I was mowing the lawn and noticed that one of the tires was at a pretty ....ed angle.






Something in the axle must have snapped or something, because the other front tire's at an angle too, just not as extreme. We've already had to sink so much many in to repairs that it's probably not worth it to have to repair this which presumably will be pretty expensive. 

For now, I'll be driving around the stickshift F-150.


----------



## Joose

^That really sucks dude. That happened in my brother's '85 Camaro.


@Synrgy: Yeah, maybe breaking it in will help. Then again, that noise sounds like the transmission to me. Basically the same noise I hear when i put my Charger in semi-manual mode and change from 1st to 2nd. And I mean at a stop. I can really hear it if I'm next to a wall or something. Why yours is doing that with the car off and when the door opens/closes is beyond me though.

I'd get them to flash the PCM.


----------



## synrgy

Joose said:


> I'd get them to flash the PCM.



Yeah, that's what we're trying to do. We even gave them the code for the update which fixes the problem, as found in the updates/comments of the video. They outright refused to do _anything_ until we crossed the 1,000 mile mark, as if crossing that arbitrary marker could somehow make the problems magically disappear.


----------



## Joose

Haha wow. I mean, break-ins can help, but I consider a break-in to be 3k or more, depending on the car.

That's ridiculous they're making you wait.


----------



## BucketheadRules

angus said:


> I've driven a couple TVRs. Ugly things, but just evil monsters. They feel like British Vipers- all crude purity. Love them.



They're badly made, crudely designed, generally pretty unreliable, very heavy on fuel, with an alarming reputation for twitchy handling (which makes for uncomfortable bedfellows with the serious turn of power they tend to have)... but come on.
















Not to mention the noise they make... Jesus, you could wake the dead with one. 

If I had the talent to drive it properly and the money to keep it going, I'd have one in a shot.


----------



## Joose

If I had assloads of cash, I would buy a TVR Sagaris. And I mean enough money that it would be like my 6th or 7th car. 

With the numbers cars I'd have in a perfect world, 6th or 7th is way up there. What a noise they make. And crazy looking.


----------



## pink freud

If I was in crazy money like that I'd go for a Lucra over a TVR:










That perfect balance of modern design and vintage racer.


----------



## JEngelking

Somewhat on-topic:






Me gusta.


----------



## Saber_777

JEngelking said:


> Well my car may have met its inevitable demise. I was driving around yesterday when I felt some big clunk but didn't think anything of it cuz I was able to drive around just fine after that. Later on I was mowing the lawn and noticed that one of the tires was at a pretty ....ed angle.
> 
> [IMG DELETED FOR POST SAKE}
> 
> Something in the axle must have snapped or something, because the other front tire's at an angle too, just not as extreme. We've already had to sink so much many in to repairs that it's probably not worth it to have to repair this which presumably will be pretty expensive.
> 
> For now, I'll be driving around the stickshift F-150.



Your car decided it needed more camber!  Now you drift...  

Like my awesome 'stanced' and 'caged' push mower!


----------



## Joose

pink freud said:


> If I was in crazy money like that I'd go for a Lucra over a TVR:



Those look good. But...







And...



One of the best sounding straight 6's out there. Right next to this......


----------



## Vhyle

JEngelking said:


> Well my car may have met its inevitable demise.



Probably not. Most likely, your issue is either bad ball joints or bad control arm bushings. My educated opinion would be ball joints. That generation of Escorts/Tempos were notorious for ball joint failures.


----------



## shadscbr

What do you guys use for detailing your cars? I'm considering a kit from Adams

Adam's Premium Car Care - Cleaners, Waxes and Polishes Made in the USA

any other suggestions?

Shad


----------



## pathogenicmetal666

JEngelking said:


> Well my car may have met its inevitable demise. I was driving around yesterday when I felt some big clunk but didn't think anything of it cuz I was able to drive around just fine after that. Later on I was mowing the lawn and noticed that one of the tires was at a pretty ....ed angle.
> 
> Something in the axle must have snapped or something, because the other front tire's at an angle too, just not as extreme. We've already had to sink so much many in to repairs that it's probably not worth it to have to repair this which presumably will be pretty expensive.
> 
> For now, I'll be driving around the stickshift F-150.



It could be a ball joint or a control arm. If that's the case it might not be an expensive repair. I don't think the CV axle bears the weight of the suspension.


----------



## ShadowAMD

What do we think to the 2012 + Focus ST?


----------



## Joose

^I've heard many good things. I'm glad I finally dig the design of the Focus. I was never a fan; but the new design looks so sleek.


----------



## Force

What I have..................& I love it, awesome car.







And what I want.................................................


----------



## ShadowAMD

Joose said:


> ^I've heard many good things. I'm glad I finally dig the design of the Focus. I was never a fan; but the new design looks so sleek.



Well that's good news, did you know they have stopped selling / producing the Mazdaspeed 3 very recently? Well they have in my neck of the woods anyway.

So I bought an ST and man I love it, proper cracking little hot hatch.. I usually go for big floppy high capacity engined saloons.


----------



## troyguitar

ShadowAMD said:


> What do we think to the 2012 + Focus ST?



I am more excited about the Fiesta ST here. It's awesome to have a 2700 lb 200 hp manual trans hatchback with Recaro seats available in this country.


----------



## Mendez

I dunno man, they both look very similar, the focus ST has 252hp and the price difference is $2,300. Both have recaro seats as well and seem nearly identical in their internals except for the 1.6 vs the 2.0.

Both are still some nice hatchbacks from ford though, good job on ford.

Edit: the 'price difference' is from ford's site, so who knows how far apart they will be at a dealership, last I checked the focus ST was hitting 28k at the dealership.


----------



## angus

I've been driving a Focus SE as my rental since I moved back to CA (waiting for my car to get shipped here), and I'm SUPER impressed. I've had three Mustangs in the past, and this thing is lightyears ahead in build quality. THE FREAKING DOORS FEEL LIKE LEAD. The car feels super solid, has great seats (the non-Recaros, even, despite my intense affection toward Recaros!), is very pleasant and comfortable to drive, and feels intensely solidly built. 

Contrast this with my girlfriend's Prius, which I still prefer to drive, but that feels much cheaper all around. The doors feel like PVC pipes sheathed in aluminum, and close with a very metallic clang. 

It's funny how the feeling of doors can make such an impression. 

It does have absolutely ZERO power, though! I was flooring the pedal onto the freeway, and my girlfriend asked why I was driving like such a pussy. SHE DRIVES A PRIUS.  The ST must be wildly better. If the difference is $2300 and you get 100+hp and Recaros, I'd sell my body on the street to pay the difference if I had to.

Great car, though. A huge step forward from the Fords I've owned in the past. 


Also, after a bunch of posts in this thread about getting a diesel something again, I ended up buying another Land Rover (my 3rd!) to hold me over until they bring a diesel to the US in the next few years (hopefully). Spent more than I wanted to hold me over, so I think I'd best sell a bass or two to clear my conscience. Pics in a week or two when it arrives!


----------



## Mendez

Well the $2,300 was for the price difference between the fiesta ST and focus ST. Between a focus SE and an ST its like 8-10k


----------



## angus

OH, hahahaha. Ok that is a much bigger difference.


----------



## ShadowAMD

troyguitar said:


> I am more excited about the Fiesta ST here. It's awesome to have a 2700 lb 200 hp manual trans hatchback with Recaro seats available in this country.



I suppose because the UK had these type of cars around for a long time, it doesn't really excite any more. Although looking forward to the official non warranty affecting mountune upgrade for the Focus ST.. From rumours 285HP 300+ lb / ft torque.

It's already very quick as is, in the UK also there's little price difference between the Focus and Fiesta ST.. There's 3K in it.

Also @ Angus, I agree if they didn't cost so much over here to import I'd have a Camaro in seconds..


----------



## angus

If it didn't cost so much, I'd import a diesel Land Rover! :\


----------



## troyguitar

ShadowAMD said:


> I suppose because the UK had these type of cars around for a long time, it doesn't really excite any more. Although looking forward to the official non warranty affecting mountune upgrade for the Focus ST.. From rumours 285HP 300+ lb / ft torque.
> 
> It's already very quick as is, in the UK also there's little price difference between the Focus and Fiesta ST.. There's 3K in it.
> 
> Also @ Angus, I agree if they didn't cost so much over here to import I'd have a Camaro in seconds..



Yeah Fiesta ST is not special outside North America.

I like it because it's about 500 lbs lighter than the Focus ST, it's basically the only quick and practical car we get over here that is also small and light.


----------



## Joose

I'll just leave these here......

Alpha Omega GTR, 7.98 @186mph. (Speedometer can't keep up!)


Apparently this camera couldn't handle the launch.


----------



## angus

Been in a couple AMS, Switzer, and others built GTRs. It is hard not to want to spend the money to do it to mine. 

(But after an 1100rwmp Mustang, I need a break to get to drive a car for a bit!)


----------



## wilch

Joose said:


> I'll just leave these here......
> 
> Alpha Omega GTR, 7.98 @186mph. (Speedometer can't keep up!)


----------



## Joose

angus said:


> Been in a couple AMS, Switzer, and others built GTRs. It is hard not to want to spend the money to do it to mine.
> 
> (But after an 1100rwmp Mustang, I need a break to get to drive a car for a bit!)



Nice! The only ridiculously fast car I've been in was an 800(ish)rwhp '07 Corvette Z06. Frightening! I imagine it'd be a little less frightening to have some control over it and not be riding shotgun.


----------



## Despised_0515

Saving up to either buy an AE86 flat out or put a down payment on an S2000 if I can find one to finance... time will tell. I'm tired of FWD. No fun for what I'm into.


----------



## troyguitar

Despised_0515 said:


> Saving up to either buy an AE86 flat out or put a down payment on an S2000 if I can find one to finance... time will tell. I'm tired of FWD. No fun for what I'm into.



The BRZ is supposed to be a faster platform overall, especially with only light mods (S2k has terrible stock aero package for example).

I ran the S4 in street trim at Pocono this past Sunday to see what it could do:



It's slow but not bad for street tires and 4000+ lbs 

Average around 90 for the lap (1:45.2 lap time) and hit 140 going into turn 2.


----------



## Despised_0515

AE86 would be a Corolla from the '80s aka the reason why they made the FRS/BRZ 
The S2K is in consideration because I can either save $5k to buy and fix up the Corolla to my liking or throw that $5k down to finance the S2K. I've seen most AP1's go for around $13k at dealers if they have them so it's not entirely impossible for me.


----------



## troyguitar

Despised_0515 said:


> AE86 would be a Corolla from the '80s aka the reason why they made the FRS/BRZ
> The S2K is in consideration because I can either save $5k to buy and fix up the Corolla to my liking or throw that $5k down to finance the S2K. I've seen most AP1's go for around $13k at dealers if they have them so it's not entirely impossible for me.



err yeah AE86 not GT86, reading failure 

Get the AP1, I'd rather have that than AP2 anyway. More revs


----------



## Joose

Goodies!


----------



## Seanthesheep

hey guys what do we think of the 2012/2013 hyundai elantras? My car is in the process of shitting the bed so Im looking to replace it with something fuel efficient and reliable in the long term thats under 20k. I know Hyundai's dont have the best resale but right now that isn't really a concern. also if theres anything else I should be looking at let me know


----------



## shadscbr

Seanthesheep said:


> hey guys what do we think of the 2012/2013 hyundai elantras? My car is in the process of shitting the bed so Im looking to replace it with something fuel efficient and reliable in the long term thats under 20k. I know Hyundai's dont have the best resale but right now that isn't really a concern. also if theres anything else I should be looking at let me know


 


My wife had a 2011 when the new swoopy body style first came out. We put about 25K miles on it...here are some of my thoughts:

1. The efficiency was just not there. If driven normally, avg mpg was 22-26 depending on highway mix. You could hit 30 mpg avg if you reset the tip computer after accelerating onto the highway 

2. the suspension was terrible, manhole covers and rough roadways would pitch the car from side to side, which is not confidence inspiring in the rain, and just plain annoying in the dry. They may have this sorted out in the 12-13 models, but take a long test drive and hit every bump possible to see how it feels for you. By the end if its stay with us, every bump I hit made me want to punch the car in the face...so happy not to have to drive that car again 

3 The steering felt like a bad video game controller. You could feel the gear notches click as you moved the wheel

4. on the flip side- it offers a lot of feature content for the money...heated rear seats are a nice option in this category

this car irritated me enough that I felt like I needed to share my feelings, ymmv. 

Suggestions:

For pure mpg, the prius is hard to beat, just not fun to drive

for affordable awd, the Subaru impreza and legacy can be found in your price range

for fwd, I think the Mazda 3 is a nice balance of performance/fun and efficiency. The new model is coming out soon, so the existing stock should be discounted. The new model looks pretty nice from the pics I've seen so far.

best of luck in your car search, test drive everything, and follow your inner stig 

Shad


----------



## Joose

Well when it comes to the Prius, I always turn to Mr. Clarkson. 

[Youtubevid]FIN7Vc9rmaA[/MEDIA]

And onto more of the new, seemingly amazing, Corvette.


----------



## troyguitar

I'm so torn between upgrading the hell out of my S4 and saving my money for a C7. Supercar speeds and 30 mpg for the $55k Z51 is unreal.


----------



## Joose

^Go for the Vette!


----------



## texshred777

S4 all the way. Audi is automobile sex as far as I'm concerned.


----------



## pink freud

troyguitar said:


> I'm so torn between upgrading the hell out of my S4 and saving my money for a C7. Supercar speeds *or* 30 mpg for the $55k Z51 is unreal.



FIFY 

The C7 is almost there, but they made some mistakes.
1) The ass. It looks like a rejected face from a Transformers movie.
2) It got heavier. Sure it got more powerful, but less weight is always a good thing.
3) The grill looks like it belongs on a catfish.

Two design flaws (IMO) and one technical one, so not as bad as some cars but if I was in that price range I'd still look elsewhere, even if there was less power involved.


----------



## troyguitar

pink freud said:


> FIFY
> 
> The C7 is almost there, but they made some mistakes.
> 1) The ass. It looks like a rejected face from a Transformers movie.
> 2) It got heavier. Sure it got more powerful, but less weight is always a good thing.
> 3) The grill looks like it belongs on a catfish.
> 
> Two design flaws (IMO) and one technical one, so not as bad as some cars but if I was in that price range I'd still look elsewhere, even if there was less power involved.



Look elsewhere to what? Nothing else performs like that, not even close. Especially not when you consider that it has THIS aftermarket option:

2014 Callaway AeroWagon Concept | Callaway Cars - Powerfully Engineered Automobiles


----------



## ddtonfire

I'd go vette... who needs rear seating?

That aerowagon is sick. Somebody down here has a CTS-V wagon and it kicked my ass.


----------



## shadscbr

troyguitar said:


> I'm so torn between upgrading the hell out of my S4 and saving my money for a C7. Supercar speeds and 30 mpg for the $55k Z51 is unreal.


 
With the TT as a backup...A 7 speed manual C7 with Blizzaks could be great winter fun 

you'll need robust protection too, like a Quad LI-HP- V1 or Redline package  Laser Interceptor - The Ultimate Laser Jammer - Buy Online Now

Shad


----------



## troyguitar

shadscbr said:


> With the TT as a backup...A 7 speed manual C7 with Blizzaks could be great winter fun
> 
> Shad



TT isn't back up it is her car. I'm thinking the vette will mean we need a 3rd car which is my main hesitation. I wish I could test one in a winter situation.


----------



## angus

I did it for a bit with a GTR in snowy Connecticut, and it did not work out. You can do something like the Corvette for a daily in California (minus the horrific speed bumps and terrible entry curbs everywhere), but if you live somewhere with weather it is a terrible idea IMO. 

If you get a Corvette, plan to get something with AWD and ground clearance for winter.


----------



## troyguitar

Wow you had issues with the GTR in winter? I figured that car would be perfect with winter tires, considering all of the computers and whatnot controlling traction.

I've read some guys with AWD Porsche's swearing they were the best winter cars they ever had too, not to mention this beastly R8:


----------



## angus

Great traction, but horrible ground clearance, so you couldn't actually take it anywhere pretty much. No winter tires, either- just "all weather". Drove great on powder or fresh now, but since you couldn't get over any bit of ice buildup, it was not very useful.

Some ground clearance, and it would be amazing. 

That R8 is badass!

Back to having an SUV to drive most of the time. It is a lot more tolerable.


----------



## Mendez

Holy crap man, that R8 is ridiculous!


----------



## Vhyle

That R8 is sex on wheels. Wowowowowow.


----------



## Joose

pink freud said:


> FIFY
> 
> The C7 is almost there, but they made some mistakes.
> 1) The ass. It looks like a rejected face from a Transformers movie.
> 2) It got heavier. Sure it got more powerful, but less weight is always a good thing.
> 3) The grill looks like it belongs on a catfish.
> 
> Two design flaws (IMO) and one technical one, so not as bad as some cars but if I was in that price range I'd still look elsewhere, even if there was less power involved.



I disagree in so many ways it's not even funny.


----------



## Furtive Glance

Jon Olsson, that bastard!


----------



## dedsouth333

Want. '69. GTO. Judge. 

The car of the gods (Imho lol).


----------



## MikeH

I've been having some issues with my Jetta's suspension/steering. Out of nowhere, my girl's dad called me today and said he wants to take it this weekend and find out what's wrong, then he's going to either fix it himself, or take it somewhere to get it fixed. All at his cost. i might marry her just to have him as a father in law.


----------



## Vhyle

MikeH said:


> I've been having some issues with my Jetta's suspension/steering. Out of nowhere, my girl's dad called me today and said he wants to take it this weekend and find out what's wrong, then he's going to either fix it himself, or take it somewhere to get it fixed. All at his cost. i might marry her just to have him as a father in law.



What kind of issues?


----------



## tacotiklah

I'm so proud of me. My car decided to stop starting up again. I tried charging it, but to no avail. I took a good look around at it and realized that the terminal clamps on it are pretty messed up. So I walked down to the parts store and picked up a new set. I walked back and took off the old ones to discover that there was a build up of white powdery stuff all over the wiring of the positive cable. (I'm assuming battery acid)
I took an old toothbrush and scrubbed the hell out of it and got all that gunk off. I threw on the new clamps, hooked them up to the battery and my baby fired right back up. 

This is the first time I was able to troubleshoot my own car properly and not have to bug other people for help.


----------



## flint757

Next time just grab a can of coca cola and pour it on the terminals.


----------



## angus

It isn't battery acid per se- it's lead sulfate. It tends to happen most when your battery is not charging fully (and itself can act as an insulator, making things worse). Now that you've cleaned it off, go get a ketchup packet size pack of dielectric grease from an auto parts store and put it on the terminal- it will prevent this from happening again. 

Either way, good work- feels nice to do your own (minor) maintenance, doesn't it?


----------



## troyguitar

Major maintenance is good too, saves $$ for guitars


----------



## MikeH

Vhyle said:


> What kind of issues?



Making a knocking noise like something is loose whenever I hit a pothole or slow down from 35+. Also shakes a bit when I get up around 70.


----------



## jordanky

MikeH said:


> Making a knocking noise like something is loose whenever I hit a pothole or slow down from 35+. Also shakes a bit when I get up around 70.



I'm dealing with the same issues on my R32 right now. I would check wheel bearings, strut mount bushings, and your tie rod ends.

Speaking of my R32, I have splurged a bit. I raped a wheel a few weeks ago on my way home from work, so I went ahead and picked up a new set of wheels along with new rubber all around. They're an inch wider than my stock Aristo's, with a slightly lower offset. I also nabbed a set of hubcentric spacers from ECS Tuning, 10mm in the front and 15mm rear. While I was at it, I Plasti-Dipped my tails which actually looks and works great, and also sprayed my grille. Finally tinted my windows (fishbowl status extinguished) and picked up a set of OEM replica headlights with some HID goodies.


----------



## Mendez

Wish I could mod my lil MKIV GTI to look as good as that. My front tires are worn so I WANT to buy a new set, but I'm broke 

Might have to throw some used ones on till I can finish saving up for a new set of tires.

Diggin' your R32 man, looks awesome!


----------



## MikeH

Tie rod assemblies on both sides were just replaced. So far, he's leaning towards it being the wheel bearing.


----------



## MikeH

Mendez said:


> Wish I could mod my lil MKIV GTI to look as good as that. My front tires are worn so I WANT to buy a new set, but I'm broke



Oh, but you can! 

VWVortex.com - << Best MK4 Styling Options >> NO PAYMENTS FOR 6 MONTHS! Bumpers $235 | Side Skirts $120 a set @ Optikwerks Fast Shipping, Great Customer Service..

VWVortex.com - FS/FT: BBS LMs


----------



## Mendez

Oh man talk about options! Well time to start saving 

Also, that's one cheap GTI. A stock one is usually 3500-5500 around here.


----------



## MikeH

....No. That's the wheels alone.  BBS wheels, especially multi-pieces, are mega expensive. A set of RS's (3-piece) typically goes for $5-6,000.


----------



## Mendez

Maybe I should've read it...

So your telling me those wheels cost more than my car?  That's crazy...


----------



## wannabguitarist

Looking for some guidance:

My car slightly delays before starting; this is a fairly new issue (within the last month). I turn the key and nothing happens for about a second then it starts right up. The starter is about 8 months old (.... Honda/Acura for that. Huge pain in the ass to get at), alternator is about 1.5 years, and the battery is about 9 months old. It doesn't die while running but every once in a while it buzzes and all the lights dim while I'm sitting at a light (sounds like an air compressor almost) but it's been doing that for over 2 years now  I don't what to check next 

Car is a 1996 Acura TL 3.2. Part of me is hoping it's something important so I can just ditch the soulless appliance and get something with a manual


----------



## Joose

^Mine was doing that in April. Took off the engine cover, found a bunch of sand. Shop Vac'd the hell out the whole engine bay, never had the problem again. I realize that doesn't help, but it's my story.


----------



## ghostred7

I have about 2yrs, but I'm already thinking about my mid-life-crisis (turning 40 next yr) car LOL


----------



## MikeH

I'm 21 and I still think of my midlife crisis car daily. 







Dat A7.


----------



## jordanky

MikeH said:


> ....No. That's the wheels alone.  BBS wheels, especially multi-pieces, are mega expensive. A set of RS's (3-piece) typically goes for $5-6,000.



ECS Tuning just picked up these and they are STUPID cheap!






http://www.ecstuning.com/News/Alzor...h_Machined_Lip_1999_2000_2001_2002_2003_2004/


----------



## MikeH

I'd buy them, but a lot of purists wouldn't dare. BBS or steelies.


----------



## angus

Joose said:


> ^Mine was doing that in April. Took off the engine cover, found a bunch of sand. Shop Vac'd the hell out the whole engine bay, never had the problem again. I realize that doesn't help, but it's my story.



You might as well tell him to exorcise the unicorn ghosts from his mufflers to fix the problem.  But hey, glad it worked! 

On an unrelated note, I'm working really, really hard to distract myself from wanting to order the E63 AMG 4WD when they come out soon. GAH WHY


----------



## troyguitar

jordanky said:


> ECS Tuning just picked up these and they are STUPID cheap!





MikeH said:


> I'd buy them, but a lot of purists wouldn't dare. BBS or steelies.



I'm riding on Alzor wheels for my summer tires. $400 for the set, no complaints.


----------



## Dan_Vacant

I have a beat up 92' accord I'm considering spray painting flames on it.... am I a bad person?


----------



## Joose

Dan_Vacant said:


> I have a beat up 92' accord I'm considering spray painting flames on it.... am I a bad person?



It would instantly take the car from "Reliable, humble car" to "Look at that ricer!". 


And on the rims discussion... I plan to buy some next summer. The stock rims will be my Winters, just gotta plasti dip them to provide at least some protection against what they put on the roads here when it snows. Not sure what it is, but everyone says it's chrome's worst enemy. 

But what I'm gonna do next summer is buy flat black replicas of the 2012 Charger SRT8 rims. I have a few friends that have bought replicas from a particular seller on eBay, and they've had zero issues with them. 

Though I do have to say I'm torn between the '12 Charger SRT8 replicas and the late 00's Viper replicas.

(Couldn't find pics of a Daytona with the '12 rims, so here's my friend's SRT, he plasti-dipped the wheels)





And a Daytona with grey Viper rims. Mine would be black though, it'll look better with my shade of green.


----------



## Furtive Glance

I like the first ones better, personally.


----------



## HighPotency

Here's my car.. I've since taken the giant bumpers off and it's straight piped with a resonator in the middle now. A little loud haha.






Needs work but that's how old cars go...


----------



## MikeH

Well, we lifted my car up this weekend. Pulled the driver side CV axle off, it fell into two pieces.  So we replaced that. Got everything tight and right. Started driving on the highway yesterday and I was having the same issue with it shaking. Also, I go to stop and the knocking comes back. So today I get to lift it again and try to diagnose what the hell is wrong.


----------



## Joose

Furtive Glance said:


> I like the first ones better, personally.



I think I do too. Those in flat black would look nice for summer.


----------



## ATOMICxTomato

HighPotency said:


> Here's my car.. I've since taken the giant bumpers off and it's straight piped with a resonator in the middle now. A little loud haha.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Needs work but that's how old cars go...


Thats one nice Z. Love those cars. Lately i've been wanting an import/ tuner. A 98 240sx is like one of my dream cars and would love to get one and throw on some wheels off a r34 Skyline GTR


----------



## yellowv

Somebody just liked the pic of my old Firebird so I figured I would add a pic of my current ride. 
2013 Ford Focus ST


----------



## Michael T

Heres my '05 Magnum after a few mods this summer. 


American racing Ltd Hotrod series rims
K&N cold Air intake
3" exhaust w/ resonator delete, Flowmaster super 40 series and 4" matte black tip
Diablo sport Predator Tune
Danko front chin spoiler
metal RT grille 
Tinted windows
Debadged everywhere except front grille

More Mods to come, 2" drop, carbon fiber Wings west rear spoiler & Viper hood


----------



## ThePhilosopher

Bone stock, paid off, 2005 Outlander - just changed the power steering fluid in it yesterday:


----------



## Azathoth43

M6 reps should always be a consideration.






Still my favorite wheel style (and car style ).


----------



## Shredderboy1658

ADVICE NEEDED!

Alright, so my dad whips a BMW 750Li xDrive with 22's, long story short we cant decide wether to put on red brake caliper covers or silver brake caliper covers. Red would match the pin striping, but silver would match the exterior of the rims. Lemme know what you guys would think to look best! Or even better, if you could do a little photoshop magic


----------



## MFB

Anyone here had to replace their clutch plates? If so - was it super expensive for them even if it's not too far along in the process? Mine are going right now which is causing the engine to rev up extremely loud and the transmission spikes up during higher accelerations (going from 65 to 75 still jumps from 2000RPMs up to 5500RPMs) but its only been doing it for a little bit and I won't have the cash to fix it for a bit.


----------



## troyguitar

MFB said:


> Anyone here had to replace their clutch plates? If so - was it super expensive for them even if it's not too far along in the process? Mine are going right now which is causing the engine to rev up extremely loud and the transmission spikes up during higher accelerations (going from 65 to 75 still jumps from 2000RPMs up to 5500RPMs) but its only been doing it for a little bit and I won't have the cash to fix it for a bit.



Labor is similar regardless of how bad it is - you still need to pull the transmission = $$$

The only thing that will really affect the total cost is whether you need a clutch and flywheel or just the clutch. Cost is all over the map depending on what car you have and who does the work.


----------



## angus

Shredderboy1658 said:


> ADVICE NEEDED!
> 
> Alright, so my dad whips a BMW 750Li xDrive with 22's, long story short we cant decide wether to put on red brake caliper covers or silver brake caliper covers. Red would match the pin striping, but silver would match the exterior of the rims. Lemme know what you guys would think to look best! Or even better, if you could do a little photoshop magic



Caliper covers...or paint the calipers? Covers are a bad idea. 

If you paint the calipers, go red. Silver will not be worth the effort.


----------



## Shredderboy1658

angus said:


> Caliper covers...or paint the calipers? Covers are a bad idea.
> 
> If you paint the calipers, go red. Silver will not be worth the effort.


What makes you say covers are a bad idea? It seems as if most supercars have covers


----------



## troyguitar

Shredderboy1658 said:


> What makes you say covers are a bad idea? It seems as if most supercars have covers



What kind of covers are you talking about? Most high performance cars have big aluminum calipers painted with special high temperature paint.


----------



## Shredderboy1658

troyguitar said:


> What kind of covers are you talking about? Most high performance cars have big aluminum calipers painted with special high temperature paint.


ohh, those look a lot like covers  please excuse my idiocracy


----------



## angus

Yeah, you will have to remove the caliper, disassemble it (if you want to do it properly), sand/media blast it to remove the current paint, clean, paint with high-temp paint, reassemble. 

Some people powder coat them, but this is more often than not done poorly leading to issues in reassemble (caused by either overspray or the temp in the baking step). Caliper powder coating can come off and discolor quickly if done poorly due to the temperatures. 

"Covers" do exist- you used to see them on crappy Hondas decked out a la F&F back in the late 90's/early 2000s. They keep all of the brake dust and heat in and destroy the caliper piston over time. 

But anyway, red, because it will take a bunch of time and money so you might as well be able to see it.


----------



## Swyse

angus said:


> Yeah, you will have to remove the caliper, disassemble it (if you want to do it properly), sand/media blast it to remove the current paint, clean, paint with high-temp paint, reassemble.
> 
> Some people powder coat them, but this is more often than not done poorly leading to issues in reassemble (caused by either overspray or the temp in the baking step). Caliper powder coating can come off and discolor quickly if done poorly due to the temperatures.
> 
> "Covers" do exist- you used to see them on crappy Hondas decked out a la F&F back in the late 90's/early 2000s. They keep all of the brake dust and heat in and destroy the caliper piston over time.
> 
> But anyway, red, because it will take a bunch of time and money so you might as well be able to see it.




Honda Civic Build Part 1 - YouTube


----------



## Dooky

^^^ Yeah, Mighty Car Mods is an awesome YouTube channel! I've been subscribed to their channel for a year or two now. I recommend it to anyone interest in cars and with a sense of humour


----------



## Swyse

Its important to note that they don't just rig up hondas with fake parts, they actually do legit mods on things too.


----------



## angus

LOL, yeah, those are a version of the covers I was talking about. 

Anyone who uses those in earnest, though? I assume they also brandish a cucumber in their pants everywhere they go, a la Spinal Tap. 

I hope everybody here has the dignity not to use fake Brembo covers, lol.


----------



## ddtonfire

Shredderboy1658 said:


> ADVICE NEEDED!
> 
> Alright, so my dad whips a BMW 750Li xDrive with 22's, long story short we cant decide wether to put on red brake caliper covers or silver brake caliper covers. Red would match the pin striping, but silver would match the exterior of the rims. Lemme know what you guys would think to look best! Or even better, if you could do a little photoshop magic



I don't have any advice, but that's a badass car.


----------



## Shredderboy1658

ddtonfire said:


> I don't have any advice, but that's a badass car.


thanks! these are the rims it's sitting on with some plastic bmw badges on them  TIS536


----------



## ddtonfire

Nice, I hate seeing bimmers on rims without the roundel, it just completes the look.


----------



## Joose

As someone who does not normally care for BMW's designs... can I just say the M4 looks spectacular?? I realize it's really just the new M3 coupe, but it has a presence about it that I've never gotten from a Bimmer. Can't wait to see one in person.


----------



## dedsouth333

http://local.aaca.org/antelope/images/Photo Gallery/1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Sports Sedan.jpg

We're working on it


----------



## Joose

^Love it. My grandfather used to have a black/white '57. I've always wanted a Bel Air comeback, but I'm afraid Chevy would not do it properly.


----------



## dedsouth333

Joose said:


> ^Love it. My grandfather used to have a black/white '57. I've always wanted a Bel Air comeback, but I'm afraid Chevy would not do it properly.



I couldn't promise anything my uncle did as proper lol. But his car is mean as hell lol.


----------



## ddtonfire

Joose said:


> As someone who does not normally care for BMW's designs... can I just say the M4 looks spectacular?? I realize it's really just the new M3 coupe, but it has a presence about it that I've never gotten from a Bimmer. Can't wait to see one in person.



I'm CASing over one of these.


----------



## angus

Joose said:


> As someone who does not normally care for BMW's designs... can I just say the M4 looks spectacular?? I realize it's really just the new M3 coupe, but it has a presence about it that I've never gotten from a Bimmer. Can't wait to see one in person.



I had the same reaction when the M6 came out. The M4 looks great- way better than the M3s, imo.


----------



## dedsouth333

Just got the majority of the body work done on the '56 today. Tomorrow is final sanding and paint! 

I can't wait to finally see this baby done!


----------



## Riffer

Might be trading my non finished 1969 Nova for a 1972 Nova that's already done and ready to drive. I really hope everything goes well. I'll post pics if it does!!!!


----------



## EcoliUVA

Riffer said:


> Might be trading my non finished 1969 Nova for a 1972 Nova that's already done and ready to drive. I really hope everything goes well. I'll post pics if it does!!!!



'68 to '72 Novas are my favorite. Or were, back when I was more into cars. Have a '70 in good condition that I might sell soon, due to spending all of my free time (and money) on music, haha. If I can dig up some pics, I'll post 'em here.


----------



## bulb

Joose said:


> As someone who does not normally care for BMW's designs... can I just say the M4 looks spectacular?? I realize it's really just the new M3 coupe, but it has a presence about it that I've never gotten from a Bimmer. Can't wait to see one in person.



I have to agree, I was curious as to whether or not I would like the M4, but god they really killed it on this one. Not too crazy about the color though, just imagine it in LSB!


----------



## synrgy

Following up on our new 2013 Focus SE:

We've found over the last several weeks that the ride is surprisingly nauseating for anyone other than the driver. Passenger seat and both back seats experience terrible inertia..

Since I know virtually nothing about the science, I was wondering if anyone here can shed light on what might cause this problem? IE, is it just inherent to this vehicle, or could it be specific to this vehicle's tuning, such that it could be fixed with adjustments to suspension, tires, etc?

I'm just wishing we'd noticed this during the test drive. The hindsight is worthless..


----------



## angus

Is it correct to assume you are having this problem under braking primarily, or acceleration too? Usually if it is something that everyone but the driver notices, it is braking (because the passengers don't have a steering wheel to hold on to). Let me know and we'll go from there. 

In short, though, this isn't something you are going to change easily or cheaply, and will likely be easiest to either swap cars or deal with it. But, there are options, but it depends on where you are noticing it.


----------



## jordanky

Gave the old bitch a bath on Sunday. Have some crappy iPhone pictures to celebrate that it still hasn't rained yet!


----------



## synrgy

angus said:


> Is it correct to assume you are having this problem under braking primarily, or acceleration too? Usually if it is something that everyone but the driver notices, it is braking (because the passengers don't have a steering wheel to hold on to). Let me know and we'll go from there.
> 
> In short, though, this isn't something you are going to change easily or cheaply, and will likely be easiest to either swap cars or deal with it. But, there are options, but it depends on where you are noticing it.



Truly, it's when doing anything _other than_ maintaining speed while driving in a straight line. Any acceleration, braking, or turning of any kind, is where non-driver positions notice unusual amounts of inertia. Feeling the worst buyer's remorse, right now..


----------



## Joose

synrgy said:


> Following up on our new 2013 Focus SE:
> 
> We've found over the last several weeks that the ride is surprisingly nauseating for anyone other than the driver. Passenger seat and both back seats experience terrible inertia..
> 
> Since I know virtually nothing about the science, I was wondering if anyone here can shed light on what might cause this problem? IE, is it just inherent to this vehicle, or could it be specific to this vehicle's tuning, such that it could be fixed with adjustments to suspension, tires, etc?
> 
> I'm just wishing we'd noticed this during the test drive. The hindsight is worthless..



Oddly enough, I spent about 2 hours riding shotgun in a 2013 Focus ST a few days ago. First off, impressive car. Second, I also experienced a bit of nausea, but I've always had motion sickness issues riding as a passenger. However, what I noticed about the Focus was how "darty" it was. That is NOT a bad thing, unless of course you want a smooth, slow steering car. Sounds like you guys might prefer the latter. 

To be honest, I'd be surprised if an SE's steering was a "point and shoot" as the ST. But totally possible!


----------



## angus

Joose said:


> That is NOT a bad thing, unless of course you want a smooth, slow steering car. Sounds like you guys might prefer the latter.



What he experiencing isn't about the steering rack ratio- it's more to do with a general suspension stiffness that is higher than he is used to. As the suspension gets stiffer (both in spring stiffness and shock rebound), the passengers will start feeling like they are moving more more than the car is with roll, dip, etc. The lower the car, the more exaggerated this feels (imo, excessive roll and suspension softness feel worse the taller a car gets). 

It isn't like the physics work any differently (ie, in synrgy's words, there isn't "more inertia"), but the extra motion the passenger feels is due to the difference between expected and experienced relative motion. 

The bumpy ass, jarring, unforgiving ride in my GTR makes my girlfriend feel sick, and the motion sickness puts her to sleep. Doing the exact same drive at the exact same speeds in my Range Rover and she can read a book. 

Anyway, all that said, it isn't worth going through and screwing with the springs, shocks (or struts, as I imagine the Focus has), and sway bars to maximize the plushness of the ride. You'll spend a bunch of money, and may find you still don't like it- and most aftermarket parts will be geared toward increased stiffness anyway. Either get used to it, learn to drive around it, or trade up. :\

If it was just acceleration, I was going to say it is the nature of small, peaky I4 engines, but that appears to not be the issue.


----------



## synrgy

I appreciate the detailed response!

For now, we're stuck with it. At the very least, it _is_ extremely fun to _drive_. It just sucks for anyone else in the vehicle.


----------



## Joose

^Oh. Well, that's all that really matters. Whether it's the music or the ride, passengers just have to deal.


----------



## MikeH

I believe that once I get my bachelor's, meaning my Jetta will be paid off, I'm going to finance a MKV R32. Things are just too nice.


----------



## axxessdenied

synrgy said:


> Truly, it's when doing anything _other than_ maintaining speed while driving in a straight line. Any acceleration, braking, or turning of any kind, is where non-driver positions notice unusual amounts of inertia. Feeling the worst buyer's remorse, right now..



Well, maybe as the driver you should compensate for this? Don't hit the brakes so hard or step on the gas so hard and ease in with your turns a bit smoother. 
Also, I bet the seats are a big part of the problem. If a passenger slides around on their seat too much than that will cause motion sickness too. Better seats that hold your ass in place make a difference.

My new ride:

'04 Sienna XLE






Loaded to the tits with all the options. Great work vehicle, going to be delivering my huge pizza orders in awesome comfort now


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

me and another guy have traded out cars for a week to see if we want to trade...


----------



## bulb

Some pics after the gf and I gave the car a nice wash/wax


----------



## angus

Beautiful! Nice photography and processing work.  (A shame the car has to have the front license plate.)

I'll be doing the same with my cars tomorrow!


----------



## Vhyle

I suppose this thread is as good as any to post this.

Friday, I will do something I never imagined I would do. I'm gonna buy a Mustang. Nothing special... its a '96 3.8L 5-speed. Before you say "who cares, that's old gayballs", it belongs to a good friend of mine, and he's selling it to me for a ridiculous price. It needs head gaskets (as most 3.8s do) so he's giving me a great deal on it. I'm gonna make the repairs and either flip it, or just use it as my daily beater. My K5 is a badass truck, but its a tank and diesel is 3.60 a gallon. Keeping its whistle wet so often at that price is getting a little old, so I'll most likely just keep the Mustang.

In my younger days, I would have said "a Mustang? .... that noise" but these days, I don't care anymore. A great deal is a great deal, and I do all the work on my vehicles myself anyway. You can sell me a Yugo and not only would I drive it with zero ....s to give, I would squeeze out every dime's worth out of it until the wheels fell off.


----------



## Joose

Well... While I'm perfectly fine with spending my first Denver Winter in my Charger w/Winter Tires and all, I'm looking into (since I finally feel like I can justify it) a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. It's black, has 31k miles and is an absolute steal. It would be more practical for work, fun as hell (faster than my Charger) and would just be an awesome 2nd vehicle.

I'd really like to just store the Daytona in the Winter. Besides, I imagine 425hp in an AWD SUV would be a blast in the snow.


----------



## Eclipse

My current ride:











2013 Dodge Avenger SXT.


----------



## troyguitar

I test drove 2 cars today, both $25k. 2013 Scion FR-S and 2004 Corvette Z06.

The Scion FR-S feels worse inside than a base $13k Chevy Sonic (which also happens to weigh like 2700 lbs and handle pretty well along with having a decent clutch and shifter feel). The only redeeming qualities of the FR-S are that the seats are very good, the handling is great, and the fuel mileage is good. The back seat is closer to that of the TT than it is to the Mustang or Fiesta - completely unusable for anyone with feet. It does look good on the outside in pearl white too, but OMG is it a cheap feeling car. Like Chevy Aveo quality. I'd be afraid to take the thing on the track for fear of it falling apart.

Z06 is ballistic, a lot nicer inside, and has insane handling. The fact that the 2 cars go for the same price today is ridiculous. The downside is that while the FR-S feels like it was made for AutoX, the Z06 feels like it was made for the Nurburgring. The turning radius is ....ing huge and the gearing is long as hell. 3rd gear goes to 100 and 4th to 150


----------



## pylyo

Just found this. I think it looks really cool.


----------



## Joose

^Those rims almost made me cry. 

It must be countered...


----------



## troyguitar

Well I couldn't get over it, had to buy the Corvette. S4 is cool but will be for sale soon.


























400 hp @ 3100 lbs, 0-60 in 3.9 seconds for $25k = holy crap why didn't I buy one 2 years ago


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

got this single turbo widebody rx-7 last week...

...yes its fast, yes its fun, no you cant drive it


----------



## Mendez

Always wanted to drive one of those RX-7's....



M3CHK1LLA said:


> got this single turbo widebody rx-7 last week...
> 
> ...yes its fast, yes its fun, *no you cant drive it*




But you must let me drive it! We're sso-tx buds! 

edit: more pics!


----------



## ddtonfire

Just got my car back after 3 weeks in the shop! Some fuckwad backed into her and drove off. USAA is a great company and took care of me, though three weeks in a Camry is three weeks too many

Before:






After:


----------



## pink freud

troyguitar said:


> Well I couldn't get over it, had to buy the Corvette. S4 is cool but will be for sale soon.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 400 hp @ 3100 lbs, 0-60 in 3.9 seconds for $25k = holy crap why didn't I buy one 2 years ago



In my opinion, the last good looking generation of vette. The new ones lack elegance.


----------



## angus

You think the new ones look less elegant than these?! 

Do you mean "elegantly designed", "elegant, as in fancy", or "elegant, as in dainty"?


----------



## angus

oh and


----------



## MikeH

M3CHK1LLA said:


> got this single turbo widebody rx-7 last week...
> 
> ...yes its fast, yes its fun, no you cant drive it



As clean and awesome as that RX-7 is, I'd have kept the Supra. You don't see those too often. Especially around here.


----------



## yellowv




----------



## troyguitar

Numbers and brake pads are ordered. The Z06 is going to Watkins Glen next weekend. Hopefully the weather doesn't suck.


----------



## pink freud

angus said:


> You think the new ones look less elegant than these?!
> 
> Do you mean "elegantly designed", "elegant, as in fancy", or "elegant, as in dainty"?



Design, mostly. The C6 looks a little too tall, and I find the lines a bit awkward, and I don't like the rear of the C7 at all. The C5 has the right proportions and curves. The late-year NSX and the gen-3 RX-7 had the look going as well.


----------



## wilch

After a few months of neglect I finally got the snowfoam lance out and washed my Skyline:


----------



## Joose

Well, I'll be ordering my Winter tires in the next couple of weeks. 

Everyone here keeps saying they feel like it's going to be a brutal winter. Should be interesting for this rwd Floridian!


----------



## troyguitar

I have a set of Michelin PA4 winter tires waiting in the garage to go on the Z06, it's gonna be hilarious to see people's reactions in the snow


----------



## shadscbr

I used to commute 1:20 each way in my rwd MR2. In the deep snow, I would put tire cables on the rear...it looked like a snowmobile spitting up a cool rooster tail of snow while getting on the highway 

I'm curious to know how the vette on snows works out 

Shad


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> I have a set of Michelin PA4 winter tires waiting in the garage to go on the Z06, it's gonna be hilarious to see people's reactions in the snow



Yeah that's how I feel it will be for me. A lot of people questioning why it's beng driven in the snow lol. Oh well, at least the Daytona will stand out in the snow; you just can't miss me.


Also, there's this.... That 300, mmmmmmm!

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/66140/breaking-bad-characters-cars-go-auction


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

Mendez said:


> Always wanted to drive one of those RX-7's....
> 
> But you must let me drive it! We're sso-tx buds!
> 
> edit: more pics!



i would have to hold some of your gear hostage while you took it for spin. 





MikeH said:


> As clean and awesome as that RX-7 is, I'd have kept the Supra. You don't see those too often. Especially around here.



they are def rare, especially a right hand drive (rhd) like mine was, but it would have cost more to do the twin turbo conversion than to just buy one fully built. the rx7 is fully built big single turbo done by one of the most respected shops in the u.s. the car just needs a few interior pieces to be finished.


----------



## angus

No three rotor conversion?

...real men don't need more than 4mpg.


----------



## The Scenic View

Mother of God... 2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Heavy-Duty First Look - Automobile Magazine


----------



## angus

It is a step in the right direction, but their interiors are still almost a decade behind Dodge and Ford's. I realize I say that as a guy who has owned 4 Fords and a Ram 2500 Diesel, but Chevy/GMC have always been so far behind on that front. It is a shame, because the Duramax is a great engine and I've always loved the look of GMCs (in particular). 

Diesels will always be Dodge for me. 

Although we'll see if Nissan can make a decent freaking looking truck finally now that they've announced the 5.0 Cummins V8 for their next Titan. The current Titan is the worst looking truck on the market. By far.


----------



## Vhyle

angus said:


> Although we'll see if Nissan can make a decent freaking looking truck finally now that they've announced the 5.0 Cummins V8 for their next Titan. The current Titan is the worst looking truck on the market. By far.



Really? I very much disagree. I think the Titans are decent looking trucks, especially the trim and wheel package that comes with the Pro-X4 models.

Cummins V8? Sounds interesting.


----------



## dedsouth333

The Scenic View said:


> Mother of God... 2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Heavy-Duty First Look - Automobile Magazine



No more Allison transmissions? I know I haven't been keeping up with trucks for a while but when did that happen? Those things were bad ass.


----------



## angus

dedsouth333 said:


> No more Allison transmissions? I know I haven't been keeping up with trucks for a while but when did that happen? Those things were bad ass.



Where do they say anything about not having them? The diesels currently still have them, so I'd have to imagine that will continue into 2015. GM owns Allison, iirc.


----------



## dedsouth333

angus said:


> Where do they say anything about not having them? The diesels currently still have them, so I'd have to imagine that will continue into 2015. GM owns Allison, iirc.



When I read the link above it just said 6 speed automatic transmission so I assumed it was just a plain GM transmission. Well, I suppose I can sleep soundly tonight now


----------



## The Scenic View

Vhyle said:


> Really? I very much disagree. I think the Titans are decent looking trucks, especially the trim and wheel package that comes with the Pro-X4 models.
> 
> Cummins V8? Sounds interesting.



Titan's are supposed to be getting a facelift soon, for what I've read. Interesting thing is that the Cummins will directly fit in since Nissan's are built on Ram frames.


----------



## angus

The Cummins is a totally different architecture to the Ram's I6, though- substantially smaller in overall dimensions (and output, unfortunately, despite similar displacement). But if it'll fit the huge I6, it'll fit that V8, which won't be wildly bigger than the VQ V8's they use...though way heavier. Super smart decision to get into the diesel game, though. And it makes me happy, being obsessed with diesels. 

I had no idea they shared the frame with Rams. Crazy!


----------



## ddtonfire

Why y'all talkin about trucks in the _car_ thread?


----------



## Joose

ddtonfire said:


> Why y'all talkin about trucks in the _car_ thread?



Never thought a Texan would ask that.  I kid.

But honestly, trucks can be awesome, even though I'm normally not a fan. 

Ram SRT-10, SVT Raptor... glorious trucks.


----------



## angus

One need not bother talking about fun trucks like the SRT-10, SVT Raptor, SVT Lightning, etc, if one has not yet driven a 1200ft-lb diesel truck.  THAT is fun.

I fear that I have too much white trash in my blood not to like trucks.


----------



## Riffer

My new toy. 1972 Chevy Nova. 350 engine and a automatic 350 turbo with a slight shift kit. 3:73 posi 10 bolt rear. Just an all around cool driver.


----------



## dedsouth333

Riffer said:


> My new toy. 1972 Chevy Nova. 350 engine and a automatic 350 turbo with a slight shift kit. 3:73 posi 10 bolt rear. Just an all around cool driver.



So much yes! I used to have a '72. I wish I still did.


----------



## Vhyle

angus said:


> I fear that I have too much white trash in my blood not to like trucks.



Sounds like me. I'm damn near 30 now, and I've been denying my redneck roots for too long. After I bought my 1009, I quit fighting it. There's no point.

My wife calls me a redneck all the time anyway (she's a Jersey girl), so I guess she was right. 

But seriously, trucks are cool. Also I've become MUCH more keen to diesels, ever since I got my 1009. I love them. I don't know why I never got into the diesel market before.


----------



## Furtive Glance

Riffer said:


> My new toy. 1972 Chevy Nova. 350 engine and a automatic 350 turbo with a slight shift kit. 3:73 posi 10 bolt rear. Just an all around cool driver.



You still have that other one too? The crazy ....ing aircraft-turbine-sized-scoop blue car?


----------



## Vhyle

Riffer said:


> My new toy. 1972 Chevy Nova. 350 engine and a automatic 350 turbo with a slight shift kit. 3:73 posi 10 bolt rear. Just an all around cool driver.



Gorgeous Nova! Great buy.

I love old technology. Nice and simple. No ECMs. Just man and machine.


----------



## Riffer

Furtive Glance said:


> You still have that other one too? The crazy ....ing aircraft-turbine-sized-scoop blue car?


 I think you're referring to the 1978 Camaro with the small block and a supercharger sticking out the hood. No, I don't have that anymore. I traded that for a 69 Nova then traded the 69 Nova for the red 72 Nova that I got yesterday.


----------



## Idontpersonally




----------



## Robby the Robot

A spoiler pic of my Judy


----------



## rekab

Picked up a new get-around this past week.


----------



## Furtive Glance

Riffer said:


> I think you're referring to the 1978 Camaro with the small block and a supercharger sticking out the hood. No, I don't have that anymore. I traded that for a 69 Nova then traded the 69 Nova for the red 72 Nova that I got yesterday.



Aww... Damn. I liked that thing.


----------



## Shredderboy1658

rekab said:


> Picked up a new get-around this past week.



i saw one of those on the roads today while heading back home from sam ash, pretty badass car!


----------



## MikeH

The new Beetle R looks sweet.


----------



## Joose

Stingray vs The World


----------



## HighGain510

Tried to get by with less power and decided enough was enough, NEED MOAR TURBOOOOOOO! 

The Mattmobile v2.0! 

2013 Ford ST: 








35% tint all around!








HID headlights FTW! Had them on the Mazda as well, don't think I can go back now!








DAT ST!








3/4 view:








DAT ASS!!!








6 speed transmission or GTFO!








So far 2 weeks in and 252hp of fun has been all sorts of awesome to drive!  Of course, buying at the right time of the year to get a great deal on "last year's model" (they didn't change anything on the 2014's except the shade of blue that the 2014 comes in now... big deal... haha) but 252hp and summer tires does NOT a winter commuter make.  Looks like the first mod for this one will be swapping some winter tires onto the stock wheels to brave the potential snowstorms we likely have coming since last winter was so mild.  

Looking like I'll be throwing some new wheels on there come spring, leaning toward the TSW Nurburgring in matte gunmetal finish:






Hoping to have the calipers painted in the spring/summer as well.  Absolutely smitten with this thing though, really missed the sound and feel of a turbo!


----------



## codycarter

My current ride is a beat up 97' Ford Escort BUT my next ride will either be a 
rat rodded Ford Model A truck





Amc Javelin





My dream car is a Plymouth Superbird





Or a Ford GT


----------



## shadscbr

HighGain510 said:


> Tried to get by with less power and decided enough was enough, NEED MOAR TURBOOOOOOO!
> 
> 
> So far 2 weeks in and 252hp of fun has been all sorts of awesome to drive!  Of course, buying at the right time of the year to get a great deal on "last year's model" (they didn't change anything on the 2014's except the shade of blue that the 2014 comes in now... big deal... haha) but 252hp and summer tires does NOT a winter commuter make.  Looks like the first mod for this one will be swapping some winter tires onto the stock wheels to brave the potential snowstorms we likely have coming since last winter was so mild.
> 
> 
> absolutely smitten with this thing though, really missed the sound and feel of a turbo!


 
Congrats Matt!!! Welcome back to the Turbo Club. I keep telling myself that I will stay out of the turbo and save gas....but that lasts a couple miles and i'm right back to spooling it up again 

Shad


----------



## powerofze

probably gonna get flamed for no pics but I have a White Subaru BRZ im using as my DD


----------



## ATOMICxTomato

powerofze said:


> probably gonna get flamed for no pics but I have a White Subaru BRZ im using as my DD


PICSSSS!!!


----------



## Robby the Robot

HighGain510 said:


> 6 speed transmission or GTFO!




What if you only have a five speed. 






Also, changing the oil for the first time myself sometime this week. I have most of the stuff I need, I need to trade in my Fram filter for something better, and get a second jack to balance out my car, so hopefully I can get that done soon.


----------



## HighGain510

RTheodoppalus said:


> What if you only have a five speed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also, changing the oil for the first time myself sometime this week. I have most of the stuff I need, I need to trade in my Fram filter for something better, and get a second jack to balance out my car, so hopefully I can get that done soon.



I'll let it slide this time because you're driving manual like a man.


----------



## angus

Please everyone, negative rep the shit out of me for this. 

I'm selling my GTR.


----------



## HighGain510

angus said:


> Please everyone, negative rep the shit out of me for this.
> 
> I'm selling my GTR.






Hopefully this is one of those "HAVE to let this go, no other option" deals man, that sucks to part with something as amazing as a GT-R.


----------



## ddtonfire

angus said:


> Please everyone, negative rep the shit out of me for this.
> 
> I'm selling my GTR.



I'll give you an Axe-FX Ultra and some cash on your end.


----------



## Robby the Robot

angus said:


> Please everyone, negative rep the shit out of me for this.
> 
> I'm selling my GTR.






Seeing as a GT-R is one of my dream cars, I hope you have something else in store man.


----------



## MikeH

angus said:


> Please everyone, negative rep the shit out of me for this.
> 
> I'm selling my GTR.


----------



## pathogenicmetal666

I am not sure how low to the ground a Celica is, but on most cars you can change the oil without even jacking the car up. Wish I had a Celica.


----------



## troyguitar

Sold my S4 to pay for some other crap and because I got tired of doing 100% of the driving on every trip we take (girlfriend hates manuals), replaced with 2001 allroad in gay automatic transmission for 1/2 the price:











It's actually pretty sweet except for the trans. 2.7 twin turbo V6, factory adjustable air suspension, 5000 lb towing capacity, heated front and rear seats, etc.


----------



## Robby the Robot

pathogenicmetal666 said:


> I am not sure how low to the ground a Celica is, but on most cars you can change the oil without even jacking the car up. Wish I had a Celica.



Mighty low to the ground.  I can try without the jack though.


----------



## JEngelking

So quick question: The Service Engine Soon light came on in my F-150 a couple days ago. I got a diagnostic test done today and apparently it's a cylinder four misfire, and needs a tune up. How much should I expect to pay to get it done and repaired?


----------



## troyguitar

If you just have a fouled spark plug it's $10 and 10 minutes to change, but could be *way *more depending on what is actually causing it.


----------



## Shredderboy1658

JEngelking said:


> So quick question: The Service Engine Soon light came on in my F-150 a couple days ago. I got a diagnostic test done today and apparently it's a cylinder four misfire, and needs a tune up. How much should I expect to pay to get it done and repaired?



what year and engine is it? i know that the late 90's and early 2000's had spark plug problems


----------



## Riffer

Slapped some new wheels on the car and took it out the other night to the city. Got tons of compliments.


----------



## angus

Shredderboy1658 said:


> what year and engine is it? i know that the late 90's and early 2000's had spark plug problems



Coil-on-plug issues, specifically. 

JEngelKing, it depends on what the problem ends up being. It could be a dead spark plug (cheap), or a coil-on-plug issue (more expensive, but not heinous). Labor in both cases for #4 is pretty quick. The one potential issue is that frequently these leads to fouling of an O2 sensor, which is about the same cost as a new coil. Expect a couple hundred, and if it is cheaper, then you'll be happy. It is unlikely to be something much worse, but difficult to tell without a first hand inspection.


----------



## angus

HighGain510 said:


> Hopefully this is one of those "HAVE to let this go, no other option" deals man, that sucks to part with something as amazing as a GT-R.



I don't HAVE to in the sense of I need the money for a scary reason, but more that I have zero time to enjoy something that awesome right now, and I am completely wasting it (and upkeep is ....ing expensive). I have been very hesitant to get rid of it because it is beyond awesome, but guilt is weighing way down on me pretty heavily. 

The money will just go into investments...until I get another wild hair up my ass and buy the R36 in a few years when my schedule settles down. 



ddtonfire said:


> I'll give you an Axe-FX Ultra and some cash on your end.



Damn, I just bought an Axe-FX, otherwise I would be getting out my checkbook and the title. 



RTheodoppalus said:


> Seeing as a GT-R is one of my dream cars, I hope you have something else in store man.



Acting like a sensible adult, sadly. I sold my 1100 horsepower Mustang, and now this soon. Life blows. I'll come back to them when I have more time and energy to devote to them. The next few years is all work. 

Delayed gratification and all that. :\

The R35 is absolutely everything they say it is. I'd let you try it if you were local.


----------



## axxessdenied

My '73 BMW 3.0 CS came out of storage finally. Very first car I ever bought to restore. It's going to finally happen. Need to strip the body and see what's going on to decide what route to take.


----------



## MikeH

angus said:


> Lots of words.



You could still get something pretty fun with the money you'll make off of the sale that you'd be pretty happy with, methinks. Audi makes some fantastic cars, or you could hunt down a VW MKV R32.


----------



## Joose

Replaced an alternator for the first time today. So, so happy it's really accessible in my Charger. What I expected to take hours, took less than 1, even having never done it.

Thank you, Dodge; made my day to get through that with no problems.


----------



## axxessdenied

got a 540


----------



## JEngelking

troyguitar said:


> If you just have a fouled spark plug it's $10 and 10 minutes to change, but could be *way *more depending on what is actually causing it.





Shredderboy1658 said:


> what year and engine is it? i know that the late 90's and early 2000's had spark plug problems





angus said:


> Coil-on-plug issues, specifically.
> 
> JEngelKing, it depends on what the problem ends up being. It could be a dead spark plug (cheap), or a coil-on-plug issue (more expensive, but not heinous). Labor in both cases for #4 is pretty quick. The one potential issue is that frequently these leads to fouling of an O2 sensor, which is about the same cost as a new coil. Expect a couple hundred, and if it is cheaper, then you'll be happy. It is unlikely to be something much worse, but difficult to tell without a first hand inspection.



Thanks for the responses guys. This past weekend I was able to swap out the spark plugs and it solved the issue. 37 bucks and now it's running great!


----------



## ddtonfire

axxessdenied said:


> My '73 BMW 3.0 CS came out of storage finally. Very first car I ever bought to restore. It's going to finally happen. Need to strip the body and see what's going on to decide what route to take.



What an awesome car; keep us updated on its progress!

And congrats on the 540!


----------



## Artifacts in Motion

Hi guiz


----------



## Furtive Glance

Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but Mercedes released images of this sleek beauty this morning. Vision Concept Gran Turismo.





















I absolutely love it. And rear windows are over-rated, anyway.


----------



## Artifacts in Motion

Furtive Glance said:


> Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but Mercedes released images of this sleek beauty this morning. Vision Concept Gran Turismo.
> I absolutely love it. And rear windows are over-rated, anyway.



As long as they give me a LCD screen that mimics the rear-view, I'm totally on board


----------



## Bekanor

Artifacts in Motion said:


> Hi guiz



Get in me.


----------



## Shredderboy1658

Furtive Glance said:


> Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but Mercedes released images of this sleek beauty this morning. Vision Concept Gran Turismo.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I absolutely love it. And rear windows are over-rated, anyway.


it'll probably grow on me, too futuristic for my taste though at the moment.


----------



## Artifacts in Motion

Bekanor said:


> Get in me.








But thanks!

Has anyone attended H2Oi, Southern Worthersee, or Waterfest?


----------



## troyguitar

I spend more time working on Audi shit than most non-professionals but still haven't gone to any of those meet things. Not into the whole dope illest hellaflush stance scene.

This week on the allroad I replaced rotors and pads at all 4 corners, am rebuilding both front axles, and replacing leaky seals and changing oil in the rear diff. Eventually this thing will be 100% good as new.


----------



## Artifacts in Motion

troyguitar said:


> I spend more time working on Audi shit than most non-professionals but still haven't gone to any of those meet things. Not into the whole dope illest hellaflush stance scene.
> 
> This week on the allroad I replaced rotors and pads at all 4 corners, am rebuilding both front axles, and replacing leaky seals and changing oil in the rear diff. Eventually this thing will be 100% good as new.



The euro scene is a lot different than your JDM hellaflush helladope hellaill ridiculous camber rot box scene. There's more appreciation for the history of the vehicles, authentic and rare wheel choice, proper modifications, etc. 

When I bought my car over this summer, I actually had it raised a couple of mils on both sides because it was too low for my tastes. I love a good stance to be honest, but it has to be a blend of form *AND *function. If I can't get over a speed bump without going sideways and praying to Petrucci, It's too low for me. 

That being said, the festivals I listed are all great fun. Serious enthusiasts for the most part, and the cleanest cars on the face of the planet. Of course, a ricer or two will make it's way in, but people generally frown upon them and focus on the real deal. 

Do you plan on re-mapping your ECU on the Allroad? The 2.7T has a ton of potential for power. I met a guy at this year's H2Oi with an Allroad sleeper. ~400 BHP and it looked stock. Ride height and all.


----------



## troyguitar

Yep once I get everything back to 100% I'll be writing my own ECU tune for it. Lots of boost+fuel and ~400 hp in gears 1-4 for fun, then low boost and lean mixture in 5th for highway mpg. The allroad is pretty much the coolest utility vehicle ever sold here IMO.


----------



## ghostred7

codycarter said:


> Amc Javelin


My Javelin is rusting away due to lack of storage 

I have a 73. Drivetrain is solid, body not so much. I've been contemplating maybe finding a rolling shell and xfer the drivetrain completely.

Either way +internet points for even mentioning a Javelin 
PS: If you do go that route, lmk....one of the only places that do reproduction Javelin parts are local to me (http://www.classicone.com/wsc/catalog/amc_x.htm)


----------



## Bekanor

Artifacts in Motion said:


> But thanks!
> 
> Has anyone attended H2Oi, Southern Worthersee, or Waterfest?



Sorry I have a thing for sports wagons. Just gorgeous. I dream of an Audi wagon but I fear I will always be too lower-middle class to afford one. A fear that I'm doing nothing to alleviate mind you.


----------



## Artifacts in Motion

Bekanor said:


> Sorry I have a thing for sports wagons. Just gorgeous. I dream of an Audi wagon but I fear I will always be too lower-middle class to afford one. A fear that I'm doing nothing to alleviate mind you.



If you don't mind sacrificing some power, you can look into just the A4 or A6 Avants, which are much easier to afford. The insurance isn't too bad for the A4/S4 class either because they're compact sedans/wagons. Throw in a daily beater like a nissan sentra or toyota corolla, and your insurance rates will drop even more.


----------



## Joose

I'm a big fan of Sport Wagons too. I miss my Magnum R/T somedays. Even moreso, I want to own a Magnum SRT8 someday. They need to make a new version of the Maggies.

This is exactly how I would want an SRT8 version to look too.


----------



## pink freud

That Merc... one seagull would ruin your whole day


----------



## Vrollin

Heres my rig!


----------



## pink freud

Saw Ute, didn't even need to look at location of poster.

Nice drift-mobile.


----------



## Artifacts in Motion

Vrollin that Holden is SO BADASS MY GOD


----------



## Vrollin

Cheers Artifacts, pretty happy with it, however I'm so keen on getting my hands on a 71 or 72 Chevelle instead....


----------



## troyguitar

I would almost certainly buy a Chevy-badged Holden wagon tomorrow. CTS-V wagon is cool but the extra luxury crap adds too much $$ and weight to the car.


----------



## ddtonfire

troyguitar said:


> CTS-V wagon is cool but the extra luxury crap adds too much $$ and weight to the car.



I tried racing one once. It kicked my a$$. That V8 sounded amazing... and you can get it in 6MT.

CTS-V and Commodore wagon are both in the 4400-lb weight range, but the V's making almost 200 HP more...


----------



## maliciousteve

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet

2015 Mustang






It's going to be sold world wide next year 

Should come in a 2.3 Litre Ecoboost engine, V6 and V8. Also talk of a Mach 1 model too. 

I like it though I do prefer the bigger muscular look of the current GT500.


----------



## maliciousteve

I also saw a Lamborghini Aventador on the road this morning in yellow. My god did that have a gorgeous exhaust note


----------



## Artifacts in Motion

maliciousteve said:


> Not sure if this has been mentioned yet
> 
> 2015 Mustang
> 
> It's going to be sold world wide next year
> 
> Should come in a 2.3 Litre Ecoboost engine, V6 and V8. Also talk of a Mach 1 model too.
> 
> I like it though I do prefer the bigger muscular look of the current GT500.



I honestly prefer the current generation. I like the looks they've developed so far, and I think the '15 concept looks a little too half-assed in between some of their other concepts. 



maliciousteve said:


> I also saw a Lamborghini Aventador on the road this morning in yellow. My god did that have a gorgeous exhaust note



BECAUSE V12


----------



## codycarter

I am a American muscle and rally elitist, namely Ford. I dislike exotics, but have any of you guys seen the Devil Sixteen








5000hp, 4 turbos, v16


----------



## ddtonfire

That thing's about as real as the Qaher-313


----------



## Artifacts in Motion

The best thing about the Devil16 is a video at the car show where one of the guys is polishing the car and accidentally pushes the aero on the nose and it moves. Pretty embarrassing, even for a concept. It'll never be.


----------



## ddtonfire

I liked the two 90° bends in the exhaust.


----------



## Robby the Robot

maliciousteve said:


> Not sure if this has been mentioned yet
> 
> 2015 Mustang
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's going to be sold world wide next year
> 
> Should come in a 2.3 Litre Ecoboost engine, V6 and V8. Also talk of a Mach 1 model too.
> 
> I like it though I do prefer the bigger muscular look of the current GT500.




As much as I love Mustangs, I'm not feeling the recent generations. (2010 and forward) Now maybe I'm looking to hard, but the front end of this car sort of reminds me of a Dodge Dart.


----------



## works0fheart

My baby<3 Excuse my horrid picture quality, my phone is awful and I'm too cheap to upgrade. No, it's not a 71 as the front end would lead you to believe. It's a 77 Type LT. I'm currently in the process of restoring it. It's been quite a pain so far, but I could still never give it up.


----------



## codycarter

maliciousteve said:


> Not sure if this has been mentioned yet
> 
> 2015 Mustang
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's going to be sold world wide next year
> 
> Should come in a 2.3 Litre Ecoboost engine, V6 and V8. Also talk of a Mach 1 model too.
> 
> I like it though I do prefer the bigger muscular look of the current GT500.



Only 4 more days til the official release!
I am a HUGE Ford and Mustang fanboy and absolutely love the new gen


----------



## KJGaruda

Anyone else seen this? 



I don't normally fall for Corvettes, but.. _Jesus_


----------



## Joose

Zenki_Kouki said:


> Anyone else seen this?
> 
> 
> 
> I don't normally fall for Corvettes, but.. _Jesus_


----------



## Joose

Got a friend in town, she's a photographer. I need to buy myself a real camera after seeing the quality of her photos. And this is a jpg at that, so not quite as great as the original; but still incredible, in my opinion.


----------



## musikizlife

Artifacts in Motion said:


> The best thing about the Devil16 is a video at the car show where one of the guys is polishing the car and accidentally pushes the aero on the nose and it moves. Pretty embarrassing, even for a concept. It'll never be.



I'm so happy i'm not the only person that's seen that, but of course it's you thats seen it haha.


Here's a pretty cool shot of my child taken by a friend with her film camera.


----------



## ddtonfire

I used to have a VR6 Jetta! It was a fun car to drive and had just a bit of power if you really needed it.


----------



## ATOMICxTomato

Thats one sweet charger Joose!!


----------



## Joose

ATOMICxTomato said:


> Thats one sweet charger Joose!!



Thanks dude! I'm hoping to have a nice Winter vehicle by next Winter; that way I can spend the Winter working on the Charger. I want to put new seats up front, as mine have a small tear on each, bolstering on the driver seat feels like the previous owner was a bit... large (only noticeable in corners); and the green stitching is very faded. Same situation with the steering wheel. Biggest things will be getting all new decals, spoiler and a new engine. I'd really like to have one of the newer 5.7's or upgrade to a 6.1 from the SRT8.

Edit: Another nice shot she got.


----------



## _RH_

When you're cheap and have nasty clearcoat on a color you don't really like anyway...

Before





After


----------



## MFB

Shit yes  I do love the body style of the Probe


----------



## codycarter

I'm seriously not expecting anyone on thks forum to know, but I might as well ask. Does anyone know how to get a Ford Falcon Ute here in the states?


----------



## Muzakman

angus said:


> I had the same reaction when the M6 came out. The M4 looks great- way better than the M3s, imo.



Along with the Bmw M3 E46 CSL, the E92 with M-Sport, this is the finest piece of wheels ever to set its foot in my imagination. Mother of GOD it's pretty! Anyone wanna chip in? I think I'll start a kickstarter account. "Help Muzakman Get His Dream Car". I want that car..

Nobody happen to check out BMW's i8? Old news by now but still pretty cool!


----------



## troyguitar

codycarter said:


> I'm seriously not expecting anyone on thks forum to know, but I might as well ask. Does anyone know how to get a Ford Falcon Ute here in the states?



If the Falcon is to the Mustang what the Commodore is to the Camaro, then here's the only way to do it: Buy a Mustang, then buy a Falcon from down under, ship it over here and swap everything from the Falcon onto the Mustang keeping only the frame+VIN so you can register it in the USA.


----------



## _RH_

MFB said:


> Shit yes  I do love the body style of the Probe



Haha you and I are in the minority, but thanks!


----------



## HoKrll

Falcon is a big 4 door. And a Ute as well, so stretched platform.
From all the people trying to get Skylines to the US, it seems quite the task.
Usually to get them registered you can register them as a kit car. 
Depends on your state.

I would've liked to import an Australian 1970 Falcon, the ones from Mad Max.


----------



## Rosal76

HoKrll said:


> I would've liked to import an Australian 1970 Falcon, the ones from Mad Max.



+100.

I really like the red Falcon XA Coupe that was in the movie. 

http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130220161138/roadwarrior/images/4/4f/Red_bat.jpg


----------



## wannabguitarist

Helped my dad get this sweet piece of ass running again over Thanksgiving. It will be mine someday when he's too old and decrepit to deal with the lack of amenities and track prepped suspension


----------



## Joose

So I find it crazy, and awesome, how many other Charger Daytonas are around Denver. More specifically, my little town of Henderson. There's another Sub Lime (1500 US spec), a Hemi Orange (1650), a Stone White (400), a TorRed (2000) and a Go ManGo (4000).

Funny how that happens. I attached a photo of the Stone White I saw. That one gets me the most, only 400 of them.... and one is here?? Love it. Even though I prefer the '06/'07 side decals.


----------



## HoKrll

Rosal76 said:


> +100.
> 
> I really like the red Falcon XA Coupe that was in the movie.
> 
> http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130220161138/roadwarrior/images/4/4f/Red_bat.jpg



They are just so mean looking!


----------



## iliketofish

The new Gallardo replacement, the Huracán:


----------



## codycarter

troyguitar said:


> If the Falcon is to the Mustang what the Commodore is to the Camaro, then here's the only way to do it: Buy a Mustang, then buy a Falcon from down under, ship it over here and swap everything from the Falcon onto the Mustang keeping only the frame+VIN so you can register it in the USA.



That's actually horribly illegal! Back in the day the Mustang, Falcon and Ranchero were all muscle cars by Ford, then the 80's came and the stang became nearly exclusive to the usofa and the falcon and Ranchero became the same thing (falcon sedan/falcon ute) and is sold in Australian, Africa, and new Zealand.

Wellllll the 2012 falcon ute (which is exactly what I want) is pretty much only found down under. Really all I need is a frame since I'd have to mod the living hell out of it to make it road legal.

tl;dr if you Australian and you know clap your hands and sell me your ute


----------



## works0fheart

Loving the new NSX. Too bad I'll never be able to afford one...


----------



## troyguitar

works0fheart said:


> Loving the new NSX. Too bad I'll never be able to afford one...



I think it's neat in the same way that the GTR is: a cool piece of engineering, but I'd rather drive the original NSX. Slap on a turbocharger and modern tires and that thing will be a beast. Mid-engine, RWD, manual transmission, no computers driving the car for you. That's perfection right there.


----------



## Kiwimetal101

^Yea I'd rather have an R34 GTR over the 35...

Although if you could get that launch control put in the 34 that would be the shit haha


----------



## Neilzord

I had no idea the was a car thread on here! 

Used to be a proper petrol head myself up until 2 years ago when I got a mortgage on my first house and had to give up such an expensive hobby! 

Still appreciate nice cars but It'll be a while until I get to build another one! 

Back in the day I had a 97 Honda EK9 with a Integra Type R Engine in, Had many mods over the entire car to get it be an all out track car! IIt ended up weighing in at 950kg with 220 bhp Topping out at 140mph at 9000RPM. LOVED IT. haha 

Here's a couple of snaps of it before I had to let it go.... 

Nurburgring.. 








8:48 was my time but I had a fair few hold-ups which is a shame! I allways wanted to go back and beat the time.. and one day I will! 

The video of the 8:48 Lap if anyone is interested.... 



And after it had its pre-facelift bodywork put back on 












Sorry for all the pictures! Was so proud of it back in the day! 

Glad I've got the memories and will definitely be re-visiting my car days when I'm a bit more financially comfortable!! 

Guitars are keeping me more than occupied for now


----------



## Churchie777

Heres my old girl Holden VN SS


----------



## tommychains

i think the time has come for an automotive sub forum here on SS.


----------



## JoshuaVonFlash

tommychains said:


> i think the time has come for an automotive sub forum here on SS.


----------



## Joose

I am absolutely in love with the new Lamborghini Huracán. I always, just slightly, preferred the Gallardo to the Murcielago; seems to be the same case with the Huracán and Aventador.

A job very well done, Lambo. Now let's see some performance videos and a Superleggera!


----------



## tommychains

joshuavsoapkid said:


>



I should've been clearer, I meant since there's separate categories on SS.org (off topic, Political events, Sports, etc.), it seems like a cool idea if there was one specifically for automotive related stuff! I know there's a good amount of car guys on here.


----------



## Joose

This car. This color. Dream.






Gallardo was out for a very long time. If I continue doing things right, I don't see why I wouldn't be able to afford one of the last versions of the Huracán. Then again... maybe then I'd just wait for the next "baby Lambo".


----------



## maliciousteve

So I've just bought one of these











Fiat Punto Evo.

I had a Mk1 Ford Focus with a 1.8 litre engine. Great driving car but it was getting really unreliable. I was paying out a lot of money to keep it going (new wheels, ball joint, clutch, thermostat housing etc) so I part exchanged it for this lovely thing.

It's only a 1.4 litre engine (though still has decent acceleration for what it is) but I was on the look out for something that was cheaper to run. I'm now paying half the road tax I was paying, less fuel (does 50mpg on average) and less on insurance.

It's got a lot of cool features like bluetooth connectivity, power steering adjustments (sporty or really light for easy parking) as well as a few other things the last car just didn't have (ABS, ESP etc).

I know it's not the fire breather some of you guys have (I'm a muscle car man but without the money to go with the taste ) but I'm quite proud of it.

Also only as 21,000 miles and it's 3 years old. It's been very well looked after.


----------



## Joose

^Fiats are some pretty nice vehicles nowadays. Nice choice man. Glad you chose that and not a 500; those things are just too damn small.


----------



## maliciousteve

Being 6ft 2" there are certain cars I just can't feel comfortable in. I did test drive a Vauxhall Corsa and that was like driving a little tin can


----------



## Joose

6'2" and the Punto works for you? Well that's impressive on Fiat's part.


----------



## troyguitar

Punto is Fiesta/Polo sized right? I would absolutely get one of those as a fun little daily driver car. The Fiesta ST is the only cool one we get over here and it's a blast. Unfortunately we don't get the Punto or most other small cars, nor do we get any of the small economical engine options. 

For whatever reason nobody will sell anything that gets over 40 mpg on regular gas in this country. I'd love to drive a VW Polo 1.2 TSI and get 50 mpg on the highway to work and back - all in a car that's a hundred times more fun to drive than a Prius.


----------



## Joose

^Pffft, I got 112mpg in my 5.7 V8





...does it matter that it was down the same mountain I got 9mpg going up?


----------



## Joose

Oh and in case anyone is in need of an eargasm:


----------



## smucarolina




----------



## ddtonfire

New whip?


----------



## slowro

Got a vw passat b5.5 2.0 sport petrol last month. It's a bitching car for its age. Not very fast for a 'sport' but all the toys and satisfies my DUB needs just now.

Think I will make it less practicle for my family by slamming it on coilovers and putting on rs4 alloys. Going to pick up some beetle head rests and small bits to mix it up a bit


----------



## Shredderboy1658

here's what i drive, 2010 ford f150 fx2 with the 5.4l triton


----------



## Joose

^Such a nice engine.


Also, in case some of you don't check the Sports forum and haven't heard, Michael Schumacher is fighting for his life. Doctors say he is showing slight improvement, but still too early to say what will come of this. 

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/...macher-showing-slight-improvement-doctors-say


----------



## Shredderboy1658

Joose said:


> ^Such a nice engine.



it really is. too bad it's such a gas guzzler, i burn 13.5mpg driving city, no highway, and i don't drive reckless either. although she now has 44k and has no issues at all, so i'm not going to complain.


----------



## Joose

Shredderboy1658 said:


> it really is. too bad it's such a gas guzzler, i burn 13.5mpg driving city, no highway, and i don't drive reckless either. although she now has 44k and has no issues at all, so i'm not going to complain.



I feel ya. I only get about 17 city, and that's if I'm lucky enough to catch a traffic flow that allows my fuel saver mode to kick in. Chicago to Denver though, I was getting 30+ on the highways.


----------



## Shredderboy1658

Joose said:


> I feel ya. I only get about 17 city, and that's if I'm lucky enough to catch a traffic flow that allows my fuel saver mode to kick in. Chicago to Denver though, I was getting 30+ on the highways.



i think i'm gonna chip it for better fuel economy though once the warranty is up. the engine warranty is 5 years/60k miles and like i said, it's a 2010 with 44k.


----------



## Joose

Omfg...


----------



## Joose

C7 Z06. I'm in love. 620hp, 650 lb-ft torque. Possibly more, we'll know on Monday. And uh... is that a dual clutch gearbox we're looking at? That's not a manual, those and +/- signs on the paddles. Doesn't at all resemble the base automatic either. I suspect the performance figures of this car are going to make a C6 ZR1 wet itself.


----------



## Joose

That moment when CarBuzz features your car.


----------



## spadz93

took this animal home a little over a month ago. always wanted one, was so happy to finally be able to get one


----------



## ddtonfire

Specs?


----------



## BucketheadRules

I'm so jelly of all you people with nice cars. I'm learning to drive atm and I've always, always wanted to own a really cool car or two.

I'd want something practical but fast and fun, for daily driving but also for hauling gear around, like an Audi S4 - fast, well-made, good-looking, has lots of space inside, and supposedly gets 25-30 mpg despite having a 328 bhp V6 that can take it from 0-60 in 5 seconds:






And something a bit crazy and wilfully impractical. Current favourite idea is inspired by something I saw in a Japanese car magazine once - taking a little K-car and putting a small-but-really-powerful superbike engine into it. The car I saw was a Suzuki Cappucino with a modified Hayabusa engine chucking out 330 bhp... thing apparently did 0-60 in about three seconds. It'd be cool to do the same, but with a 1-litre Honda Fireblade engine inside a little Honda Beat micro-car. Not sure how such an engine swap would work space-wise but how cool (not to mention utterly, pant-shittingly terrifying) would it be? 

It'd have to look like this, obviously:











Joose said:


> Oh and in case anyone is in need of an eargasm:




Sounds like a massive food blender being fed live squirrels.

I want a pedal that can make my guitar sound like that.


----------



## spadz93

ddtonfire said:


> Specs?



if you're talking to me, its a 6.2L LS3 8-cyl, making 426hp stock and around 420 tq. Currently have an intake/exhaust on it as well as a bit of a drop. 

Oh, it's stick too


----------



## Joose

spadz93 said:


> if you're talking to me, its a 6.2L LS3 8-cyl, making 426hp stock and around 420 tq. Currently have an intake/exhaust on it as well as a bit of a drop.
> 
> Oh, it's stick too



Congrats on that one man! Those LS3's are glorious engines.


----------



## troyguitar

BucketheadRules said:


> I'm so jelly of all you people with nice cars. I'm learning to drive atm and I've always, always wanted to own a really cool car or two.
> 
> I'd want something practical but fast and fun, for daily driving but also for hauling gear around, like an Audi S4 - fast, well-made, good-looking, has lots of space inside, and supposedly gets 25-30 mpg despite having a 328 bhp V6 that can take it from 0-60 in 5 seconds:



The 3.0T S4 really does get good fuel mileage and gets that 4000 lb car from 0-60 in well under 5 seconds. That engine is a masterpiece.


----------



## Chuck

Who else absolutely loves the modern Challenger?


----------



## Joose

Chuck said:


> Who else absolutely loves the modern Challenger?



Me. Me. And Me.

I want a 392 Yellow Jacket, real bad. My life would be just about perfect with one of those, an '08 Grand Cherokee SRT8, a C7 Corvette Stingray Z51 and my '07 Daytona Charger all in a garage. Not an unattainable lot.


----------



## spadz93

Joose said:


> Congrats on that one man! Those LS3's are glorious engines.



thanks man! i love it, just hate this crap weather we're getting in jersey... snow can go f*** itself


----------



## Joose

spadz93 said:


> thanks man! i love it, just hate this crap weather we're getting in jersey... snow can go f*** itself



Yeah, I'm sure it's pretty shitty for your car. Denver hasn't had much of a Winter thus far, but it's just awful driving my Charger when the snow has fallen. I'm going to be spending the next year in Vegas though, then coming back to Denver.

Big money offered for me to spend a year working in Vegas, open desert roads.... I suspect I'm going to throw out some money on a supercharger. 


Speaking of which.... who can give some advice on that? I have a friend who put a Kenne Bell on his otherwise stock '08 300 SRT8. It has not caused him any issues, after about 30k miles of daily driving. He added it when the car had 26k miles on it, my car has 86k. He has a 6.1, I have a 5.7. Same tranny. 

I feel like it would be smart to at least replace the headers.


----------



## ddtonfire

spadz93 said:


> if you're talking to me, its a 6.2L LS3 8-cyl, making 426hp stock and around 420 tq. Currently have an intake/exhaust on it as well as a bit of a drop.
> 
> Oh, it's stick too



 

Bet it sounds awesome


----------



## spadz93

ddtonfire said:


> Bet it sounds awesome



it has some flowmaster catback on it, which is rather quiet for my liking... for now


----------



## Joose

^Funny how Flowmasters are one of the quiet brands on GM engines and Magnaflows tend to be loud. It's the exact opposite with modern Hemi engines.


----------



## Vrollin

spadz93 said:


> took this animal home a little over a month ago. always wanted one, was so happy to finally be able to get one




You guys are so lucky that they are affordable cars over there. here your looking at anything to the tune of $120000 to $160000 to import, convert and get on the road.....


----------



## maliciousteve

I found out a little while ago (by surprise) that Chevrolet are now selling the Camaro and Corvette in the UK. Looking at around £35,000 for a standard Camaro. 

We're getting the new Mustang here next year. It'll be great to see more muscle cars on the road over here. Not that I can afford one anyway


----------



## Joose

maliciousteve said:


> I found out a little while ago (by surprise) that Chevrolet are now selling the Camaro and Corvette in the UK. Looking at around £35,000 for a standard Camaro.
> 
> We're getting the new Mustang here next year. It'll be great to see more muscle cars on the road over here. Not that I can afford one anyway



Are they going to sell the Mustang GT as well? I know when the news first broke about the Mustang being in the UK, Top Gear brought it up and mentioned thst only the 2 liter EcoBoost would be available.


----------



## maliciousteve

I think the GT will be available but I'm not 100% sure. I don't see why it wouldn't be. There are plenty of cars on the road with much bigger engines over here (Mercedes C63 AMG is a prime example).


----------



## troyguitar

Vrollin said:


> You guys are so lucky that they are affordable cars over there. here your looking at anything to the tune of $120000 to $160000 to import, convert and get on the road.....



Why on earth would you import a Camaro instead of just buying a Monaro or Commodore?


----------



## Nails In Your Coffin

bulb said:


> I can't believe there isn't a car thread here, I searched and couldn't find a thing.
> 
> Along with Guitars and Gear, Cars are one of my loves, and I am sure I am not the only one here who feels that way, even though I have much more gear than I do cars, seeing as how I only have one haha.
> 
> Anyways, share what you got, what you want to get and are saving up for, what you want and will probably never haver, rumors etcetc.
> 
> Anything car related goes in this thread so let us make this thread as awesome as it deserves to be!



I have a '12 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon I ordered in April 2012, and took delivery of in May '12. I love it. It's my first 4x4 vehicle. I also own a '94 Chevrolet B4C Camaro, which is 1 of 668 made for '94. It's a POS and I can't get ahead with it. The moment I find a replacement Muscle Car ('71 El Camino/Chevelle, '77 Camaro Z28, '74 'Cuda), it's outta here.

Cars I've owned in the past include (from first to last...):

'84 Plymouth (Mitsubishi) Colt 4dr
'77 Pontiac Bonneville 2dr (301ci)
'71 Chevrolet El Camino (402ci)
'95 Chevrolet S-10 LS (4 cyl)
'94 Chevrolet B4C Camaro (LT1 V8, still own)
'02 Volkswagen GTI 1.8T (manual)
'05 Subaru WRX STi (destroyed by inattentive driver)
'12 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> Why on earth would you import a Camaro instead of just buying a Monaro or Commodore?



That's what I was wondering. Then again, it's a totally different look, a sweet interior setup, etc. Someday I'd like to get a Pontiac G8 and do everything necessary (other than right hand drive) to make it a Holden HSV GTS or Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst.

I would partly hate myself for making a "fake" one, but it would be outweighed by the awesomeness. 

Regardless, I want a supercharger that whines like the Bathurst Edition. I believe they're Eaton Superchargers; and I believe they only do OEM. I think you have to go Magnuson or Edelbrock to get the their technology?


----------



## Nails In Your Coffin

Joose said:


> That's what I was wondering. Then again, it's a totally different look, a sweet interior setup, etc. Someday I'd like to get a Pontiac G8 and do everything necessary (other than right hand drive) to make it a Holden HSV GTS or Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst.
> 
> I would partly hate myself for making a "fake" one, but it would be outweighed by the awesomeness.
> 
> Regardless, I want a supercharger that whines like the Bathurst Edition. I believe they're Eaton Superchargers; and I believe they only do OEM. I think you have to go Magnuson or Edelbrock to get the their technology?



GM is re-releasing the G8, but as the Chevrolet SS. I love the G8, I'm glad to see its return, even if it is in a plain, somewhat boring package.


----------



## tommychains

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/feedback-suggestions/260846-automotive-section.html

Poll is up per alex's request on my thread. Vote yes if you want to see an automotive subforum!


----------



## Joose

Nails In Your Coffin said:


> GM is re-releasing the G8, but as the Chevrolet SS. I love the G8, I'm glad to see its return, even if it is in a plain, somewhat boring package.



Yeah. It's cool. But I'd still buy a G8 GXP or even GT over one. A few years from now, it may be a different story, depending on what they do to the SS.


----------



## Nails In Your Coffin

Joose said:


> Yeah. It's cool. But I'd still buy a G8 GXP or even GT over one. A few years from now, it may be a different story, depending on what they do to the SS.



I'd definitely take a G8 GXP over the SS, even though the SS is only being offered in "GXP trim." The SS just doesn't quite do it for me like the G8 does. I love the G8. I think the G8 is the best larger car GM had ever built. It looked good, it was fast, it handled well, and the quality wasn't all that bad. I'd love to find a GXP.


----------



## troyguitar

SS only having a crappy automatic and being $$$ means I have no interest in it.

Same goes for a used G8 GXP, they are going for $30k+ today.

For a V8 sedan I'd buy a 2004-2007 Cadillac CTS-V. Great drivetrain, handling, brakes, proper manual transmission, and they have come WAY down in price. Many of them are as low as $15k now.


----------



## Nails In Your Coffin

troyguitar said:


> SS only having a crappy automatic and being $$$ means I have no interest in it.
> 
> Same goes for a used G8 GXP, they are going for $30k+ today.
> 
> For a V8 sedan I'd buy a 2004-2007 Cadillac CTS-V. Great drivetrain, handling, brakes, proper manual transmission, and they have come WAY down in price. Many of them are as low as $15k now.



The GXP was available with a Tremec 6-speed manual as an option. They cost between $38,000-$42,000, I believe. The SS's base price is around $45,000-$46,xxx. IMO, that's far too expensive.

I would love a CTS-V, but I've never seen one for $15,000. The one car I'd really like to have, which received no love whatsoever, was the STS-V.  There was just something about that car I really, really liked.


----------



## spadz93

Joose said:


> ^Funny how Flowmasters are one of the quiet brands on GM engines and Magnaflows tend to be loud. It's the exact opposite with modern Hemi engines.



the only reason the magnaflow i had on my truck was loud because i only had a 14" glasspack on it, and nothing else lol. the first magnaflow that i had before that was comparable to stock. my flowmaster is very mellow, but has a low rumble almost. still not aggressive enough for me though



Vrollin said:


> You guys are so lucky that they are affordable cars over there. here your looking at anything to the tune of $120000 to $160000 to import, convert and get on the road.....



ouch... that hurts from over here



Nails In Your Coffin said:


> GM is re-releasing the G8, but as the Chevrolet SS. I love the G8, I'm glad to see its return, even if it is in a plain, somewhat boring package.



i am yet to see any of these in person but i agree, it seems like its much more boring and not edgy at all, almost looks like the chevy caprice PPC's, but a hair more aggressive-looking (which still isnt saying much)


----------



## Joose

G8 GXP definitely had a manual option. And there was a silver one here, manual, 32k miles that sold for 26k. They have really nice interiors, 415hp (i think?), very practical amount of space and great looks. If I had 30 to spend on a car, it would be difficult to not look for one. I think one of the reasons they still maintain value is because they're just so damn good.

But, you could always just get a GT. Those are great value for money. Almost bought one instead of my Charger, but I just preferred the looks and performance of my Charger. Had it not been the Daytona Charger I had wanted since '06, I may have ended up with a G8 GT.


----------



## Nails In Your Coffin

spadz93 said:


> the only reason the magnaflow i had on my truck was loud because i only had a 14" glasspack on it, and nothing else lol. the first magnaflow that i had before that was comparable to stock. my flowmaster is very mellow, but has a low rumble almost. still not aggressive enough for me though
> 
> 
> 
> ouch... that hurts from over here
> 
> 
> 
> i am yet to see any of these in person but i agree, it seems like its much more boring and not edgy at all, almost looks like the chevy caprice PPC's, but a hair more aggressive-looking (which still isnt saying much)



The SS looks like a "snore mobile." It just doesn't inspire excitement like the G8's styling did. I took a look at the SS and my reaction was, "Meh..." While I love the fact the "G8" is back, I do NOT like its new packaging! 

I'd spring for the Charger SRT over the SS every day of the week.


----------



## troyguitar

Nails In Your Coffin said:


> The GXP was available with a Tremec 6-speed manual as an option. They cost between $38,000-$42,000, I believe. The SS's base price is around $45,000-$46,xxx. IMO, that's far too expensive.
> 
> I would love a CTS-V, but I've never seen one for $15,000. The one car I'd really like to have, which received no love whatsoever, was the STS-V.  There was just something about that car I really, really liked.



Cars for Sale: 2005 Cadillac CTS V Sedan in Middlesboro, KY 40965: Sedan Details - 363909231 - AutoTrader.com

Cars for Sale: 2005 Cadillac CTS V Sedan in Chippewa Falls, WI 54729: Sedan Details - 364623678 - AutoTrader.com

Cars for Sale: 2005 Cadillac CTS V Sedan in Colorado Springs, CO 80906: Sedan Details - 360973569 - AutoTrader.com

etc.

G8's are too much money for the good ones (GXP Manual) because people think they are collector's cars.


----------



## Nails In Your Coffin

troyguitar said:


> Cars for Sale: 2005 Cadillac CTS V Sedan in Middlesboro, KY 40965: Sedan Details - 363909231 - AutoTrader.com
> 
> Cars for Sale: 2005 Cadillac CTS V Sedan in Chippewa Falls, WI 54729: Sedan Details - 364623678 - AutoTrader.com
> 
> Cars for Sale: 2005 Cadillac CTS V Sedan in Colorado Springs, CO 80906: Sedan Details - 360973569 - AutoTrader.com
> 
> etc.
> 
> G8's are too much money for the good ones (GXP Manual) because people think they are collector's cars.



Well, while I'm not an automotive expert, I just don't see any recent vehicle becoming a collector's item, aside from the last vehicle Shelby took part in designing. I hope I'm wrong.


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> Cars for Sale: 2005 Cadillac CTS V Sedan in Middlesboro, KY 40965: Sedan Details - 363909231 - AutoTrader.com
> 
> Cars for Sale: 2005 Cadillac CTS V Sedan in Chippewa Falls, WI 54729: Sedan Details - 364623678 - AutoTrader.com
> 
> Cars for Sale: 2005 Cadillac CTS V Sedan in Colorado Springs, CO 80906: Sedan Details - 360973569 - AutoTrader.com
> 
> etc.
> 
> G8's are too much money for the good ones (GXP Manual) because people think they are collector's cars.



2009 Pontiac G8 GXP, $28,925 - Cars.com

I'd pay 28 for that before 15 for a first gen CTS-V though, to be honest. The Caddy's are good cars; but I've known a few people with them and they just sound like a pain in the ass to maintain. But, that being said, 15k for one of those V's is great value.

Who knows of some great (preferrably desolate  ) driving roads in NV, AZ and UT? I'm going to be living in Nevada for about a year and I'd really like to have some fun with my car.

Edit: By the way, I'm not saying the 28k for a GXP is better value than an '05 CTS-V for 15k lol. Just that I'd be more willing to buy the GXP.

Though I do find it odd that those CTS-V's are as or less expensive than my Charger Daytona is valued at. It's definitely the better car, unless (like me) it's about more than performance figures. I don't like the seats in that gen V at all lol.


----------



## troyguitar

That GXP link is gone already, those damn cars are rare. I wanted one too last year but prices were all $32-35k at that time, it's nuts.

I ended up just going to 2 cars instead, 2004 Z06 for regular days and 2001 Audi allroad for utility.


----------



## Joose

^Not exactly bad alternatives lol.


----------



## troyguitar

haha no, but to be honest most days I'd rather drive the allroad anyway. Unless you have a chance to actually open it up the Z06 is just a loud, low, little car with a huge turning radius. I mainly use it for track days.


----------



## Joose

Man I'd love to do a track day. I dunno if I'd use my car or buy another though.

Also, this... so much yes.


----------



## troyguitar

Is that a new Magnum concept or something?

I love the idea of the magnum, wagons are awesome.


----------



## Joose

It's just photoshopped, but it looks brilliant.

My '06 Magnum R/T was a great car.


----------



## pink freud

Exclusive: Is This What The 2015 Mazda MX-5 Will Look Like? - Car Throttle

Pure speculation, but:









C'mon Mazda, DO IT. DO IT!


----------



## MikeH

Think I may be trading in the Jetta for something newer. Looking for maybe an '06-'08 GTI or Rabbit. Something I'm not constantly fixing.


----------



## TylerEstes

Here's my E30 BMW 325e rallycross car that I had to sell last month. It's a really rare model and I basically had to give it away so I could have money to put toward surgery after losing my job. I need to get a tumor cut out of my jaw but at the moment I think an Ibanez JEM or an ESP Standard is more important. 

I only got $500 out of it (a lot less than I have into it) and $450 went to payments for my other car and the other $50 went into the gas tank. 



I bought it from some POS who thinks it's funny to rip off sick kids. It broke down in traffic 5 minutes after I bought it and was stranded for 3 days. I had to park it and while I was trying to find a tow home and somebody took a screwdriver to it and stole the BMW badges. Good weekend. 

Sorry about the whining. It solves nothing but it helps me feel a little better.


----------



## Nails In Your Coffin

Joose said:


> It's just photoshopped, but it looks brilliant.
> 
> My '06 Magnum R/T was a great car.



I would be all over that Magnum "photoshop" car. That thing was just flat-out mean looking. I liked the Magnum, it's a shame it wasn't very successful. 

Ever see the overseas Chrysler version? It had a 300C front end on it. It actually looked pretty cool.


----------



## MikeH

I went today and talked about a '12 Chevy Cruze. Not my first choice, but after driving it, it's something I'd love to drive to work and back (120 miles round trip) through the week, plus it was pretty spacious. The only issue I'm trying to get over is the color being baby blue.  But other than that, I talked them down over $140 on monthly payments, so we'll see how it goes. Worse comes to worst, I go look somewhere else. I'm just ready to get out of my death trap.


----------



## Furtive Glance

MikeH said:


> I went today and talked about a '12 Chevy Cruze. Not my first choice, but after driving it, it's something I'd love to drive to work and back (120 miles round trip) through the week, plus it was pretty spacious. The only issue I'm trying to get over is the color being baby blue.  But other than that, I talked them down over $140 on monthly payments, so we'll see how it goes. Worse comes to worst, I go look somewhere else. I'm just ready to get out of my death trap.



Had one as a rental car last summer. Gas mileage was  but I thought the seats were horribly uncomfortable for my back


----------



## Igotsoul4u

Funny. One of my friends is a cop and says magnums are the car he pulls over the most. Gangsta!


----------



## Igotsoul4u

My ride.


----------



## troyguitar

MikeH said:


> I went today and talked about a '12 Chevy Cruze. Not my first choice, but after driving it, it's something I'd love to drive to work and back (120 miles round trip) through the week, plus it was pretty spacious. The only issue I'm trying to get over is the color being baby blue.  But other than that, I talked them down over $140 on monthly payments, so we'll see how it goes. Worse comes to worst, I go look somewhere else. I'm just ready to get out of my death trap.



Cruze is one of the best little commuter cars out there right now, especially a used 12 like that since it's probably like $15k.


----------



## MikeH

Yeah, I talked them down to $200/month payments, putting it right around $14k. I'm going to look at another today that's $12k and has less miles. It's also silver, which I would much prefer over this one.


----------



## DslDwg

This first car I ever wanted really bad. When this thing worked right it was a beast. But that was a rare day. Owning a 3rd Gen RX-7 was like being addicted to meth. You wanted to get rid of it so bad but you couldn't get enough of driving it. 





My first BMW - 2010 335i X-Drive. Great - Great car until a big rig ran me off the road and totaled the thing six months after buying 





I saw someone else post the five door - god damn I want a 3-door 135i but seems like it will never come to the U.S. 





Finally my current car - Z4 35is Say what you will -chick car, too expensive blah blah whatever. This thing is a ton of fun. Will give an M3 a run for it's money in a straight line. Two seat hard top convertible heaven.


----------



## BucketheadRules

Sorry to interrupt but I just found this:






That is a rebuilt, heavily modified late-60s Alfa Romeo GTA coupe, done by a tuning company here in the UK called Alfaholics. It's apparently quicker than many Porsche 911s round the Nurburgring circuit - it has 220-ish bhp, and only weighs about 900kg. And it looks like that.

I think I need a lie down.


----------



## MikeH

Welp, just left the dealership. I am now the owner of a 2012 Chevy Cruze LS. Silver Ice. 26k miles. Got a great deal on it. Definitely more happy about this than my VW.


----------



## TylerEstes

BucketheadRules said:


> Sorry to interrupt but I just found this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That is a rebuilt, heavily modified late-60s Alfa Romeo GTA coupe, done by a tuning company here in the UK called Alfaholics. It's apparently quicker than many Porsche 911s round the Nurburgring circuit - it has 220-ish bhp, and only weighs about 900kg. And it looks like that.
> 
> I think I need a lie down.



Damn, nice taste.

Alfa Romeos are the shit (when they work )

I was THISSSS close to getting an Alfa Romeo Milano Platinum, then I was about to get this Merkur XR4Ti that was a block away from where I worked, but then I got an E30. 

I really wish I had a Lancia Fulvia or a Fiat x1/9, but I live in the Midwest so that's a no go.


----------



## BucketheadRules

I've also found these - I'm liking classic stuff recently. A selection of the best stuff:

Eagle Low Drag GT, based on an old Jaguar E-Type (or XKE to you American folk) - possibly the most beautiful car I've ever seen:






A badass modified Datsun 240Z:






An old 911 modified by Singer:


----------



## Joose

I normally try not to care about what other people do to their cars; but, this is an abomination... it's a fcuking ZL1!


----------



## BucketheadRules

Joose said:


> I normally try not to care about what other people do to their cars; but, this is an abomination... it's a fcuking ZL1!



I'll get outraged just as soon as I can stop belly-laughing


----------



## Nails In Your Coffin

Joose said:


> I normally try not to care about what other people do to their cars; but, this is an abomination... it's a fcuking ZL1!



Well now, if that ain't the biggest bucket of suck I've ever seen, I dunno what is.


----------



## Joose

Know what will really put you in a shit mood in the morning? Driving to get your coffee, and a bunch of rocks bounce out of a dump truck, you have no choice but to drive over at least one of them.... boom, bent wheel, shredded tire. Could've been worse, luckily I do have some pretty good brakes; was down from 70mph to about 15 before I got to the rocks.

Paralyzed people are controlling robotic arms with their brains, dump trucks full of hazardous objects are still covered with a flimsy tarp.

A day before I'm supposed to drive to Vegas. At least there are good quality replicas for a fraction of the OEM price. Delays me at least 4 days though


UGH


----------



## MikeH

Well, good to hear you didn't get hurt. That sucks really hard, though. I definitely agree about covering that shit with flimsy tarps. I worked blacktop for about 4 years, and whenever someone tried to do that, I laid cinder blocks all across it to keep anything from flying out.


----------



## Joose

^Well that was awesome of you to do man.

New wheel is ordered. Hopefully it gets here before another week of snow comes.


----------



## ddtonfire

Just began the prime of her life today:


----------



## troyguitar

What is that, E46 M3 or something?


----------



## ddtonfire

Yup! 2004 6-speed.


----------



## troyguitar

ddtonfire said:


> Yup! 2004 6-speed.



baller, I want to get a beater E36 M3 or more likely 328is one day as a fun car that I don't have to worry about getting dinged up.


----------



## pylyo

congrats!

E46 series is my all time favorite BMW design. Really never goes out of fashion. I have a 325Ci along side e92 325i. 
And I prefer e46 so much more.

Show us some more pics.


----------



## troyguitar




----------



## Joose

^His downshifts are incredible haha.


----------



## tacotiklah

So I discovered that I had a leak in my oil pan the hard way...

I now have damaged (but not thrown yet) rod in my engine. This was due to that damn oil leak that I was mistaking for a coolant leak. Damn.

Welp it was a good run into student loan debt for her. R.I.P. Kindness (2012-2014)


----------



## Robby the Robot

Long day for me. So my groove pulley was going out, causing a bad squeaking and the timing belt to start to burn. No problem. Get the pulley fixed. I don't even get out of the parking lot of the auto place and the squeaking resumes. Apparently I have coolant leakage and might have to pay $600 on a water pump I just got replaced in May.  Of course this would happen tax season.


----------



## Tyson

In the market for a new vehicle. Looking for a car, not really into SUVs, trucks, Jeeps, etc. Live in Alberta, Canada, so the vehicle has to be fairly competent in the snow. Looking at Subaru (because snow) and I'd like to get a WRX, but they're nearly impossible to find used (in good condition) and the Legacy and Impreza just don't do it for me. The new Focus looks great, but I'm not really a Ford guy.

Any suggestions?


----------



## Nails In Your Coffin

Tyson said:


> In the market for a new vehicle. Looking for a car, not really into SUVs, trucks, Jeeps, etc. Live in Alberta, Canada, so the vehicle has to be fairly competent in the snow. Looking at Subaru (because snow) and I'd like to get a WRX, but they're nearly impossible to find used (in good condition) and the Legacy and Impreza just don't do it for me. The new Focus looks great, but I'm not really a Ford guy.
> 
> Any suggestions?



I had a 2005 STi until it got hit. I replaced it with a 2012 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon. I wasn't into SUVs or Jeeps either, but I'm absolutely in love with mine. I've ALWAYS been into Muscle Cars or Sports Cars. No, this one won't do 0-60 in under 4.5, but it is nothing but fun in the sun or snow. Every time I get it offroad, its capabilities never cease to amaze me.

For the record, I don't really see the Wrangler as an SUV, it's in a class of its own. No buyer's remorse here, every trip behind the wheel feels like an adventure, even if I'm only going to the store. If you've never taken a Jeep out, I highly recommend it. 

FWIW, I wish I lived in Canada. Not only is it a beautiful country, but the people are friendly, and given the amounts of snow, I'd be in Jeep Heaven. I'm still waiting to get out in more than 5 inches of snow.  

Every time my wife and I have been to Canada, we've had nothing but great experiences.


----------



## troyguitar

Tyson said:


> In the market for a new vehicle. Looking for a car, not really into SUVs, trucks, Jeeps, etc. Live in Alberta, Canada, so the vehicle has to be fairly competent in the snow. Looking at Subaru (because snow) and I'd like to get a WRX, but they're nearly impossible to find used (in good condition) and the Legacy and Impreza just don't do it for me. The new Focus looks great, but I'm not really a Ford guy.
> 
> Any suggestions?



Audi A4's have basically the same AWD system as a WRX and can get really cheap used. Depending on what type of budget you're looking at there are all sorts of wacky options.


----------



## Nails In Your Coffin

troyguitar said:


> Audi A4's have basically the same AWD system as a WRX and can get really cheap used. Depending on what type of budget you're looking at there are all sorts of wacky options.



Not to split hairs, but Audi's AWD is nothing like Subaru's AWD. They work in totally different fashions. Yes, the result is the same, but they work differently.

My wife had an Audi A3, which was a nice car, but everything on it was super-expensive to repair, even though a lot of parts of the A3/A4 were shared with VWs.

My wife's A3 was a 2009 Quattro 2.0T and the "Check Engine Light" spent 90% of the time we owned that car flashing on the dashboard. At 105,000 miles, it was about to die. It started having transmission problems, computer glitches, and all the other things that go with owning an European vehicle. It's a shame the car didn't run as nicely as the interior was.

That being said, it was a nice car to drive, and pretty comfortable. There are a lot of things my wife and I miss about it, but its unreliability and repair bills are not on that list.


----------



## troyguitar

The A3 has nothing in common with the A4. The A3 is a VW Golf with an Audi badge. Transverse engine layout with haldex fwd-biased awd system that is indeed nothing like a Subaru.

The A4 has a longitudinally mounted inline 4 or V6 engine with open front and rear diffs and an LSD in the center with a 50/50 front/rear default torque split just like a regular Subaru or WRX. Subaru uses a viscous coupling in the center and Audi uses a torsen but the end result is extremely similar.

The STI has a different more complicated system.


----------



## Nails In Your Coffin

troyguitar said:


> The A3 has nothing in common with the A4. The A3 is a VW Golf with an Audi badge. Transverse engine layout with haldex fwd-biased awd system that is indeed nothing like a Subaru.
> 
> The A4 has a longitudinally mounted inline 4 or V6 engine with open front and rear diffs and an LSD in the center with a 50/50 front/rear default torque split just like a regular Subaru or WRX. Subaru uses a viscous coupling in the center and Audi uses a torsen but the end result is extremely similar.
> 
> The STI has a different more complicated system.



The Audi A3 does not share all parts with the VW Golf, though they are extremely similar. Audi's vehicles use totally different software from VWs, as well as some engine components and suspension components.

The STi's system is totally different from both of them, and far more advanced. I owned a 2005 STi and I could dial up between 35%-59% of the power to the rear wheels, or run it at a 50/50 setting. In 2006, the AWD was switched and the AWD could only be dialed back to 41%.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the Audi AWD is not the same as the Subaru's. Here is a clip of your post from 2:41PM this afternoon; _"Audi A4's have basically the same AWD system as a WRX."_

Yes, the end result is similar as you mentioned, but a torque-vectoring diff is different from a viscous coupling unit.


----------



## ddtonfire

pylyo said:


> congrats!
> 
> E46 series is my all time favorite BMW design. Really never goes out of fashion. I have a 325Ci along side e92 325i.
> And I prefer e46 so much more.
> 
> Show us some more pics.



Thanks!


----------



## troyguitar

Sure, they're not exactly the same. They are *extremely *similar. The only difference is that they use a different type of center mechanical LSD, but both have the same default torque split ratio and similar distribution limits (80/20 in the Audi and 90/10 in the Subaru). They're as close as 2 different systems can get without being exactly the same.

It's like an Ibanez RGT and a Jackson Soloist. Both 24 fret neck-thru guitars with double locking floating bridges. Yeah one uses an Edge and the other a Floyd but they're pretty much the same guitar.


----------



## Tyson

Thanks for the responses. I know what you mean about the Jeep, Nails. But one of my closest friends has a Wrangler, so I'm a bit hesitant just because I'd like it own vehicle, you know? 

Troy, I've actually considered the A4 a bit, but it's heard many a horror story about Audi's reliability and longevity. Not to mention that they're just slightly out of my price range. (30K Max).


----------



## Nails In Your Coffin

Tyson said:


> Thanks for the responses. I know what you mean about the Jeep, Nails. But one of my closest friends has a Wrangler, so I'm a bit hesitant just because I'd like it own vehicle, you know?
> 
> Troy, I've actually considered the A4 a bit, but it's heard many a horror story about Audi's reliability and longevity. Not to mention that they're just slightly out of my price range. (30K Max).



I know what you mean, Tyson, but just because you buy a vehicle someone else owns doesn't mean you're "copying" them. A lot of people own the same vehicles as relatives or friends.

I can't comment on _all_ Audis, but my wife and I learned our lesson and won't be purchasing another one anytime soon. 

My wife owns a 2012 Subaru Forester and we're pleased with it. While it's not as "cushy" as the A3 was, it is a _better_ vehicle. It's very reliable, and I know for fact it's safe, as it's based off the Impreza platform. I know the Impreza is safe, because we were hit from the rear at 50 mph while we were in one. We were not seriously injured or have any longterm injuries.

Have you considered something like a Toyota Tacoma or other midsized truck? What exactly are you looking for in a vehicle?


----------



## troyguitar

Older Legacy GT or Impreza 2.5 RS are both pretty fun, cheap, and reliable rides from the Subaru camp. Up to 30k used means you can buy damn near anything so it's hard to say. Down here even a brand new WRX is only $25k. 

Honestly if you have the time and money to wait, the new 2015 WRX looks like a massive improvement all around over previous models. It should be available in the next few months.

Mitsubishi Evo's are also cheap-ish, small, fun, awd cars that are well within your budget used but I don't know anything about their reliability.


----------



## Tyson

I know it sounds a bit silly. In all honesty if a Jeep was the best choice for me, I'd still go for it, regardless of who had it.

I'm looking for a car, mainly because I'd like something that's a bit sporty and fun to drive in the summer time, but also competent and reliable in the winter time (WRX in a nutshell). The ability to deal with large amounts of snow is a pretty vital part of my decision-making process. This last winter we had just over 4 feet of snow fall in a two week period. Even if that's not the norm, I'd still like to be somewhat prepared for eventualities. 

If it comes down to it a truck of any kind, I'd probably go with a Tacoma, just because I like how they look and I appreciate Toyota's reliability. But I'd go Jeep before a truck.

I'd love to go with a '15 WRX, but the MSRP on those things up here is just under 33k for a base model. So by the time all was said and done I'd be spending around 40k. They do look pretty fantastic, though.

I've even considered a used S60 T6. Just trying to work my way around every possible option, since, as you've mentioned, Troy, I do have the time and money to wait. Though I would like to have something purchased by the end of the summer at the very latest.


----------



## shadscbr

You can find leftover 2013 S60 T5 AWD's in the low 30's new, upper 20's used. I love mine 

for times when AWD are not necessary, this looks cool, 84 MPG, $6,800 new 

Elio Motors: Ultra High Mileage Car

When the Tesla model E comes out...i'm getting out of the gas game 

good luck with your search 

Shad


----------



## Vhyle

NCD!

Ok, not a new car, but I digress.

1995 Mustang, 3.8 V6 5-speed. Cobra wheels aside, it's nothing fancy. I was never a big Ford guy, but I made an exception because I paid a mere 200 bucks for the car. 220k on the chassis, 120k on the engine.

How was it 200 bucks? It needs head gaskets. Easy fix. The radiator and block will need a thorough flushing, because of buildup and such. The old coolant (what's left of it) reeks of oil and combustion.

As time permits, I'll have it running in the next week or so. The car is an hour away from me, at a friend's house. As soon as it's running again, I get to take it home.

My initial intentions were to flip it, but I'll just keep it and putt around town in it. It's much better on gas than my '86 K5 diesel Blazer. Plus, I miss driving a manual dearly.


----------



## troyguitar

I'm looking at getting a BMW now in place of my heavy automatic twin turbo Audi.

E39 530i vs E90 325i/330i, all manual transmissions with sport package. 

The E90 is newer and faster and pretty much just as big as the E39, but also has more complicated electronic crap to go wrong so I'm on the fence.


----------



## Joose

I met someone who works for Tesla today. He's part of the design team for the upcoming Model E, I believe he said.

Anyway, he said that within 10 years, my daily driver will be electric. I explained that I like the idea, but I would miss the sound of combustion, gears, modding, etc.

His response? Basically, "Yeah, but... within 10 years, we will have figured out sounds that work for everyone, people will start figuring out ways to make their cars faster, you'll get 500+ miles per charge, etc. And when you experience a sub-4, sub-3 second 0-60 with full torque from the instant you touch the pedal, you won't mind the lack of gears. Especially when you consider that I'm suggesting an affordable, reliable, daily driver that it would make the sports cars of today cry."

Hmmmmm. We'll see Tesla guy, we'll see.


----------



## troyguitar

He's right on the potential, but that timeline is ambitious at best. 20-30 years is more like it, maybe more.

It takes ~$100k to get a ~250 mile range on the model S, right?

They need to double the range and cut the cost by 2/3, that isn't happening in 10 years.


----------



## Joose

I agree. But, I suppose you never know what technologies they're close to completing, right? I know GM is interested in buying them. I've also heard Amazon is interested; kinda random.


----------



## Vhyle

Balls deep.

#4 is obviously the culprit here. Very typical of the 3.8 V6. Next time this happens (and it will), I'm simply going to opt for a 5.0 swap.


----------



## Nails In Your Coffin

Tyson said:


> I know it sounds a bit silly. In all honesty if a Jeep was the best choice for me, I'd still go for it, regardless of who had it.
> 
> I'm looking for a car, mainly because I'd like something that's a bit sporty and fun to drive in the summer time, but also competent and reliable in the winter time (WRX in a nutshell). The ability to deal with large amounts of snow is a pretty vital part of my decision-making process. This last winter we had just over 4 feet of snow fall in a two week period. Even if that's not the norm, I'd still like to be somewhat prepared for eventualities.
> 
> If it comes down to it a truck of any kind, I'd probably go with a Tacoma, just because I like how they look and I appreciate Toyota's reliability. But I'd go Jeep before a truck.
> 
> I'd love to go with a '15 WRX, but the MSRP on those things up here is just under 33k for a base model. So by the time all was said and done I'd be spending around 40k. They do look pretty fantastic, though.
> 
> I've even considered a used S60 T6. Just trying to work my way around every possible option, since, as you've mentioned, Troy, I do have the time and money to wait. Though I would like to have something purchased by the end of the summer at the very latest.



I'm not gonna press ya about a Jeep, but I'll just say this, since you mentioned you want something really good in a lot of snow. For the first time since owning my '12 Rubicon, we had a "real" snowstorm. I got through over a foot of snow in 4WD-High with NO problems. I couldn't believe I could even back out of my garage without getting stuck. 

I'm not talking just foot-high snow, I'm talking _unplowed_ driveway and roads. That thing is a freakin' TANK. 

For the record, my '05 STi made its way through about 8-9 inches of unplowed snow a few years ago.


----------



## Vinny530

Vhyle said:


> NCD!
> 
> Ok, not a new car, but I digress.
> 
> 1995 Mustang, 3.8 V6 5-speed. Cobra wheels aside, it's nothing fancy. I was never a big Ford guy, but I made an exception because I paid a mere 200 bucks for the car. 220k on the chassis, 120k on the engine.
> 
> How was it 200 bucks? It needs head gaskets. Easy fix. The radiator and block will need a thorough flushing, because of buildup and such. The old coolant (what's left of it) reeks of oil and combustion.
> 
> As time permits, I'll have it running in the next week or so. The car is an hour away from me, at a friend's house. As soon as it's running again, I get to take it home.
> 
> My initial intentions were to flip it, but I'll just keep it and putt around town in it. It's much better on gas than my '86 K5 diesel Blazer. Plus, I miss driving a manual dearly.



awesome deal, I just grabbed a 91 hatchback to put my 5.3l/4l80e into. can't beat the prices of these cars.


----------



## ddtonfire

Vhyle said:


> Very typical of the 3.8 V6. Next time this happens (and it will), I'm simply going to opt for a 5.0 swap.



When someone tries to race you thinking they're up against a V6, they're definitely in for a surprise.


----------



## Joose

Just thought I'd share a few photos from my drive through Utah and the Valley of Fire in Nevada (another "Go where the Top Gear hosts have been" bucket list item checked off).

Valley of Fire... epic, epic driving road. Whether you want to cruise at the speed limit, or risk a speeding ticket (like i did, but luckily no Park Rangers were out), it's amazing. Excuse the lack of photos of all the lovely twists and turns, I was in full race mode haha. There weren't many people out there today, so I would stop, smoke a cig, then give it the beans. Eventually I'd catch up to that Harley and take a photo of the area lol.

I love my car's near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution even more after all that. Today made me want to rent an M3 or C6 Z06, so that I can experience perfect 50/50.


----------



## ddtonfire

^Jealous. Just hanging out with your car on an awesome road is one of the best times ever.


----------



## Joose

^It really is. Puts a car enthusiast at peace.


----------



## troyguitar

So I just sold my complicated expensive Audi allroad and am looking at replacing it with one of these babies:







Pontiac Vibe GT

It's a Toyota Corrola hatchback with a Pontiac badge and the 180 hp 8400 RPM Yamaha/Toyota engine used in the Lotus Elise, with a nice 6 speed manual.


----------



## Vhyle

troyguitar said:


> So I just sold my complicated expensive Audi allroad and am looking at replacing it with one of these babies:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pontiac Vibe GT
> 
> It's a Toyota Corrola hatchback with a Pontiac badge and the 180 hp 8400 RPM Yamaha/Toyota engine used in the Lotus Elise, with a nice 6 speed manual.



Cool stuff. I have a 2007 Vibe base model with the 1.8 1ZZFE engine and auto trans. It's a very reliable vehicle, and I yield about 28-35 mpg on average. On the outside, it's Pontiac, but the powertrain is all Toyota, so you get the legendary Toyota reliability. Only issue I had with the car was the ECM, but it was covered under a recall anyway.

The front passenger seat and rear seats all fold down flat, so you can get a very impressive amount of cargo space. Plenty of room for musical gear!


----------



## Joose

2.8L Kenne Bell, by the end of this year. It will be mine... oh yes, it will be mine.


----------



## Joose

Nurburgring Sold to American Investors in Surprise Move - Road & Track

So happy! I actually plan to visit my friend in The Netherlands next year and we're going to rent a couple sports or supercars to take for a few laps. Definitely at the top of my bucket list!


----------



## Joose

Any of you fine people care to give some tips on lowering a car?

It's my '07 Charger Daytona R/T. I was parked in between 2 SRT8's at a meet this evening, and their ride height just looks so much better. SRT's are about an inch lower than mine. 

I know the Mopar Stage 1 springs will take it down about 1 1/2" after settling and that's fine, it'll look really nice. Question is... shocks. Mine has Nivomat self-leveling rear shocks. I know on a lot of cars, lowering springs without new shocks tends to not end well. Someone told me that if i order Mopar or Eibach springs, I could also get some KYB (I think?) shocks for about $30/shock. Anyone know if that's really necessary since I have some pretty nice shocks as standard?

EDIT: Okay, as I assumed, I will have to get normal rear shocks. That's fine. 

People are trying to convince me to get coilovers or bags... i can't imagine I want anything to do with either of those. I don't need to be able to adjust height; I just want it to be 1"-1 1/2" lower lol.


----------



## Bekanor

Picked this up today, love love love.





A nicer shot from the ad:





Very interesting moving from a 2.5L 4 cylinder to a 4.0L 6. I saw the traction control light a lot today.


----------



## The Griffinator

Joose said:


> Any of you fine people care to give some tips on lowering a car?
> 
> It's my '07 Charger Daytona R/T. I was parked in between 2 SRT8's at a meet this evening, and their ride height just looks so much better. SRT's are about an inch lower than mine.
> 
> I know the Mopar Stage 1 springs will take it down about 1 1/2" after settling and that's fine, it'll look really nice. Question is... shocks. Mine has Nivomat self-leveling rear shocks. I know on a lot of cars, lowering springs without new shocks tends to not end well. Someone told me that if i order Mopar or Eibach springs, I could also get some KYB (I think?) shocks for about $30/shock. Anyone know if that's really necessary since I have some pretty nice shocks as standard?
> 
> EDIT: Okay, as I assumed, I will have to get normal rear shocks. That's fine.
> 
> People are trying to convince me to get coilovers or bags... i can't imagine I want anything to do with either of those. I don't need to be able to adjust height; I just want it to be 1"-1 1/2" lower lol.



I'm in the same boat with my car. I'm saving for coilovers for a few reasons. I live in Ontario, where it has the tendancy to snow, and being able to lift my car an inch or two when it starts flying will be a huge plus. May not be huge concern for you given the apparent climate in you pictures though, lol. The other thing with coilovers is that it's not just ride height you can adjust, but the dampers in a lot of cases are adjustable as well. The ability to fine tune my suspension and get that perfect balance between comfort, looks, and performance is worth the extra cost to me. I'd hate to spend money on new springs and shocks for them, only to end up with sub par ride quality.


----------



## Joose

^Yeah, that definitely makes sense. I've been doing a lot of research and talking to the other members of the club I'm in; seems comfort really didn't change for any of the guys in Daytonas and SRT8s. But cornering, MPG, braking and acceleration all improved a lot. 

Normally, I'd totally go for an expensive setup... but I'm planning to add a 2015 Charger SRT8 Super Bee to my garage when they're released. Assuming it looks as good as I'm expecting it to, of course.

I was originally debating between a C7 Z51 Stingray and some sort of Challenger; but I have this strange feeling I'm going to fall in love with the new Charger. The teaser photo is worrying a lot of people, but the same thing happened with the last one and it ended up being very popular. We'll see. It'll have over 500hp, that's for sure.


----------



## troyguitar

Buy the vette dude. 1000 lbs lighter and comes with a real transmission, not to mention 30+ mpg on the highway, infinitely better handling, and heads-up display.

IIRC I read on my old car forum that a guy with a Charger R/T got some cheap Tein springs and really liked them.


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> Buy the vette dude. 1000 lbs lighter and comes with a real transmission, not to mention 30+ mpg on the highway, infinitely better handling, and heads-up display.
> 
> IIRC I read on my old car forum that a guy with a Charger R/T got some cheap Tein springs and really liked them.



Yes yes, I know all this about the Vette. But... more expensive to maintain and I'll rarely get to actually USE its incredible performance. We'll see. I really want the Vette; the new Super Bee is going to have to blow me away to make me choose it over a C7. But it very well can with the right styling and numbers, as I'm quie the lover of performance sedans.


----------



## Chickenhawk

I got rid of my Cummins so the wife get a new hoopty, and I'm now in the market for a new bike.


----------



## Joose

^my Dad just got a Victory. I haven't seen it yet, but he said it's a _______ 8 Ball. Terrible at remembering bike names haha.


Edit: Oh yeah, attached is a photo I took of the actual Crossfire SRT6 that beat Richard Hammond's Viper on that episode of Top Gear with the LF-A, V12 Vanquish and Viper. Owner told me it's making about 400rwhp.


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> Yes yes, I know all this about the Vette. But... more expensive to maintain and I'll rarely get to actually USE its incredible performance. We'll see. I really want the Vette; the new Super Bee is going to have to blow me away to make me choose it over a C7. But it very well can with the right styling and numbers, as I'm quie the lover of performance sedans.



I'd love a performance sedan if anyone made a small/light/cheap one that was actually focused on performance. Think a Chevy version of the mid-spec Cadillac ATS: 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder pushing ~300 hp, 6 speed manual trans, RWD with an actual LSD, brembo brakes, and without the extra Cadillac luxury bits they could get the weight down to 3200 lbs along with a price tag of $30k or just under.

Unfortunately it seems that will never exist though, so I bought a used sports car instead. The closest you can get is an E36 4-door BMW M3 but they're now rather old, expensive, and slow without extensive mods like a $5k+ supercharger kit to make it quick.


----------



## Joose

Suppose I should say... muscle/power sedans? 

I'm a big fan of large, heavy cars with big numbers. Always have been. 

Charger SRT8s and Daytonas/Road And Track optioned, 300 SRT8, G8 GXP, Chevy SS (even if it is a bit... dull looking), RS6, CLS/E/C/S series AMG's, M5's, CTS V's, etc.

They're just so much fun to throw around. Sometimes I do wish mine had a manual; but with my tune, if i leave it in auto, it knows when I'm driving with a little more spirit. Obviously that isn't the same as having a clutch but... still loads of fun.


----------



## troyguitar

I like that stuff but I can't afford to put fuel/tires/brakes/suspensions/engines/transmissions/etc. into something like that, especially since I run my car flat out in road course time trial competitions.

If I had an infinite budget I would absolutely be running a 6-speed CTS-V wagon, but it would literally cost somewhere around 5 times as much as my Z06 in order to run the same lap times, maybe more.

I think the ultimate daily driver street car is the E90 M3, but again too expensive for me at this point.


----------



## Joose

Oh for sure man, I wouldn't use any of them for a track (except a drag strip). For me, right now, it's all about being a sweet ass daily driver that can also give me a little fun on the desolate, twisty desert roads. 

For road courses AND being a daily driver... I think I'd try to get my hands on an E46 M3 and hope that I could drop an E93's V8 in it eventually. Kind of like that gen's M3 GTR.


----------



## ddtonfire

Joose said:


> For road courses AND being a daily driver... I think I'd try to get my hands on an E46 M3 and hope that I could drop an E93's V8 in it eventually. Kind of like that gen's M3 GTR.



This would be sick. I'd love to do it with mine, but I also love my S54. Maybe if it ever grenades and I have the resources to do a swap, I'll try it.


----------



## Joose

ddtonfire said:


> This would be sick. I'd love to do it with mine, but I also love my S54. Maybe if it ever grenades and I have the resources to do a swap, I'll try it.



Hell yeah dude. One of the best sounding V8's to ever exist. It would be one of the very few cars I'd be willing to make a clone of.


----------



## ddtonfire

Honestly, e46 BMW GTR is probably at the top of my dream cars list. This video of Stuck on the Nurburgring doesn't help:




THAT SOUND


----------



## Joose

When I lived in Florida, there was a guy who lived a few blocks from me with an E46 GTR Street Version clone. Legit clone, as much as that sounds like an oxymoron lol. It was so well done.


----------



## ddtonfire

Yeah, I'm extraordinarily jealous. There's actually a guy on the M3 forums doing the same thing. I've seen a few nice e46 S65 swaps and even an s85 swap. That's really the only thing I'd change about my car... more HP. I think I'll leave it as it is and get a C6 Z06 or ZR-1 down the road.


----------



## Joose

Can't believe how cheap this sold for! "Mr Norm King 'Cuda" Chally SRT8 with a Vintage 426 Hemi. 2009 DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8 Lot 345 | Barrett-Jackson Auction Company

Oh and Rick Hendrick (of course) got the 2015 Z06, VIN: 0001 for 1 Million bucks.


----------



## Bloody_Inferno

So after a reaching 250k on the odometer, I finally caved in and traded my 2000 Toyota Corolla for a 2009 Honda CRV. I can't help but feel like a soccer mum  but it can fit a whole heap of gear so that helps a lot.


----------



## Joose

^Hey man, it's not a minivan. I drove a Honda Pilot around for about 8 months feeling the same way; but yes... it did haul a lot of gear. And again, not a minivan lol.

Congrats!


----------



## maliciousteve

CRV's are awesome cars. Very reliable, drive well and very comfortable. Both my Mum and Mother in Law have CRV's and both have never had any major problems.


----------



## Joose

I.... don't think I'm gonna have my Charger much longer.

2015 Dodge Challenger Comes In Eight Trim Levels, None Of Them Supercharged

Suppose the SRT with the supercharged 6.2 will be revealed in the coming months. I don't think I'll go for the 392 Scat Pack, because I'd rather wait until it's on the used market later on. That being said... a lime green R/T Plus Shaker would be right up my alley! Oh the anticipation....


----------



## troyguitar

Challenger is badass if you can deal with the 2 doors, it even comes with a real transmission - my only gripe about the Charger.


----------



## Joose

Well and now they're offering this new thing...

Lease a 2014, be guaranteed the same payments on a 2015 as long as you get it in less than 12 months.

I have no issue driving a 2014 Chally for like 6 months... but for the 2015, I want the R/T Plus Shaker, which I believe has a 420+ hp 5.7, instead of the standard 375hp. But that's not a thing right now... so how are they gonna do that? Lol.

Oh and yes I can deal with only 2 doors. I love that my Charger has 4, but I don't need them.

Also... I'd be lying if I said I'm not going to entertain the idea of the 8-speed Auto. I have to do a lot of city driving and deal with a lot of traffic, so an auto is nice. Plus, I'm one of those that love paddle shifters; and they're saying in Sport Mode, the paddles will shift in 250 milliseconds. I know, sounds like the opposite of what a true car enthusiast would say when there's a 6 speed manual available; but like I said, I'm going to at least test one out.


----------



## Joose

Had to double-post... I'm so in love with this refresh. Going to the dealership tomorrow to see what we can work out. The Mopar Club I'm in here gets "VIP" treatment. So there's a chance I might be better off just trading my Charger in when the new Chally comes out, instead of doing this leasing thing Dodge is offering. We'll see.

This it though.. exactly what I'd have. Color, shaker, decals, wheels, everything...





There's like, no fender gap on the new one. Which is fantastic, because I wouldn't want to lower it.


----------



## pylyo

Probably many of you already have seen this but if you haven't, please take 3 minutes and check this video. 
A proper take on M3. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pd3v09Omkw


----------



## Joose

^I've watched that a good 3 or 4 times before. Mofo can drive!


----------



## ddtonfire

Good Lord, that car control... Now, how to get my car to sound like that


----------



## Joose

Bystander's video from the chase scene in the Dukes of Hazzard movie. Love it.


----------



## Joose

We'll see how things go tomorrow or Tuesday, but um... I may be turning to the dark side.

My Charger has been reliable thus far, but I'm getting close to that 100k mile mark, and I know value is about to drop. I've been itching for a manual lately, real bad.

But you see, there's this Mustang... I've had a deep love for the body style that came out in '05 ever since they were released. Something about that shape is just perfect in my eyes. I found this '05 5-speed GT Premium with only 54k miles on it for a reasonable price. But there's haggling room... as CarFax shows an accident reported; best part is, I know the previous owner and he has proof that it was rear-ended at about 15mph. No structural damage.

He said his one regret was not selling the BBS wheels he put on it, because they'll go quick at like $2500 without tires. I don't like them, and the wheels I want would cost a fraction of that, so that would be a big win. 

Plus, this dealership wants my car bad. Likely a quick flip for them. 

So, a lighter, quicker, manual car that gets better gas mileage and has substantially cheaper parts readily available; a drop in loan payments and insurance, almost half the mileage, one of my all-time favorite body styles and a truly lovely exhaust note? I feel like I'll regret it if I don't do this.

Oh and, how can you not love gauges with the option to change their lighting color at the touch of a button? 


Edit: And yes, I know... people love to talk about Mustangs being unreliable. But when there are SO many on the road and people really only voice their experiences when they're negative, that's going to happen. We're not talking Fox Bodies here. I have 3 friends with over 200k on their '05+ Mustangs; I'm confident.


----------



## maliciousteve

Debating moving on from a gorgeous Charger to an awesome Mustang?

Son Of A Bitch!


----------



## Joose

maliciousteve said:


> Debating moving on from a gorgeous Charger to an awesome Mustang?
> 
> Son Of A Bitch!





It'll make me extemely sad to see the Daytona go; but I really do love those Stangs, and I want a manual so bad. 

I wanted to wait until the new Challenger came out to switch cars, but maybe I'll get one of those when they hit the used market. 

First order of business with the Mustang? Get rid of that straight axle. 


Edit: Well, real first order of business is selling the BBS wheels. Luckily, the guy who sold the Mustang still has his stock wheels and relatively new tires. Gonna buy those for dirt cheap, then decide if some of the BBS sale money will go towards new wheels or just in my pocket. Likely pocket.


----------



## BigBaldIan

As of this Friday coming farewell to my old Fabia vRS:



vRS-03 by bigbaldian, on Flickr

and hello this.....



Clio2 by bigbaldian, on Flickr

Clio RS Lux with Cup chassis.


----------



## Joose

^Nice! I've heard those Clios are a blast to drive. Shame we don't have more hot hatches here in the US.



Also, I couldn't do it guys... I just couldn't let the Daytona go, I love it too much. I need to stick to my original plan of adding another car in the next year or two, not letting one go that I've wanted since they came out. It's taken me through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and a small portion of California. The rest of Cali, Oregon and Washington will be added to that list this year.

Something to be said for memories.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^Thanks, it was the shortest test drive of all of the models Fiesta ST/208 Gti/Clio RS, but it just clicked with me. I got offered a good deal so....


----------



## Joose

BigBaldIan said:


> ^Thanks, it was the shortest test drive of all of the models Fiesta ST/208 Gti/Clio RS, but it just clicked with me. I got offered a good deal so....




That's what it's all about man; the one that clicks. That's a big part of why I couldn't let my Charger go. That Mustang was lighter, faster and had a manual; it was lots of fun, but I just didn't "love" it as much. I don't think I would include it (as often) in all of the scenery photos I take.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^This is why I'm feeling the love in this thread, petrolheads of all stripes can enjoy their vehicles.

Edit: I love muscle cars but on twisty roads where I live, highly impractical.

Edit: Care to educate a Brit about Mopar?


----------



## Joose

BigBaldIan said:


> ^This is why I'm feeling the love in this thread, petrolheads of all stripes can enjoy their vehicles.
> 
> Edit: I love muscle cars but on twisty roads where I live, highly impractical.
> 
> Edit: Care to educate a Brit about Mopar?



Hmmmmmmm where to start? Haha. I'll just stick to my particular Mopar.

I have an '07 Charger R/T Daytona (Sub Lime, 1500 built); 5.7L Hemi V8, 350hp, 390lb-ft torque. The Daytona (and R/T's with the Road And Track package) differ from the standard R/T's in a few key ways; they have the same Mercedes-derived 4-wheel independent suspension as the SRT8 model (though, an inch higher in ride height), the same seats as the SRT8, larger wheels, wider tires, better weight distribution (they claim near-perfect, about 51/49 I believe), the same brakes as the Police Package (but not the Brembos, unfortunately), a better stock performance tune, more precise steering, etc.

Most of the more modern Mopars have the Mercedes-derived WA580 5-speed auto with the auto stick (same that you'll find in most 2000's Mercedes, even the S65 AMG, because it can handle ridiculous amounts of torque). 

So it has good get-up and, for a 2 ton muscle car, handles quite well. But no, it would not be ideal on the narrow roads I see on Top Gear all the time; as it's about 6 feet wide and 16 1/2 feet long. It's a blast to throw its weight around on the twisty roads out here in the desert; but they're wide and often empty. 

Now it's your turn, I want to know more about why that particular Clio clicked with you more than the other cars you were looking at? I really like the way it looks.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Joose said:


> Now it's your turn, I want to know more about why that particular Clio clicked with you more than the other cars you were looking at? I really like the way it looks.



What I'm about to post may go against the consensus of armchair bloggers. However having spent some time with all three, I feel I can give at least an informed opinion.

Right off the bat all three are really great hot hatches and it was a tough call between capability, spec and price.

Renault have taken a risk in making this version more accessible with a dual-clutch semi-auto box, but I feel this adds to its charm. In normal auto mode it can potter around on the commute nicely like any shopping trolley. Hit the RS button, throttle response/steering sharpens up, shifts are quicker (170ms) and suddenly you're in hooligan mode. Since I had a salesman with me and greasy roads I wouldn't go into race mode, which totally disables driver aids and sharpens up responses further (150ms shift times). Holding the downshift paddle also allowed block shifting, which I thought was a very snacky feature. Compared to the others it's slightly larger (4" approx in length) and has 5 doors instead of 3 (plus points for the practicality). Compared to the other two, rear visibility is poorer so that needs to be taken into consideration (especially with those chunky c-pillars).

The particular car is a nearly new 13 plate (for non UK folk that means less than a year old) with only 4500 miles and is fitted with the Cup chassis option. This means optional 18" rims with Dunlop rubber, beefier suspension and a sharper steering rack. I didn't check but I believe Brembos come as standard on the new RS.

Now for the competition, as a back road blaster the Fiesta ST was a hoot to drive but felt almost too optimised in that respect. Another criteria would be heading to see my folks in Scotland (360 miles and circa 7 hours with 2 rest stops) and the ST felt like more of a sprinter than a distance runner. Thus for my set of criteria 3rd place. However considering for £600 you can get a Mountune upgrade to 215ps on overboost without invalidating the warranty (in the UK at least), it represents great value for money and the enthusiast's choice. Practical features as standard on the ST-2 model such as heated seats and windscreen also ticked some boxes.

Moving on to the 208 GTi, which came in 2nd place. More plush and compliant than the ST but equally capable. I felt the clutch and gearbox were better for day to day work and the extra toys were very welcome (touch screen infotainment in a similar manner to the Clio). From an ergonomic point of view the cockpit had its merits. I'm not what you'd call a small bloke (6'3" and 230lbs with an active job), so the small go-kart wheel and the distance between that and the instrument cluster made getting in and out a doddle. The downside again for me 3 door only and stylistically it was giving off mixed messages. On the one hand the design language was modern Peugeot, whilst trying to hark back to the glory days of the old hardcore 205 GTi.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Edit: After posting about how many states you've been through it's reminded me of an old joke.

Q: What's the difference between a Brit and an American?
A: To a Brit 100 miles is a long way, to an American 100 years is a long time.


----------



## Joose

^Awesome man. Sounds like a damn fine car.

It's always nice to hear that someone has made a truly informed decision on their car purchase.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Joose said:


> ^Awesome man. Sounds like a damn fine car.
> 
> It's always nice to hear that someone has made a truly informed decision on their car purchase.



Thanks, it may have gone against the Top Gear grain but it fitted my criteria. So your next complementary vehicle what do you have in mind?


----------



## Joose

BigBaldIan said:


> Thanks, it may have gone against the Top Gear grain but it fitted my criteria. So your next complementary vehicle what do you have in mind?



Other than the "love", almost everything I do, car-wise, goes against Top Gear.  

And I really don't know at this point. I'd really like to get a 2015 Challenger R/T Plus Shaker when they hit the used market; but by that point I may be ready to shell out a little more for a used C7 Corvette Stingray Z51. Or... spend the same money on a used C6 Corvette Z06. The Challenger could replace my Charger as an every day car, the Vettes would have to be 2nd cars. I think I'd be happier having my Charger _and_ a Vette, rather than just a Challenger.


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> Other than the "love", almost everything I do, car-wise, goes against Top Gear.
> 
> And I really don't know at this point. I'd really like to get a 2015 Challenger R/T Plus Shaker when they hit the used market; but by that point I may be ready to shell out a little more for a used C7 Corvette Stingray Z51. Or... spend the same money on a used C6 Corvette Z06. The Challenger could replace my Charger as an every day car, the Vettes would have to be 2nd cars. I think I'd be happier having my Charger _and_ a Vette, rather than just a Challenger.



C5 is where it's at. Absolutely the best bang for the buck in a performance car, by far. $15k or so these days for a nice LS1 coupe. Throw in another $2-3k in an intake, exhaust, dyno tune, and decent stereo unit and you have a monster for the cost of a new base Civic.


----------



## Joose

^Very true, and I love the C5's. But my love for the C6 Z06 and C7 Z51 is... ridiculous.

I'd keep either of them stock and just drive the shit out of them. When I drove an '07 Z06 last year, I couldn't believe how much I loved it.


----------



## troyguitar

Yeah if I had the cash I'd have a new C7 Z51 for sure and it would not need most of the mods that my C5 does. The sad thing is that by the time I'm done with the C5 it will probably end up costing about as much as a C7


----------



## Joose

^Haha. But it's gonna be one bad ass C5.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Well got back home from picking up la (belle) bête, some first observations:

1) Considering this rides 3mm lower and has 15% overall stiffer suspension than standard it copes remarkably well on shitty Norfolk roads. The overall impression is fluid and communicative rather than crashy (a criticism I've levelled at some Seats in the past). Looking at the specs, the RS has hydraulic bump stops so this may well be a contributing factor.

2) The joint developed Nissan/Renault engine is a peach.

3) I really love speed variable power steering.

4) The paddle block shifting is not just a gimmick but a very useful feature. Heading back home I was stuck behind a reasonably new (probably 13 or 63 plate) VW pickup (Amarok?), which for reasons unknown was intent on doing 10mph less than the indicated limit. Road and weather conditions were both good and the rush hour traffic had abated (well rush hour in East Anglia seems to be more like dawdle hour anyway).

Finding a straight with a decent stretch before a descending sweeping left hander, I knew it was one of the few good points on this road for an overtake. So what does the other driver do on seeing me indicate and pull out, yes you guessed it...accelerate.

I'm now on the wrong side of the road in something of a Catch 22 situation. Another vehicle may well have slotted into place behind the pickup (suddenly that rear c-pillar visibility comment comes back to haunt me), so that left one place for me to go. End result I'm heading towards said left-hander a bit quicker than I would normally like. Applied a modicum of anchor, pulled in left paddle and trusted to science. Next thing I'm round the bend and off into the distance, compared to the Fabia this is unreal.

5) I also really love having a built in sat-nav.

6) Not sure about just having a compressor and a can of foam in case of a puncture, I've measured up the boot and seriously considering buying a full alloy spare. There appears to be space under the boot mats for a jack etc.


----------



## smucarolina

Mine on da bottom


----------



## ddtonfire

Cheers from the Blue Bimmers club!


----------



## asher

I've got a gray 2006 330i that's just broke 99k, when I clean it up I'll try to remember to take some pictures


----------



## troyguitar

asher said:


> I've got a gray 2006 330i that's just broke 99k, when I clean it up I'll try to remember to take some pictures



I was looking at buying an 06 330i before I "got practical" and bought the Vibe instead. Really great car.


----------



## Joose

A few photos from a club cruise on Friday.






















I need a GoPro or something. It was the first time I really started getting the tail out. Damn SRT8 in front of me was a bad influence. 

Might be time for a 180 T-Stat. It was hot out there.


----------



## troyguitar

Love the Plum Crazy Challenger. I debated going with that color for my Z06 but ended up going with one of the darker Audi purples. I picked the color on the left here (plum crazy is on the right):






It should be (finally) done by the end of the month. This spring weather is killing me waiting for the car


----------



## Joose

That'll look sweet. Wrap or paint? I'm doing a wrap on mine soon, just for fun. Metallic matte lime with all the decals in gloss black. My paint is jacked up in some places, and the decals need replacing anyway. 

I almost bought a Plum Crazy Daytona over my Sub Lime; but just couldn't resist that green lol.

Shame we did that cruise on a week day, since we're up over 100 members.


----------



## troyguitar

Full paint, it's a permanent change. Changing calipers from red to yellow too. I'm having a hard time being productive while waiting for the thing to be done


----------



## asher

troyguitar said:


> I was looking at buying an 06 330i before I "got practical" and bought the Vibe instead. Really great car.



We picked it up when I went to take a car to college after we realized my Mazda 3 just didn't fit stuff (the trunk is too damn narrow to fit things like golf clubs or fencing bags, you have to fold down the seats to carry extra passenger's gear, which defeats the point...). I was pretty split between this and a new Outback. I drove the Outback that morning and was kinda disappointed with how isolated and numb it felt, though I don't know if I had any reason to expect otherwise. The manual version had reasonable power, and tons of space ofc, but.

_though the STI I tried for kicks was epic..._

I made the mistake of driving the 330i that afternoon and that just sealed the deal  It's got basically everything but the iDrive and's manual. Favorite clutch I've ever driven, and oh dear lord the steering is good.


----------



## Defi

So I feel like it may be time for a new car this year. I have a Mazda 3 now. I hate it. I used to have an STi. I miss it. 

Here's my criteria:
20-30k
AWD or RWD
and then obvious stuff like fun to drive. . . 

Basically what should I consider next to an sti? Some things I don't like about it are the interior, the fact it looks like just another sedan with a wing. 

I thought maybe an e90 35i. That's all I can think of at the moment haha. Not interested in Evo. Maybe new golf R but new is likely too expensive. It doesn't have to be as sporty as the sti. But it must be fun to drive and feel solid around corners.


----------



## troyguitar

Defi said:


> So I feel like it may be time for a new car this year. I have a Mazda 3 now. I hate it. I used to have an STi. I miss it.
> 
> Here's my criteria:
> 20-30k
> AWD or RWD
> and then obvious stuff like fun to drive. . .
> 
> Basically what should I consider next to an sti? Some things I don't like about it are the interior, the fact it looks like just another sedan with a wing.
> 
> I thought maybe an e90 35i. That's all I can think of at the moment haha. Not interested in Evo. Maybe new golf R but new is likely too expensive. It doesn't have to be as sporty as the sti. But it must be fun to drive and feel solid around corners.



Most fun to drive RWD under $30k:

Cars for Sale: 2005 Lotus Elise SC in GLENDORA, CA 91740: Convertible Details - 284482021 - AutoTrader.com


----------



## Defi

I could see that being pretty sweet in January here in Winnipeg.

I suppose I should mention it needs to be practical as I'm a normal guy who does normal things with his car. Any other loopholes in my criteria feel free to plug away


----------



## troyguitar

Defi said:


> I could see that being pretty sweet in January here in Winnipeg.
> 
> I suppose I should mention it needs to be practical as I'm a normal guy who does normal things with his car. Any other loopholes in my criteria feel free to plug away





Practical as in 4-seats? 4-doors? Hatchback? LSD in the case of RWD?

The BRZ is awesome if you're OK with 2 doors and a tiny back seat. 

Cadillac ATS 2.0T lightly used should get under $30k too and has 4 doors and a nicer interior while still being good to drive.

The 2015 Mustang 2.3T is supposed to compete more directly with the BRZ, that could be a good option too.

BMW E90 325/328/330 with M-sport package and 6-speed is in that range and about as fun to drive as a recent affordable sedan can get - however you do not get an LSD until you step up to the M3, so it will be the worst possible option in the snow.

The new WRX is getting great reviews and seems awesome on paper too, but it does look terrible aesthetically. Performance-wise it seems like a better buy than the STI at this point.

The dark horse IMO is the 2007-2011 Honda Civic Si. Yeah it's FWD, but it's lightweight with an 8000 RPM redline, a real LSD, cheap, runs forever, and handles great. If I didn't need a hatchback I'd have bought one for my daily driver.


----------



## Joose

^ATS, definitely. That's what I was gonna suggest. They're absolutely fantastic cars and _plenty_ of fun.


----------



## Defi

^Thanks for suggestions. I have looked at most of those cars and they all kind of float around in my head.

an e90 M3 would be the perfect car. If I can stretch my budget and not feel like a douche for driving one, it would be a deal.

The BRZ looks awesome, I could deal with a shitty backseat for sure.

I actually don't know much about the cadillac ATS because every time I try to read about it I end up looking at the CTS instead haha. I'll have a gander.


----------



## troyguitar

E90 M3 is indeed the perfect modern sedan, I will buy one one day.

ATS 2.0T is really good if you get a used one, they depreciate even faster than most new cars. Especially if it's the manual transmission model.

The other one I forgot about is the Infiniti G37/Q50 which is not a bad car at all on paper but I've never driven one.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Joose said:


> I need a GoPro or something. It was the first time I really started getting the tail out. Damn SRT8 in front of me was a bad influence.
> 
> Might be time for a 180 T-Stat. It was hot out there.



I wonder how the Abarth 500 handles on your roads, looks like a roller-skate compared to the other behemoths lined up?


----------



## Joose

BigBaldIan said:


> I wonder how the Abarth 500 handles on your roads, looks like a roller-skate compared to the other behemoths lined up?



 It really does. 

I'm sure it's a blast to drive on those roads though. Normally there's a guy with an Abarth with us, he would have been having fun. That one in the photos though is driven by one of the Challenger owners' wife; she doesn't do more than 1mph above the speed limit ever. I got stuck behind her at one point and had to pass because i was getting so frustrated.

It is taller than the rest of our cars though haha.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Well managed to put nearly 500 miles on the Clio over the Bank Holiday weekend gone. Saturday the other half's granddad celebrated his 90th, which was in Croyden (Saarf Laahnden). Sunday visited St. George's Distillery and Monday the North Norfolk Coast. This took in a completely mixed bag of driving from motorway, urban stop-start and scenic A-road coastal twisties. Just some impressions from the whole shebang....

I was really surprised at how well the Clio handled prolonged motorway cruising, checking the instant mpg figure it was apparently getting 42-44 mpg on the flat at 70 (circa 2500rpm in top). The Dunlop rubber also kept road noise down by a surprising amount. The EDC box is a godsend in urban environments and the speed limiter, which is a reverse cruise-control (manual throttle to a hard-ceiling speed limit) was very much welcome in London, where it seemed a Gatso was lurking around every corner.

On the other hand, engaging Sport mode and leaving it in auto is not a good idea, the mapping has a tendency to hold on to a lower gear artificially. Far better to push the stick to the side for manual mode. You then have the choice of paddle shift (rather nice aluminium jobs btw) or via stick (*). There's been criticism of the fact that the paddles are fixed to the steering column by armchair naysayers. However my counter argument is that if a driver is in a position where they're mid-bend and needing to change gear, they're already in a world of hurt.

Next the cup chassis, which is almost a thing of heathen sorcery. Comfortable enough and compliant on motorways yet provides great feedback.

(*) - My previous Fabia vRS had the manual mode as:

Push = Up
Pull = Down

The Clio on the other hand:

Push = Down
Pull = Up

Looking at it from an intuitive perspective if the vehicle is decelerating, the driver will be thrown forward ergo pushing away for a downshift is more natural.


----------



## troyguitar

BigBaldIan said:


> The Clio on the other hand:
> 
> Push = Down
> Pull = Up
> 
> Looking at it from an intuitive perspective if the vehicle is decelerating, the driver will be thrown forward ergo pushing away for a downshift is more natural.



This is the way real race car sequential boxes work and the way it "should be" - unfortunately about half of companies seem to get it wrong. Current BMW and Mazda boxes have it right for example, but VW/Audi have it wrong and the first Steptronic BMW boxes had it wrong as well.


----------



## Joose

It's never made sense to me that any autostick would be push=change up. 

I also hate that my autostick is left and right. But at least I have some sort of control over gears, right? Unlike my friend with an auto GTO... 4 speed, no control unless you actually move the stick through 1, 2 and 3; which is obviously a terrible idea. Then again, buying your GTO with a 4 speed Auto instead of the 6 speed Manual is a terrible idea in the first place.


----------



## solarian

WRX = king


----------



## Joose

^Love it. I think the hatches look so much better than the sedans. Had I stayed in Denver, I would have bought one. But I'm a RWD man.


----------



## asher

The hatches look great.

Just not quite big enough for what I need to haul.

Otherwise I would have pushed for one _so_ hard, and probably have one instead of my 330.


----------



## solarian

Agreed! The sedans don't look bad at all IMO, but yes the hatches are <3. They just scream rally beast  And actually, the cargo space with the seating folded down is rather huge.

There's two reasons I'm an avid Subaru fan:
1. They are insane in the winter, and of course quite fun to drive. 
2. My last car was a standard Impreza and it literally saved my ass. A girl ran a red light and t-boned me on the drivers side going 60 mph+. I walked away from that accident.

Anyway, I've had this guy for close to a year now and still love the F out of it. Going to try to take it to the track today depending on weather.


----------



## troyguitar

The new WRX being offered only in sedan form is most heinous. Whoever made that decision has brought shame upon his family.


----------



## solarian

Agreed! looks like crap..


----------



## BigBaldIan

Is it just me or is the styling of the new WRX more akin to an old Evo?


----------



## Joose

^Yes it does. They would have been wise to keep the concept's looks.


----------



## ghostred7

Back in 2003, I fell in LOVE with my 1st new car purchase. It was the never-before-heard-of-at-the-time Mazda 6. Thanks to a giant sand dune in OBX + herniated disk, I had to get rid of her and get the craptacular Jeep I have right now. 

This is her circa 2004-2006 after I added some rims and tint:





That being said....I'm now in the market for a new 2015 Mazda 6 now that Mazda isn't any longer part of Ford. We've decided on "Soul Red" and it'll look very similar to this when I get it.


----------



## troyguitar

Mazda has some good cars right now in the 3, mx5, and 6. Simple and effective.

I still kind of like the idea of an RX8 myself as a fun daily driver if they weren't so unreliable and terrible on gas.


----------



## Joose

^I've almost bought an RX-8 multiple times. I test drove one about a week before I bought my old Magnum R/T; so much fun! But my favorite part of that test drive? The salesman, about 2 minutes into the drive, "This is one of our more premium cars, I have to keep the test drive under 5 minutes"

To which, knowing my cars, I replied, "You mean, you don't want me to watch that fuel drop down 1/8 of a tank over the best 10-15 minutes?"

20 minute test drive.


----------



## Maniacal

Just got an Impreza STi, awesome car.


----------



## groverj3

I have a 2007 Chevy Cobalt 

If you're wondering, "Isn't that the model which has all those recalls related to spontaneously turning off while driving, or the key mysteriously falling out of the ignition while it's running?" Yes, yes it is.

It also doesn't like to start right now. It always works on the second attempt though!

Yeah, I'm poor, yay grad school!


----------



## Maniacal

This car is soooo much nicer than my Boxster


----------



## MFB

Any of you guys try out the new Dart SXT? Now that I'm in the market for a new car I'm probably gonna test one along with the new Corolla, Civic, and Chevy Cruze, but was wondering if anyone had feedback on them.


----------



## Joose

^Not just because I'm a Mopar guy, but the Dart is much better value for money than the rest of those. I have not driven one myself, but I have a lot friends with them and every one loves it. They look great, lots of options, a good Fiat engine, etc.


----------



## cwhitey2

I'm also in the mood for a new car...doesn't have to be "new". But i would like to try and keep it under 26-27k. 

I'm currently driving a Kia Forte (I bought it because financially it was the best decision at the time, I haven't had to put more then $300 in her, which was just tires.) Shes a plain Jane with a decent stereo. I want something with features, previously I have a Mazda Protege5, which was honestly one of the best cars ill probably ever have. I put 130k on her and she finally quit because of a timing belt at 245k.

I need a car that will be baller, performance or feature wise. I dont care which.  


Anyways MY top 5:

1) New Subaru BRZ havent driven one yet, if anyone has chime in please!
2) Subaru WRX - not new but close
3) BMW 328i iDrive - used..i aint that rich
4) Acura TL
5) 03 C class 4Matic (6 speed manual super charged) with 45k on her - my friend (hes an older guy) bought the car a couple years ago maybe put 15k on her. Its sitting in his garage and he'll sell to me for 8-10k - this is like my safety net car has everything I want its just a 2003



Basically if it falls into my price range ill look at it.

Have you guys owned any of these except for the obvious WRX?


----------



## asher

As stated, own a 2006 330i (ed: no iDrive, but I have used the other ones). My parents also have an 11/12 X5 (with iDrive). I've also spent a little time in various years of 3 series as loaners.

The more recent the iDrive, the much better. The initial year (06) was awful. I'm not exactly sure which year it got better (08?) but it's something to be aware of.

I love the way my 330 drives. The extra power and torque is nice, and the manual is great, so I do advise going for the manual if you can/are interested. The auto trannies are alright though. My *bigger* recommendation is to get one with the Performance/Sport package, as the adjustments to the suspension and steering make a _huge_ and very positive difference in how the car feels. This is absolutely 100% the biggest thing I notice whenever I drive another 3 series.

Also the sport seats are some of the best seats I've ever used in a car, in terms of fitting me.


----------



## cwhitey2

asher said:


> As stated, own a 2006 330i (ed: no iDrive, but I have used the other ones). My parents also have an 11/12 X5 (with iDrive). I've also spent a little time in various years of 3 series as loaners.
> 
> The more recent the iDrive, the much better. The initial year (06) was awful. I'm not exactly sure which year it got better (08?) but it's something to be aware of.
> 
> I love the way my 330 drives. The extra power and torque is nice, and the manual is great, so I do advise going for the manual if you can/are interested. The auto trannies are alright though. My *bigger* recommendation is to get one with the Performance/Sport package, as the adjustments to the suspension and steering make a _huge_ and very positive difference in how the car feels. This is absolutely 100% the biggest thing I notice whenever I drive another 3 series.
> 
> Also the sport seats are some of the best seats I've ever used in a car, in terms of fitting me.



Good to hear!


I'm really leaning to a BMW with 40k miles on her or something along those lines...for performance and luxury. 

That BRZ though has peaked my interest!


----------



## asher

cwhitey2 said:


> Good to hear!
> 
> 
> I'm really leaning to a BMW with 40k miles on her or something along those lines...for performance and luxury.
> 
> That BRZ though has peaked my interest!



I picked up mine with 44k miles on her, in 09. Nearly 100 now.

As far as the BRZ, my friend has the Scion version and loves it, so I'd do some research as to which version to grab there.


----------



## troyguitar

MFB said:


> Any of you guys try out the new Dart SXT? Now that I'm in the market for a new car I'm probably gonna test one along with the new Corolla, Civic, and Chevy Cruze, but was wondering if anyone had feedback on them.



The Civic Si is the best new car in that range by far IMO. Best handling, best power delivery, best resale value, and a pretty decent interior compared to the lower trim levels.

If you do go with the Dart though, look at the GT trim compared to the SXT. The seats in particular are way nicer on the GT. That alone is worth the price difference.

For cwhitey2: Look at the new 2015 WRX and 2015 Mustang if you can, then drive something like a 2015 VW GTI to compare. They're all about the same price and have very different features and feels, but all 3 are at the top of their class.


----------



## cwhitey2

troyguitar said:


> For cwhitey2: Look at the new 2015 WRX and 2015 Mustang if you can, then drive something like a 2015 VW GTI to compare. They're all about the same price and have very different features and feels, but all 3 are at the top of their class.



I have my eyes on a new WRX I think I can get for around 26-27. Did they remodel the 2015 WRX?

AND I completely forgot about the GTI that should have been on my list as well.


----------



## troyguitar

WRX, Mustang, and GTI are all new for 2015. I have not driven any of them but reviews are indicating that all 3 are better than their predecessors, which were already good.

It's a good year to be looking at a new fun car.


----------



## Joose

Drove a 2011 ZR1 this morning for about 20-30 mins. 

Ummmmmm, wow. That is DIFFICULT without the aids off. I turned them back on, as it it just wasn't the risk in someone else's car. Even with them on, a 2nd gear pull from 40 was INSANE.

What a car. WHAT A CAR!


----------



## ddtonfire

Extremely jealous. Once I get my college loans paid off, I'll be very seriously eying that or a C6 Z06.


----------



## Joose

Yeah man. I really want a C6 Z06. But yeah the ZR1 was very difficult with the driver aids on. The traction control basically just stays activated. 

Seriously smooth driving machine though. That transmission was outstanding. Still can't believe he let me hoon it though. Then again, that was apparently one of his "cheap" cars. Said he also has a Ferrari F430 Spyder, Rolls Royce Ghost, Mercedes SL63 AMG, Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black and a Porsche Carrera GT that doesn't work.


----------



## asher

Joose said:


> Porsche Carrera GT that doesn't work.



*BLASPHEMY*

See if you can work your way up the stable, that's insane


----------



## Joose

asher said:


> *BLASPHEMY*
> 
> See if you can work your way up the stable, that's insane



That would be amazing, but I'm moving in 2 weeks unfortunately.

As for the CGT, he said it has about 25k miles on it, the wing doesn't pop up and the car shuts itself off mid-drive. He said Porsche is going to fix it next month.

Also, and I quote, "The F430's top doesn't come up anymore, but who the .... thinks the Spyder looks good with it up anyway? It's hideous."


----------



## ddtonfire

Joose said:


> Yeah man. I really want a C6 Z06. But yeah the ZR1 was very difficult with the driver aids on. The traction control basically just stays activated.



My old roommate has a C6 Z06 with some nice mods (huge cam, straight pipes). It sounds like it can barely idle the cam's so big. I've never seen a speedometer rise so fast. He pulled a football field on me in my M 60-120.


----------



## ShadowAMD

My Focus ST is coming to the end of its lease, this time I want to buy a car outright. Trying to decide between the new Leon Cupra 2.0 280HP TSI, a second hand 2009 ish? Lexus ISF 5.0L V8, but fuel is EXPENSIVE in the UK so that's a maybe. Or a 2011 BMW 335d, only thing is everyone seems to have a BMW over here .

If anybody has some suggestions let me know.


----------



## troyguitar

335d is supposed to be an awesome yet terrible car from what I've heard, at least over here. Most people seem to have nothing but problems with them. If they were more reliable it would be one of the best commuter cars on the market.


----------



## Joose

fapfapfapfapfapfapfapfap

Now they just need to release the power/performance figures.


----------



## Joose

Hmmm... I think a tire replacement before my 2,200 mile drive may be in order. Damn twisty desert roads, making me drive all enthusiastically.


----------



## ddtonfire

Nah, they look fine to me.


----------



## Joose

You think so? Tires aren't something I have great knowledge of.

Someone just said "Yeah, if you don't want a blowout in the middle of Texas", but i have no idea where his knowledge sits either. It looks like that tire may have been a little low the last time I went and had fun on the twistys.

Here's a photo with a larger view, don't know why i uploaded that other one.


----------



## Joose

Well, not worth the risk. I hate those Goodyear tires anyway, so I just ordered some Hankooks. Loved them on my Magnum.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^

On the second picture, the right hand shoulder is almost worn smooth. Moreover if you look at the right hand groove, about 2/3rds of the way down you can see a perpendicular "bridge" spanning it. In the UK if tyre wear hits that bridge, the tyre is illegal IIRC.

In short, for spirited driving get those boots swapped.


----------



## Joose

^Yeah. Wouldn't be doing any spirited driving on my journey across the country, but I certainly don't want a blowout in the middle of Oklahoma or some shit lol.


----------



## asher

Joose said:


> ^Yeah. Wouldn't be doing any spirited driving on my journey across the country, but I certainly don't want a blowout in the middle of Oklahoma or some shit lol.



IDK man. Sometimes always you really wanna get through Kansas/West Kansas (east of Denver CO)... and I've wound up on some sweet windy roads in West Virginia by accident


----------



## BigBaldIan

Joose said:


> ^Yeah. Wouldn't be doing any spirited driving on my journey across the country, but I certainly don't want a blowout in the middle of Oklahoma or some shit lol.



Any tyre has the potential to fail catastrophically, clue me in on the blowout in Oklahoma.


----------



## Joose

^Very true, but I'm doing what I can to avoid it lol. The last time I got stranded was in Oklahoma; I was riding shotgun with with a friend and his Mercedes' electronics went haywire. Had to wait 5 hours for AAA to get to us and during that time a tornado dropped about 3 miles away. Luckily, it went the other direction. I am not a fan of that part of the country lol.



asher said:


> IDK man. Sometimes always you really wanna get through Kansas/West Kansas (east of Denver CO)... and I've wound up on some sweet windy roads in West Virginia by accident



Wellllll, since I'm driving from Las Vegas to Charlotte NC by myself and need to not take more than 2 days, I don't think i'll have the energy for anything crazy lol.


----------



## asher

Oooooof. Good luck!


----------



## Joel

ShadowAMD said:


> My Focus ST is coming to the end of its lease, this time I want to buy a car outright. Trying to decide between the new Leon Cupra 2.0 280HP TSI, a second hand 2009 ish? Lexus ISF 5.0L V8, but fuel is EXPENSIVE in the UK so that's a maybe. Or a 2011 BMW 335d, only thing is everyone seems to have a BMW over here .
> 
> If anybody has some suggestions let me know.



I'd go for the BMW. I know 2 people who have both had issues with the turbo on their Seat. 

I like the new 1 series and the Mercedes A Class for the hatchback though. 

And I LOVE the CLA.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Joose said:


> Very true, but I'm doing what I can to avoid it lol. The last time I got stranded was in Oklahoma; I was riding shotgun with with a friend and his Mercedes' electronics went haywire. Had to wait 5 hours for AAA to get to us and during that time a tornado dropped about 3 miles away. Luckily, it went the other direction. I am not a fan of that part of the country lol.



I would make a Toto quote (albeit realising Oklahoma and not Kansas), but being stuck in tornado country without an exit route...FRRRRRPPPP!


----------



## troyguitar

That tire looks like it didn't have nearly enough air in it. Your heavy car probably needs like 45 psi. My 4100 lb S4 was like that, had to pump the shit out of the tires to keep the sidewalls from wearing excessively during cornering.


----------



## ddtonfire

I autocross on my street tires and they usually look like that after a few runs. I bump up my pressure 2 psi when I run; next time I'll use chalk marks to see if it's rolling at all during cornering. But yeah, new tires might be a good idea, especially because those desert roads eat them up like mad.


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> That tire looks like it didn't have nearly enough air in it. Your heavy car probably needs like 45 psi. My 4100 lb S4 was like that, had to pump the shit out of the tires to keep the sidewalls from wearing excessively during cornering.



I keep them at 32, but I do think it was a little low the last time I had some fun though. Tires for my car are rated at 32psi and also what the inside of my door says. I can't imagine running 45 would be a good idea. That would be a crazy harsh ride and no grip.

The worst was when i first got the car, all the tires were filled with nitrogen. When I got it inspected (before the return period was over), those morons dropped the psi because they thought it was too high. Fvckers dropped all 4 down to 26psi. Then, when I asked them to refill them, they did so with air, not nitrogen. 

My rear tires are still running an air/nitrogen mixture lol.


----------



## Joose

Need. Hard. Acceleration. Video.

Sinister factory note!


----------



## troyguitar

So we tested the new Mazda 3 today, looking at new car options for the gf's 150 mile per day commute.

It is a great car as long as you don't care about speed. They now offer basically every luxury feature in addition to hitting 40 mpg highway on regular gas - all for $25k. The seats on the 3i Grand Touring model are also great.


----------



## asher

troyguitar said:


> So we tested the new Mazda 3 today, looking at new car options for the gf's 150 mile per day commute.
> 
> It is a great car as long as you don't care about speed. They now offer basically every luxury feature in addition to hitting 40 mpg highway on regular gas - all for $25k. The seats on the 3i Grand Touring model are also great.



Soooo have they updated the speed3 yet?


----------



## Joose

Another clip of Greenpeace's new favorite car:



Kills me to hear someone rev something so lovely while it's still cold, but I guess it's just a demo car anyway.


----------



## troyguitar

asher said:


> Soooo have they updated the speed3 yet?



Not yet, but it's going to be good. The interior on the new 3 is great. Give it the power and LSD of the Speed3 and it will be perhaps the new best FWD car on the market.


----------



## musicaldeath

I'll just leave this here. Such a fun car to drive.


----------



## ddtonfire

How did you get to do that?


----------



## musicaldeath

I drive it quite a bit actually. It's my boss'. He always needs a hand juggling vehicles or what not, and almost always gives me the keys to this one (as he doesn't want anyone responsible for his wife's car). He is a super cool guy, and wants everyone to have fun. He is a big car guy and so am I.


----------



## maliciousteve

Joose said:


> Another clip of Greenpeace's new favorite car:
> 
> 
> 
> Kills me to hear someone rev something so lovely while it's still cold, but I guess it's just a demo car anyway.




 oh f*ck


----------



## Joose

maliciousteve said:


> oh f*ck



Yeah pretty much. A friend of mine said, "all muscle cars ever sound like trucks" when he heard it. I told him I want to live where he lives if trucks sound like that. 

Then again, this is the same guy who said M3's are just 325i's with a body kit.


----------



## MikeH

New Audi A3 Clubsport Quattro concept.


----------



## MFB

Drove a 2013/14 Corolla today, nice little car and I was really surprised at how much they packed in the dashboard given it's got the rear camera. Gonna try a Chevy Cruze and Honda Civic later this week and see if anything sticks.


----------



## MikeH

I own a 2012 Cruze LT, and while I was hesitant at first because it "doesn't look fast", I actually love it. Extremely comfortable drive, roomy interior, and the gas mileage is great. I want to upgrade some things on it, like finding some of the LTZ RS wheels and dropping it a bit, but other than that, I really like it a lot.


----------



## Forrest_H

Welp, time to look like a rich, privileged bastard child.

This was my first car, from a year ago. 2000 Mercedes-Benz W208 CLK 430. My dad got it for relatively cheap for what a Benz should normally cost, so don't make fun of me 







This is my step up. 1999 Porsche 996 911 Targa. These are surprisingly cheap, if you can find them. My dad got it for $22000. I was in the process of making payments to him for it, but the engine died. Assuming it's not the IMS bearing failure that runs rampant in these cars, I'll be rebuilding the engine and buying every single reinforced part I can with this car. I adore it, it made me fall in love with fast cars and such. I have so many memories with it; road trips with my dad, learning to drive stick in it, racing with my buddy in his BMW e46 M3... I'll sound like a pussy, but when the engine died, I nearly burst into tears.


----------



## asher

I've gotta get some good pictures of our '73 911E from my dad.

Over 360k miles  family car!


----------



## Lickers

I was going to start a thread to see what other things SSO guys are interested in - outside of gear - that ends up sucking up all of your money and puts you into a GAS like state of existence. 
Seeing as cars are a typical example, here's two of mine...

1988 Alpina B10





1998 BMW 840Ci Sport





My daily is a 2014 VW Passat Wagon so the less I say about that, the better.


----------



## UV7BK4LIFE

At the moment I'm seriously considering a Lancia Delta:










The black one really needs lowered suspension imo.


----------



## narad

Lickers said:


> I was going to start a thread to see what other things SSO guys are interested in - outside of gear - that ends up sucking up all of your money and puts you into a GAS like state of existence.
> Seeing as cars are a typical example, here's two of mine...
> 
> 1988 Alpina B10
> 
> 1998 BMW 840Ci Sport



Nice! I always thought the 840Ci was the closest to a real production run of the M1 design cues we'll ever see.


----------



## Joose

Good ol' Daytona taking me on yet another massive drive. I leave in 10 hours. Let's see what kind of gas mileage I can manage this time. Last time I did a drive this long I averaged 32mpg; not bad!


----------



## Vrollin

Joose said:


> Good ol' Daytona taking me on yet another massive drive. I leave in 10 hours. Let's see what kind of gas mileage I can manage this time. Last time I did a drive this long I averaged 32mpg; not bad!



Dat car! Drool!


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> Good ol' Daytona taking me on yet another massive drive. I leave in 10 hours. Let's see what kind of gas mileage I can manage this time. Last time I did a drive this long I averaged 32mpg; not bad!



You got 32 in that thing? 

My Z06 only does 27 unless you go like 55 mph, then it can just barely hit 30.


----------



## Joose

Vrollin said:


> Dat car! Drool!



You Aussies do have great taste in cars! 



troyguitar said:


> You got 32 in that thing?
> 
> My Z06 only does 27 unless you go like 55 mph, then it can just barely hit 30.



Multi-Displacement System. I haven't managed 32 so far (I'm somewhere in Texas), but it's been mostly uphill and full of truckers cutting me off. That said, at 80mph I've been getting 28mpg.


Edit: Also, here's a photo I took in New Mexico; may only have a small part of my car, but I'm in love with the photo!


----------



## shadscbr

Joose said:


> Good ol' Daytona taking me on yet another massive drive. I leave in 10 hours. Let's see what kind of gas mileage I can manage this time. Last time I did a drive this long I averaged 32mpg; not bad!



Good luck on your trip!! 

You need to modify the end of your route to hit the tail of the dragon 
Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, motorcycle and sport car two lane tourism serving Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, Cherohala Skyway, Moonshiner28, Devils Triangle, and Six Gap North Georgia.

Shad


----------



## flyingV

just checked my imgur account and found this picture of our old '96 Volvo V70. The red 740 belongs to a friend of mine. This was taken on our way to Rock am Ring 2012, those cars are perfect for Festivals and hauling gear to gigs


----------



## asher

Needs an anarchy flag (more top gear references, woo!)

I managed to get near on 30mpg doing 85 most of the way cross country (repeatedly. I've done the trip at least three or four times each way), but I get terrible mpg in the city.


----------



## maliciousteve

Just got back from a short trip with my family. I drove in my Fiat Punto nearly 300 miles to where we were staying, another 100 or so miles during the trip and then another 300 miles back home today. 

No problems what so ever with my car and I averaged around 46 mpg (driving around 65 mph on average). I think the 300 mile trip cost around £35-£40 which is pretty good I think.

Still wish I drove a fecking Mustang though


----------



## Lickers

flyingV said:


> just checked my imgur account and found this picture of our old '96 Volvo V70. The red 740 belongs to a friend of mine. This was taken on our way to Rock am Ring 2012, those cars are perfect for Festivals and hauling gear to gigs


 
The question is...do you take them around the 'ring?


----------



## Forrest_H

WHY DID THE ENGINE DIE DAMN IT

oh well tear-down in progress


----------



## asher

:'(


----------



## Forrest_H

On a side note, this is my sisters first car. I'm not at all complaining about my car, because I'm lucky to even have one, let alone a fast as hell mercedes, but it's still, like...






SHE CAN'T EVEN DRIVE STICK AND IT PUMPS OUT 344 AT THE WHEELS BASED ON THE DYNO AND THE TIRES ARE SHOT AND IT SLIDES LIKE CRAZY JUST ON THE _DRY_ AND SHE'S 15 WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-


----------



## tacotiklah

I have a new object of desire in my life...












6.2L V8 that puts out over 600hp. I also opted for them to put in custom Brembo braking systems in both the front and rear with carbon metallic performance brake pads. With it going from 0-60 in just under 4 seconds, I need it to stop on a dime too. I'd probably opt to put some sporty dunlop tires that are rated for 150mph on it after I got it (assuming I'll ever have the 79k for this  ).


----------



## troyguitar

Forrest_H said:


> On a side note, this is my sisters first car. I'm not at all complaining about my car, because I'm lucky to even have one, let alone a fast as hell mercedes, but it's still, like...
> 
> [C5 FRC]
> 
> SHE CAN'T EVEN DRIVE STICK AND IT PUMPS OUT 344 AT THE WHEELS BASED ON THE DYNO AND THE TIRES ARE SHOT AND IT SLIDES LIKE CRAZY JUST ON THE _DRY_ AND SHE'S 15 WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-



Your sister just became both the coolest and hottest kid in school.

Get her some new Michelin A/S 3's and plan on a clutch replacement if she is using that car to learn


----------



## asher

I felt like actually contributing, so I dug this up.


----------



## troyguitar

So we ended up trading the TT in for a new Mazda 3 hatchback last week. She was tired of the sports car suspension and 24 mpg on premium. The new 3 does 40 mpg on regular and actually handles pretty well. It's only 28xx lbs which is ridiculously light for a modern car, roughly the same as the BRZ 






The seats in it are damn nice too.






I also cleaned up the Vibe GT on Sunday and the thing looks pretty damn decent for a 10 year old econobox with 120k miles on it. Bright ass red paint is bright 






Expect new Z06 pics sometime in the next couple of weeks, everything is finally coming together on that. For now I actually kind of like the Vibe, a light-ish car with super short gearing and 8300 RPM redline is fun even though it is slow.


----------



## Forrest_H

troyguitar said:


> Your sister just became both the coolest and hottest kid in school.
> 
> Get her some new Michelin A/S 3's and plan on a clutch replacement if she is using that car to learn



Seriously man. I'm almost positive that the car's been modded, it what looks like a full Z06 exhaust or a more open look alike, and maybe my dad was just remembering wrong, but he claims that it feels faster than his other 2 FRCs. The clutch seems to be at least working, but it does feel a bit rough to me on starts. The clutch on that thing is so weird to me, man. It's just so much different than the 911, where you had to learn where the engagement point began. On this, it's like "Here, I'll help. Actually, you know what? I'll do it for you. It's fine buddy "  it's weird to get used to how easy it is. I'm not sure what tires we're going to slap on it, my dad wants to get these super sticky Continentals on the rear. Makes sense, his E60 M5 (dynoed at 445 rwhp after just a muffler delete and new air filter ) is way harder to slide now. 

What's funny about my school is that the parking lot is lined with brand new BMWs, new Camaros, Challengers, etc.... Basically looks like a Corporate parking lot rather than a high school lot... and I still got the side marker on the CLK ripped off, as well as key marks, a mirror basically destroyed by a newly licensed driver in his far-too-large truck, and a really, REALLY bad set of key marks when I started making payments to my dad towards the 911, within the first week of me driving it.  I'm hoping he realizes that the Corvette is not a good car for ANYONE, much less a teenage girl. Not just because of the power and horrible traction, but because that color on the C5 FRC is extremely rare. Nassau Blue FRCs numbered at like the 200-300 car range. She would likely be better off with an older 5 series or Volvo


----------



## troyguitar

That is nuts. I drove a 1993 Buick Century in high school.

One good thing about the C5 is it's actually pretty reliable, cheap to own/maintain/insure, and has good street manners for such a high performance car.

Between the super long gearing, traction control, and active handling it is damn near impossible to lose control in my Z06. As long as you don't treat the throttle like an on-off switch it's even super tame without the traction control. I have 380 whp at 3100 lbs and never spin the tires around town, even in the rain.


----------



## flyingV

Lickers said:


> The question is...do you take them around the 'ring?


Haha I would´ve loved to 
The 450km Trip to the ring was funny enough, my friend had 5 people and way too much stuff in his 740, that poor 100hp engine had trouble climbing over 100 kp/h when we got into the more hilly area around the ring (We're from north germany, it's quite flat here)

Too bad we had to let go the green V70.. Even though we got a brand new one, I still love that old car to death.


----------



## ddtonfire

I'm glad I didn't have anything like that in HS. I was bad enough with the V6 in my 95 Maxima then.

Yeah, I'm pretty jealous.


----------



## asher

My highschool was kind of like that (small and private). Definitely not everyone, but there were people in the "crash your Mercedes, get a new BMW!" crowd. I was pretty happy with my Mazda 3


----------



## ghostred7

Just picked this up yesterday!!!


----------



## Lickers

Forrest_H said:


> WHY DID THE ENGINE DIE DAMN IT
> 
> oh well tear-down in progress



Let me guess...IMS bearing failure or bore wear?

I was going to get a 996 this year but the amount of horror stories really turned me off them.


----------



## Joose

In High School, I had a dark blue 2001 Pontiac Grand Am SE with the 3.4L V6. I almost died so many times in that car. Not because it was fast, but because it was slow and I was one of those guys who wanted to go fast so bad that I would often forget that I was _not_ driving a fast car and do stupid shit.


----------



## Forrest_H

Lickers said:


> Let me guess...IMS bearing failure or bore wear?
> 
> I was going to get a 996 this year but the amount of horror stories really turned me off them.



I'm still not completely sure what the hell happened. 

Basically, while driving it after the rain, the engine light came on, and it was throwing cylinder misfire codes. When it dried, the problem went away. I had read about the coil packs cracking, and the cylinders not firing because of the water that seeps in, since the engine is literally right next to the rear wheel well. I thought it was a simple fix, so my dad and I ordered the parts, and we thought everything was okay. 

A week later, the car did the same thing, cylinder misfire. It ran okay like this, and I was going like 6 miles down the road, so I kept going. Then, the car died. Right in the middle of the road. I was absolutely frantic trying to get the damned thing going again, but it just would not start. My dad wasn't much of a help, since he was drunk and trying to... er... "receive pleasure" from his ex girlfriend. He basically just said "call a tow truck and don't .... anything else up," not understanding I am on the main road of our neighborhood, and there are quite a few cars passing by, most of them throwing middle fingers. Eventually, the car started, but it wouldn't stay running. I had to rev it in neutral at every light just to keep it running. 

When my dad had sobered up the next day, we backed it in, and I saw a ton of blue smoke coming from the right exhaust. We went to change the coil pack on the driver's side, and found the plug almost completely flattened. We were freaked out, and checked the other cylinders, which seemed to be okay. The passenger side was completely fine. We drained the oil, and found little bits of metal, as well as _coolant_, and my heart sank. Luckily, they were the same color and thickness of the missing spark plug chunks, so it wasn't the ims bearing. We had a scope and checked the cylinder to see the damage, and saw that the valves were just absolutely screwed. The piston had dents, but we later learned from a shop that races 911s all the time that it's actually normal wear and tear (I was confused too, but they showed us pictures of engine rebuilds they'd done with the same dented pistons). We wanted to take off the headers to see if we could find more, and... coolant on the drivers side poured out in a massive amount. 

I called shop after shop after shop trying to get _someone_ who knew their way around 911s to just look at the damned thing. Eventually, my dad visited the old tuning shop he used to take his cars to for modding, and found out that the team they worked/raced on drove 911s pretty much exclusively. He told us it was probably a head gasket leak, so we had him yank the engine out and send it to us. 

The bad news: I don't have an engine jack.
I don't have an engine lift.
My dad is going to be in China most of this summer, so I can either wait for him to come back, or try to do it myself. Since my dad has always been a diy kind of guy, I know a bit about working on cars, but he would always send out the current car he had for major repairs.
I might possibly find something horribly wrong with the car, and my dream car will be dead.

The good news: IMS bearing is completely intact. It's not close to dying, but I'm replacing that as soon as I get the better one in the mail. 
When we checked the cams before deeming the car dead, the chains were all perfectly fine. 
The guy pointed out the gunk of coolant around the driver's side head gasket, and said that he was fairly sure the head gasket just blew.
My buddy has an engine jack and lift. 
I am not waiting for 3 months to fix the damn car I waited and prayed so long for.
There are tons of workshop manuals _and_ DIY guides for engine rebuilding.

TL;DR 

BAD THINGS HAPPENED BUT I THINK I CAN FIX THEM LOLOLOL


----------



## Forrest_H

troyguitar said:


> That is nuts. I drove a 1993 Buick Century in high school.
> 
> One good thing about the C5 is it's actually pretty reliable, cheap to own/maintain/insure, and has good street manners for such a high performance car.
> 
> Between the super long gearing, traction control, and active handling it is damn near impossible to lose control in my Z06. As long as you don't treat the throttle like an on-off switch it's even super tame without the traction control. I have 380 whp at 3100 lbs and never spin the tires around town, even in the rain.



I'm extremely lucky to be surrounded by these cars, so much so that I'm actually embarrassed to talk about them. 

My dad's had a ton of C5s (Many FRCs and 2 Z06s), and I know how awesome those things are. When my dad first got one brand new when I was little, I thought it was a space ship 

I think once the tires are replaced, the car will be much better. My sister doesn't even know what traction control is  I drive the CLK with it off all of the time, and she always asks what the yellow triangle light with an exclamation mark inside means. I think she'll be okay.



ddtonfire said:


> I'm glad I didn't have anything like that in HS. I was bad enough with the V6 in my 95 Maxima then.
> 
> Yeah, I'm pretty jealous.



I honestly think that's the best for first cars. Kids do not need what I've seen in my parking lot, nor do they need a Mercedes or Corvette. I feel extremely bad for the state of decay the car went to as I've driven it. Granted, the previous owner did a lot of bad stuff to it (Broke the bumper cover and nailed, yes, _nailed_ wood screws into the body to keep it from falling off, led lights all over the underside of the hood, blue bulb interior lights, rear purple felt lining in the back...), but it still makes me sad that this car was once an $80,000 car that, in good condition, still looks so sick nowadays. I'm hoping my dad will just keep the c5, and get my sister like a 5 series _at the most._


----------



## troyguitar

E39 530i is where it's at, I almost got one to use as a daily driver before deciding that I wanted to stick with a hatch/wagon.


----------



## ddtonfire

One of my hobbies is autocross. These are two runs from this past weekend:


----------



## TheStig1214

Necrobumping this thread because I found it a few weeks ago but didn't want to post a pic of my broken car. Finally got her back from the shop after having the liftgate, rear bumper and rear passenger brake light replaced and rear passenger quarter panel touched up (I got hit by a Ram 1500 at Guitar Center D: ).

This is my baby (besides my IC300 and Laney VH100). She hauls my 6'2" frame and all my shit everywhere and gets 30MPG average to boot. 6 speed manual and a turbo means I can wipe any Mustang GT any day, though


----------



## troyguitar

Is that a JCW? I don't know much about the new mini's besides that they're not nearly as mini as they used to be


----------



## asher

Forgot to post this.


----------



## TheStig1214

troyguitar said:


> Is that a JCW? I don't know much about the new mini's besides that they're not nearly as mini as they used to be



Nope just a regular old 2011 Cooper S. I wish it was a JCW. Maybe after I run this one into the ground haha. I've tried getting in old Minis at an all British car show I go to every year, I do not fit sadly. Which is a shame, I want to own an Austin.

On another note though, I got the emblem off the old liftgate and will be attaching it to my 2x12 cab, as well as giving it Mini-inspired racing stripes. So my quarter stack will be a "Mini stack"


----------



## ddtonfire

asher said:


> Forgot to post this.




Welcome to the club!


----------



## Joose

So... The SRT Challenger Hellcat... will have 707bhp.

I love you, Dodge!


----------



## ddtonfire

Somebody better warn all roadside trees and telephone poles!


----------



## TheStig1214

ddtonfire said:


> Somebody better warn all roadside trees and telephone poles!



Same goes for houses at the ends of straightaways.


----------



## ddtonfire

Wat is understeer?


----------



## Skrapmetal

Hrm, I can't remember if I posted this here or not. My bigger toys.

I let the Lightning go a while ago, but I miss it sometimes.


----------



## Forrest_H

Well, bad news about the 911...

So, we tore down the engine right down to the block, and found problems immediately at the head. What had happened was (either from me missing a shift, which I can't remember doing at all so I doubt that was the issue, or something else entirely) a valve had managed to get itself sideways, which the piston smashed into several times before that cylinder just failed. While that is bad, A piston and valve could be replaced... but it gets worse. The 3.6 liter block is actually made up of two removable halves, and the side where the piston was damaged cracked. 

So, financially, the car isn't worth it. It would be stupid to throw money into it. 

However...

F*ck that. I'm not letting this thing die. The cracks might be spot-weldable, or I can find (if I look hard enough) the right half of the block somewhere in the U.S.

TL;DR:

Engine broke. Bad. Forrest Sad. But Forrest not give up. Forrest Fix. Forrest dumb.


----------



## TheStig1214

Repainted my 2x12 cab today. I think I can call it a "Mini Stack" now


----------



## ddtonfire

Forrest_H said:


> Well, bad news about the 911...




Dude sorry to hear that. That reminds me of when we dropped a valve in my dad's Corvette we are restoring. Worst feeling ever, but I'm glad to hear you'll try to get her on the road again!


----------



## Nile

09 Impalla. They must install razor blades in the center console where the wires run through it cause twice the wire has come out for the key release and now the wire for the shifter got cut so it wont switch gears. ....ing garbage car.

Edit: Another wire just fell out.

WHAT THE FVCK.


----------



## Joose

^You MUST be a part of at least one of the 29 million recalls, right?

Also.. that Challenger Hellcat is rumored to be running 10.9's on stock 275's. Someone needs to throw some slicks on, stat; I need to see that time. I normally don't care all that much about drag racing, unless it's at a traffic light, but that is a pretty serious time for a stock, heavy car. Also going to guess it will run fastest with the 8 speed ZF; but the right driver and a 6 speed may still be able to take the title.


----------



## Nile

Joose said:


> ^You MUST be a part of at least one of the 29 million recalls, right?
> 
> Also.. that Challenger Hellcat is rumored to be running 10.9's on stock 275's. Someone needs to throw some slicks on, stat; I need to see that time. I normally don't care all that much about drag racing, unless it's at a traffic light, but that is a pretty serious time for a stock, heavy car. Also going to guess it will run fastest with the 8 speed ZF; but the right driver and a 6 speed may still be able to take the title.



Bought it used, wouldn't know.


----------



## atrfan1

I'm planning on buying a nice car next year, pretty set on the new Hellcat Challenger. Unless a nice 1st gen Camaro grabs my attention. Either way, beats the crappy motorcycle I have now!


----------



## Chickenhawk

Sorry to hear about your car, Nile. But, I wouldn't bank on the recall. I've got an 06 Equinox with ignition problems, and it's not part of the recall. I know a few people with GMs that have ignition issues, and only one of them has the right car to get it fixed. Garbage.


Also: Artsy shot of the wife's beater, covered in bugs, 30 minutes after we washed it...


----------



## Seanthesheep

well shit. The powersteering on my Vw MK4 TDI golf died today on the highway. Recently there was some groaning when turning at low speeds so I checked the fluid and it was low so I topped it up and now the powersteering is dead 90% of the time and the fluid is still fine. There havent been any warning or problem lights that have come up so I have no idea whats wrong, any ideas?


----------



## TheStig1214

Seanthesheep said:


> well shit. The powersteering on my Vw MK4 TDI golf died today on the highway. Recently there was some groaning when turning at low speeds so I checked the fluid and it was low so I topped it up and now the powersteering is dead 90% of the time and the fluid is still fine. There havent been any warning or problem lights that have come up so I have no idea whats wrong, any ideas?



I'd venture to guess it's the pump or the belt. Either way something you should probably get checked by a pro.


----------



## Hrimfaxi

Second ever post - Car thread! 

Thought i'd post up my '95 Rover Mini Cooper SPI. _Mostly_ standard. It's now sitting on 12x5" white Minilites..



DSC_0101 by Hrímfaxi, on Flickr



Rover Mini Cooper SPI by Hrímfaxi, on Flickr


----------



## TheStig1214

Hrimfaxi said:


> Second ever post - Car thread!
> 
> Thought i'd post up my '95 Rover Mini Cooper SPI. _Mostly_ standard. It's now sitting on 12x5" white Minilites..
> 
> 
> 
> DSC_0101 by Hrímfaxi, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> Rover Mini Cooper SPI by Hrímfaxi, on Flickr



Woot! Brethren (sorta, lol). Checked the rest of your pics, where is this sexy amalgamation of British motors?


----------



## Hrimfaxi

TheStig1214 said:


> Woot! Brethren (sorta, lol). Checked the rest of your pics, where is this sexy amalgamation of British motors?


 

That first one would of been Brooklands historic race circuit on a Mini day. The second one....can't remember haha. Always part of various shows all over the place, as shown by the crap loads posted on there hah, needs updating as it goes..

Loving your "Cooper Cab" up there! ^


----------



## TheStig1214

Hrimfaxi said:


> That first one would of been Brooklands historic race circuit on a Mini day. The second one....can't remember haha. Always part of various shows all over the place, as shown by the crap loads posted on there hah, needs updating as it goes..
> 
> Loving your "Cooper Cab" up there! ^



That is sweet. Reminds me of a show I go to annually up in Vermont (I'm from NY). It's all British cars, biggest in North America and quite possibly the western Hemisphere. Last year was the first year with my car.


----------



## Joose

atrfan1 said:


> I'm planning on buying a nice car next year, pretty set on the new Hellcat Challenger. Unless a nice 1st gen Camaro grabs my attention. Either way, beats the crappy motorcycle I have now!



There will be so much envy from me if you get a Hellcat.

Now there's the rumor that Charger will be getting the Hellcat treatment as well. A possible 707hp sedan? Count me in!

I'm fairly certain the 300 won't get that supercharged 6.2L Hemi, but maybe they'll throw it in the Grand Cherokee? Imagine that shit!


----------



## Forrest_H

Okay guys, opinion time.

So, the 911 isn't worth fixing, even to me. I priced out all of the parts and repairs I would need (Including what I can do on my own), and it's over $14k. On my income, I can't afford that. 

SO.

I'm looking at getting another vehicle (obviously), and here's what I've come up with.

Pontiac GTO (will likely rebadge it as a Holden )






Corvette C5, preferably a FRC (Can you tell I like black cars? )






wat do.


----------



## asher

Corvette.

GTOs are fvcking butt ugly and roll like tubs.


----------



## Forrest_H

asher said:


> Corvette.
> 
> GTOs are fvcking butt ugly and roll like tubs.



This was my initial thought too, but have you seen it's overseas cousin, the Holden Monaro?






something about that front just makes me tingly. Also, the GTO can be turboed for like $6k...

But then again the C5 is a C5 and that's enough


----------



## asher

Yeah, the Monaro's front is better, but still not that great IMO. And the back is turrble. If you could snag a G8 though...


----------



## TheStig1214

I give my vote to the GTO. I don't know how to explain it but the late 90s-early 2000s sport car styling like that always gets me. Drop a bitchin turbo in it and you have a sweet autocross/track day car.


----------



## Forrest_H

asher said:


> Yeah, the Monaro's front is better, but still not that great IMO. And the back is turrble. If you could snag a G8 though...



Actually, my dad got a G8 

That's honestly what made me want to get a GTO in the first place. I sort of liked Pontiac to begin with, but seeing what you can do to the LS powered Pontiacs made me want one.

I'll post pics of my dad's soon, we painted the grille black since the chrome bugged the crap out of us both 



TheStig1214 said:


> I give my vote to the GTO. I don't know how to explain it but the late 90s-early 2000s sport car styling like that always gets me. Drop a bitchin turbo in it and you have a sweet autocross/track day car.



That's sort of what I thought too... It's sort of ugly, but sort of badass at the same time


----------



## troyguitar

Forrest_H said:


> Okay guys, opinion time.
> 
> So, the 911 isn't worth fixing, even to me. I priced out all of the parts and repairs I would need (Including what I can do on my own), and it's over $14k. On my income, I can't afford that.
> 
> SO.
> 
> I'm looking at getting another vehicle (obviously), and here's what I've come up with.
> 
> Pontiac GTO (will likely rebadge it as a Holden )
> 
> Corvette C5, preferably a FRC (Can you tell I like black cars? )
> 
> wat do.



I *love *the G8 over the GTO personally, but I bought a C5 Z06 myself.

That being said, I have a 2nd car if I ever need 4 seats or ground clearance or cargo space. If it's your only car I'd lean toward a G8/GTO. Additionally consider the 2004-2007 CTS-V, 4-door LS6/LS2 with 6-speed manuals and just as cheap to buy these days.

FWIW you can turbo/supercharge C5's for just as cheap, $6k installed for 500+ whp SC kit. I've gone for handling and aesthetics over power first though.

Paint and other mod extravaganza is almost done on mine, teaser pic:


----------



## Joose

I'd go with an '05/'06 GTO for sure. Best seats in the world! Plus they're just really nice cars.


----------



## shadscbr

I think a CTS-V wagon w manual would be a great mix of power and utility ...good luck 

sorry about the Porsche 

Shad


----------



## Joose

CTS-V Wagons are hard to come by. I've only seen a couple, and that was when I lived in FL, where Caddys and Corvettes are around every corner. Seriously, I visited there last week and saw 3 C6 ZR1s.


----------



## ddtonfire

There are two CTS-V wagons I've seen in my city, one of which I raced and got my ass kicked. It was nice being behind it though, because the sound was glorious!

Speaking of racing, here's video from my auto-x runs this past weekend:



Raspy rasp rasp


----------



## asher

God I would love that as a hobby (also, that car). The one auto cross I've done was super fun!

I have some pictures actually, should maybe toss them up, though they're nowhere near as fun as video lol. A one day high performance driving class at Infineon in Sonoma, CA.


----------



## Joose

10.8 on drag radials, 11.2 on street tires. And though it's not likely going to devour corners, I'd like to see a Nurburgring time; power alone should give it a great lap time.


----------



## Forrest_H

After some consideration, I think I'm going to start looking for a C5 Z06. The GTO's and G8's are sick, but Corvettes actually have more sentimental value to me than the 911 ever did. My dad has had almost every single color of both the C5 Z06 and the FRC. Nassau blue basically just made it to where he's owned every color, haha. I remember sitting in the front sit as a little kid and screeching with laughter as he went around corners. I want a black one, since I'm boring and I like blacking things out lol. Hopefully one will pop up on Craigslist or in a dealership nearby.


----------



## ddtonfire

Nice, man! I've always wanted a Corvette since my dad has one. The C5Z's are usually pretty easy to find, and there's no better best bang for your buck performance-wise!


----------



## Joose

It has supposedly been leaked that the Challenger SRT Hellcat will have a starting price of $60k. For 707hp, 650lb-ft, a very nice interior, and looks and sounds that make children cry? Sounds fair to me!


----------



## Forrest_H

Joose said:


> It has supposedly been leaked that the Challenger SRT Hellcat will have a starting price of $60k. For 707hp, 650lb-ft, a very nice interior, and looks and sounds that make children cry? Sounds fair to me!



This the only Challenger (besides the original) that I like now. I like the 0-60 timer between the rev counter and speedometer


----------



## Joose

Forrest_H said:


> This the only Challenger (besides the original) that I like now. I like the 0-60 timer between the rev counter and speedometer



Well as much as I'd love to have a Hellcat, that is out of my near-future price range.

But, the 2015 392 Scat Pack with the Shaker will start at $38k. Buy one like a year after they come out, could be as low as $30k. The photo I attached isn't a Scat Pack, but it does have the shaker and the color I'd get.


----------



## texshred777

ddtonfire said:


> Nice, man! I've always wanted a Corvette since my dad has one. The C5Z's are usually pretty easy to find, and there's no better best bang for your buck performance-wise!


 

I'd love to buy a C5 Hardtop one day. I've seen them go under $10k. Great power, decent handling, and no frills. Would consider getting rid of the pop up headlights though.


----------



## Connor

Just ordered me a 2014 Mitsubishi Lancer (Pending Finance Approval)







New rims, a darker tint and some chrome around the windows/door handles and she'll be good to go


----------



## Joose

^Nice car. Congrats!


----------



## asher

Nice dude!

Finally, a picture of the family Porsche. 1973 911E, a custom old Mercedes color, over 360,000 miles on it.


----------



## Joose

Omg... the day I leave my phone at home, so i couldn't get photos, but I will see it again.

This guy at a car show tried to buy my car, but wasn't offering me quite enough. But that's not the best part. He let me take his car for a little 15 minute or so test drive.

1970 Charger R/T. Bought it as a rust bucket with no engine. Now? Daily driver; Plum Crazy paint, 392 Hemi out of a 2012 Challenger SRT8 stroked up to a 426, Brembo brakes, '08 Viper steering, a very nice modern 4 wheel independent suspension, modern 6 speed (I think it was from the same Chally as the engine), limited slip diff, etc. Said it has about 540bhp, around the same torque, it was absolute perfection. The entire build cost him less than $40k. 

Really made me want to strive for something extremely similar. Fvcking awesome.


----------



## Forrest_H

asher said:


> Nice dude!
> 
> Finally, a picture of the family Porsche. 1973 911E, a custom old Mercedes color, over 360,000 miles on it.



You're making me sad


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> Omg... the day I leave my phone at home, so i couldn't get photos, but I will see it again.
> 
> This guy at a car show tried to buy my car, but wasn't offering me quite enough. But that's not the best part. He let me take his car for a little 15 minute or so test drive.
> 
> 1970 Charger R/T. Bought it as a rust bucket with no engine. Now? Daily driver; Plum Crazy paint, 392 Hemi out of a 2012 Challenger SRT8 stroked up to a 426, Brembo brakes, '08 Viper steering, a very nice modern 4 wheel independent suspension, modern 6 speed (I think it was from the same Chally as the engine), limited slip diff, etc. Said it has about 540bhp, around the same torque, it was absolute perfection. The entire build cost him less than $40k.
> 
> Really made me want to strive for something extremely similar. Fvcking awesome.



I love cars like that. A modern car with an actual classic body is way better than the production stuff that just kind of looks like the old bodies. IIRC there are several outfits that do this with old Camaros and stuff too, some of them are even using full-on tube frames to really make the cars handle incredibly.


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> I love cars like that. A modern car with an actual classic body is way better than the production stuff that just kind of looks like the old bodies. IIRC there are several outfits that do this with old Camaros and stuff too, some of them are even using full-on tube frames to really make the cars handle incredibly.



I really need to do the same thing as him when I have the additional means. Other than color, I really do mean the same. Maybe a '69 instead of a '70, but I'd be happy with either. His looked amazing in Plum Crazy, but I'd do either black, sub lime or detonator yellow. His setup felt perfect. I was especially loving the way he had the transmission done, it had a Viper's shifter and everything was slotted and exposed, made that lovely metallic noise every time I shifted. Had a big ol' Inertia Motorsports SRT Max Cam in it, so it still sounded as old school as a modern V8 can. 

I can't find anything with his car online; I'd be posting that shit all over if it were my car. I felt like a total bad ass driving that thing around haha.


----------



## asher

Forrest_H said:


> You're making me sad



Sorry duder


----------



## Joose

Yes, Dodge is Hellcatting the Charger too and we have proof - Road & Track

World's most powerful (by FAR) production sedan will be a Charger? Hellllllllll yes!

I can't wait to see what it looks like. I think the 2015 design looks fantastic already. I know I'm a minority in that right now, but I was with the last 2 gens as well. People just really hate change at first.

Bring on the 707bhp sedan!


----------



## troyguitar

Put it in the Magnum.


----------



## Joose

They really should bring back the Magnum.


----------



## troyguitar

Car finally back from paint and one or two other mods:







It's a beast.


----------



## Joose

That color is ace, my friend.

What are these "one or two other mods", eh?


Edit: Also, anyone have experience with warped rotors? It's never happened to me, but I'm pretty sure it has now lol. A little shaky at higher speeds, not shaky but "serpentine-ish" under braking, some odd rubbing/clicking noises under light braking and especially turning before coming to a full stop. 

I'm not entirely sure what's happening, honestly. Maybe it's the control arm(s)? The clicking part while turning at least.

I suspect that the car having spent late '06-April '13 in Florida, then Denver till the end of February '14, Vegas till June and now Charlotte may have had some negative effects on some parts of the car. Hot and humid>Dry and (a few times) down to -30° (and lower)>dry as fvck and hot as fvck>Somewhat humid and decently hot. My poor baby..


----------



## Joose




----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> That color is ace, my friend.
> 
> What are these "one or two other mods", eh?
> 
> 
> Edit: Also, anyone have experience with warped rotors? It's never happened to me, but I'm pretty sure it has now lol. A little shaky at higher speeds, not shaky but "serpentine-ish" under braking, some odd rubbing/clicking noises under light braking and especially turning before coming to a full stop.
> 
> I'm not entirely sure what's happening, honestly. Maybe it's the control arm(s)? The clicking part while turning at least.
> 
> I suspect that the car having spent late '06-April '13 in Florida, then Denver till the end of February '14, Vegas till June and now Charlotte may have had some negative effects on some parts of the car. Hot and humid>Dry and (a few times) down to -30° (and lower)>dry as fvck and hot as fvck>Somewhat humid and decently hot. My poor baby..



copied from corvetteforum:

Some of the stuff on the car now:

Cray Brickyards 18x9.5 and 19x11
Bridgestone RE-11 265/35/18 and 305/30/19
Pfadt JOC shocks, sway bars, and end links
Phoenix delrin bushings kit
C6 Z51 caliper brackets with C5 calipers powdercoated yellow
DBA T3 4000 rotors
Stoptech Street Performance pads (for street/autox, swapping pads for track)
Vararam intake
Corsa Xtreme exhaust with x-pipe
Monster stage 2 clutch with 18 lb flywheel and remote bleeder
MTI Racing short shifter
Ron Davis radiator with integrated engine and trans oil coolers
Trans cooling pump behind LR fender
Improved Racing oil thermostat
LED tail lights, reverse lights, sidemarkers, parking lights and turn signals

Still need to install:
HID headlights
front brake spindle cooling ducts
Kenwood double DIN and speaker upgrade
Some sort of partition and maybe Vettenuts insulation kit
REAL SEATS, not sure which

It's hard to say what's causing your issues without driving the car, but pops/clicks/clunks is usually sway bar or control arm bushings (or CV joints but your car is RWD).


----------



## Joose

Damn, it sounds like you have a hell of a nice track Vette in the works man.


----------



## Joose

So... which one of you fine people wants to buy me the upcoming Charger SRT Hellcat?  

To have a sedan with 16 more hp and 139 more torques than a Lamborghini Aventador, with a warranty, would be all kinds of awesome. If it's priced like the Challenger Hellcat, that's about $84 per HP. Crazy.


----------



## maliciousteve

Joose said:


> So... which one of you fine people wants to buy me the upcoming Charger SRT Hellcat?
> 
> To have a sedan with 16 more hp and 139 more torques than a Lamborghini Aventador, with a warranty, would be all kinds of awesome. If it's priced like the Challenger Hellcat, that's about $84 per HP. Crazy.



Do it!


----------



## ddtonfire

Does it come in 6MT?


----------



## Forrest_H

ddtonfire said:


> Does it come in 6MT?



The Challenger does, apparently. 

There's a video up on youtube talking about how it has the Viper 6-speed. 

I'm starting to like this car more. Where has my "Euro-Only" sense gone? 

it died with the 911's engine


----------



## Joose

ddtonfire said:


> Does it come in 6MT?



We don't know yet. Not likely, especially since Chrysler claims the 8 speed Auto with paddles shifts in under 135 milliseconds. But, it would be really cool if the Charger had an option for the Viper's manual as well. The video I posted earlier on this page is a 6 speed Challenger Hellcat at Portland International Raceway; and that supercharger whine just gives me goosebumps!


I dunno what's gonna happen next year. My next car (or 2nd car, my Daytona isn't going anywhere) will be entirely dependent on how much my income increases this year. If it increases a lot, then a Hellcat; Chally or Charger, I don't care lol. If it only increases a little, then my 2nd vehicle will be the Challenger 392 Scat Pack R/T with the shaker hood and a 6 speed manual. Scat Pack is under $40k brand new, so the used market should be lovely by the time I'm car shopping.

And THAT's if I don't see a spectacular deal on a C7 Stingray Z51. But I'm just such a Hemi guy...


----------



## Maniacal

Just got back from the gym... had my second complaint about the noise of my car. The manager of the premises even mentioned banning me for dangerous driving, despite doing 15 mph tops. That is one of the problems with the Impreza. I have also had someone let me tyres down, jealous bastards. 

I am getting a Nissan Micra next time around.


----------



## Joose

Maniacal said:


> Just got back from the gym... had my second complaint about the noise of my car. The manager of the premises even mentioned banning me for dangerous driving, despite doing 15 mph tops. That is one of the problems with the Impreza. I have also had someone let me tyres down, jealous bastards.
> 
> I am getting a Nissan Micra next time around.



Time for a new gym, methinks. 

I do know all too well about jealous little pricks though. I had 2 of my Daytona's tires slashed when I lived in Denver. I had a pretty good idea of who it was... there was this guy down the street who had an S2000, it was really tastefully customized too, looked great. One day we were talking about the hassles of driving our RWD cars in the snow, and I said I'd probably have an easier time than him because my car is a smidge over 2 tons. Granted, I was a snow newb, so i believed him when he said that would actually make it worse.

Well, when the first snow of Winter came, i was leaving the neighborhood, which hadn't been plowed yet, and there he was... halfway out of his parking spot, shoveling away. I rolled down my window and said, "I thought you said lighter cars are better in snow? My 2 ton muscle car is digging right down to the pavement", he gave me the finger and i kept driving. Now, I thought that was just a friendly, funny thing that just happened. (We were both on Summer tires, btw)

Next day, both rear tires slashed and the dude avoided me every day after. Way to give up that he did it, right? I think it was more than just that incident though; he was pissed the one day we raced from a 15mph roll and I won. 


My car has also been egged. That pissed me off WAY more than buying 2 tires. My paint is not cheap.


----------



## ddtonfire

Why do people insist on being the bigger asshole?


----------



## SonicBlur

Here's is my 2003 Cobra (that I sold LIKE AN IDIOT for a POS 2000 Audi S4).









Sold that useless turd of an Audi and got back into a Mustang, unfortunately it is A LOT slower but I still love it, my very first 100% brand new car.

2009 Mustang GT








And one with my old wheels


----------



## Joose

^Man, that Cobra looks great. Huge fan of those, I have always wanted to make one a project car. They sound SO nasty! Loving your '09 as well; that's my absolute favorite generation of the Mustang. Ford just nailed that design. 



ddtonfire said:


> Why do people insist on being the bigger asshole?



I wish I knew. Keying, egging, slashing tires, etc... I'll never get it. One of mg grandfather's golfing buddies has a Rolls Royce Ghost; last year he came out to the grocery store parking lot to find it keyed down both sides. Like, what the .... goes through someone's head when they do that? "I can't afford that, but the owner can afford to fix it, so i'm gonna .... it up because I'm jealous." ?

As Vincent Vega said, "You don't .... with another man's vehicle"


Edit: I didn't even need duct tape, but I felt obligated to buy this:


----------



## Vrollin

Forrest_H said:


> This was my initial thought too, but have you seen it's overseas cousin, the Holden Monaro?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> something about that front just makes me tingly. Also, the GTO can be turboed for like $6k...
> 
> But then again the C5 is a C5 and that's enough



Sorry, but this cuts me up everytime I see someone say something like this. The Monaro is not the cousin of the Pontiac GTO, the Monaro is a Holden design built in Australia first and then sold off to the states with left hand drive different bumpers and badged as a Pontiac GTO.... Dunno if you knew that already or if I had just interperated what you had said incorrectly


----------



## ddtonfire

Joose said:


> I wish I knew. Keying, egging, slashing tires, etc... I'll never get it. One of mg grandfather's golfing buddies has a Rolls Royce Ghost; last year he came out to the grocery store parking lot to find it keyed down both sides. Like, what the .... goes through someone's head when they do that? "I can't afford that, but the owner can afford to fix it, so i'm gonna .... it up because I'm jealous." ?
> 
> As Vincent Vega said, "You don't .... with another man's vehicle"



Yeah, it's like I know I'm a jealous piece of sh!t, so I'm going to go out and prove it to the world. Honestly, I don't feel bad about anything that happens to that type of person.



SonicBlur said:


> Here's is my 2003 Cobra (that I sold LIKE AN IDIOT for a POS 2000 Audi S4).



What mods did you do? What about to the GT?


----------



## Forrest_H

Maniacal said:


> Just got back from the gym... had my second complaint about the noise of my car. The manager of the premises even mentioned banning me for dangerous driving, despite doing 15 mph tops. That is one of the problems with the Impreza. I have also had someone let me tyres down, jealous bastards.
> 
> I am getting a Nissan Micra next time around.



Back when the 911 was still running, I had put muffler bypass pipes on, and I got roughly the same response you did. 

There were numerous complaints about me going "100 in a 30" by the soccer moms on the neighborhood's facebook page and forums (Yes, we actually have that ). I don't blame them, the car was so loud it probably did seem like it was going incredibly fast. However, since I live in a higher income area, the people are very mentally unstable, and claimed I did a bunch of other shit. Apparently, I'm a drug dealing, gun slinging child murder who flips everyone off. Hmmm.

The funniest one was this:






Yes, this is real. Now, I don't blame her, because I was using an ecig, which was pretty massive, but let's think for a second.

1.) The 911 was a 6 Speed manual.

2.) This requires two hands to drive.

3.) Bongs require two hands as well.

4.) To smoke a bong while driving would require 4 hands, or a very long stop light.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^

What I find really funny is that in order to take said picture (which I'm assuming is from the driver's position in a LHD vehicle) the soccer mom was probably more of a liability than you were.


----------



## asher

BigBaldIan said:


> ^
> 
> What I find really funny is that in order to take said picture (which I'm assuming is from the driver's position in a LHD vehicle) the soccer mom was probably more of a liability than you were.



Seems to be stopped at a red light.


Apparently the BMW dealership in CA that I got my 330 from keeps sending my parents emails that we should bring it in because they get lots of people asking about them


----------



## Joose

Vrollin said:


> Sorry, but this cuts me up everytime I see someone say something like this. The Monaro is not the cousin of the Pontiac GTO, the Monaro is a Holden design built in Australia first and then sold off to the states with left hand drive different bumpers and badged as a Pontiac GTO.... Dunno if you knew that already or if I had just interperated what you had said incorrectly



With an American engine. 

Regardless, if I recall correctly, they don't drive the same. The GTO had a different ride height, spring compression and rebound rates. Different shocks too. The Monaro is the better handling car, even if that just means holding a drift better haha. The GTO is the quicker straight line car. I remember watching one of Jeremy Clarkson's DVD's when he drove one of the LS2 Monaros; he already complimented the hell out of them on Top Gear, but even more on his own deal. Said they had the best seats ever, and since they're the same in the GTO, which I've driven plenty of times, I'd have to agree.

But what stood out was when he said what the Monaros 0-60 MPH time was, it was like half a second slower than the equivalent GTO. But then again, I don't think a GTO would be as easy to control in a high speed powerslide. 

Either way, I still want to own an '06 GTO. I adore them. They don't stick out too much, just a little flair with the nostrils on the hood, they squat like a drag car and yes... as JC said, their seats are just about perfect. The ones in my Charger are similar, but aren't quite as tight; a little better for road trips, but not as great in a corner.


----------



## Forrest_H

BigBaldIan said:


> ^
> 
> What I find really funny is that in order to take said picture (which I'm assuming is from the driver's position in a LHD vehicle) the soccer mom was probably more of a liability than you were.



It is. I thought the same thing too  we were at a red light, but I'm assuming she posted it on facebook while she was driving. She drives a big grey lexus, and I see her texting or on the phone all the time, even in the "No-Phone" school zone


----------



## Forrest_H

Vrollin said:


> Sorry, but this cuts me up everytime I see someone say something like this. The Monaro is not the cousin of the Pontiac GTO, the Monaro is a Holden design built in Australia first and then sold off to the states with left hand drive different bumpers and badged as a Pontiac GTO.... Dunno if you knew that already or if I had just interperated what you had said incorrectly



Oh no, I knew it. That's why it's a good car to me  Not talking down on GM at all, but the only American designed car built by them that didn't feel like it was built in 10 minutes by a 15 year old was the C5. My grandmother's Malibu SS feels like the piece of plastic it is, especially on the highway.


----------



## The Griffinator

I'm just gonna leave this here...


----------



## Joose

^He made the point that I hope lots of the more known reviewers make; respect it, and you'll be able to hit the apex no problem. 

What a ....ing machine. I can't wait to see this engine in the Charger. Chargers tend to have better weight distribution than the Challengers, so that _should_ be even easier to control.


----------



## atrfan1

Got my second car yesterday. 1997 Eclipse GS-T. Not my ideal car, but for what I paid not much can beat it


----------



## Yousef

I'm a car lover. I drive a 2013 Subarzu BRZ with a 6-speed manual.







I'm thinking of selling it and getting a VW Golf GTI for more space, comfort, practicality and faster speed, but it's not going to handle as good as this BRZ that's for sure.


----------



## traditional

This is my new VW Polo GTi. Absolutely stoked on this, lots of fun.


----------



## Joose

The 1,400hp, 290 mph (target) Hennessey Venom F5. Not long till someone hits 300 mph, people.

http://jalopnik.com/the-hennessey-venom-f5-a-290-mph-1-400-horsepower-hy-1615658501


----------



## Forrest_H

Yousef said:


> I'm a car lover. I drive a 2013 Subarzu BRZ with a 6-speed manual.
> 
> I'm thinking of selling it and getting a VW Golf GTI for more space, comfort, practicality and faster speed, but it's not going to handle as good as this BRZ that's for sure.



Awww man, those have _ridiculous_ modding potential! I made friends with a sushi chef who bumped his BRZ up to 400hp _at the wheels._

Keep it, pleeeeeaaaaaseeeee. I love those little guys.


----------



## troyguitar

Yousef said:


> I'm a car lover. I drive a 2013 Subarzu BRZ with a 6-speed manual.
> 
> I'm thinking of selling it and getting a VW Golf GTI for more space, comfort, practicality and faster speed, but it's not going to handle as good as this BRZ that's for sure.



As a former owner of a modded GTI - don't bother.

Take the extra money you would have spent on the switch and buy a small turbo kit for the BRZ. All that car needs is better tires and a small turbo to be totally awesome.


----------



## Joose

Well now.... I'm sure this isn't difficult to drive haha.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^

3 settings:

1) Sideways.
2) Very sideways.
3) Entering Valhalla backwards in a blazing V10 powered fireball, then declaring to Odin you battled the laws of physics in a manner worthy of the sagas.


----------



## BigBaldIan

traditional said:


> This is my new VW Polo GTi. Absolutely stoked on this, lots of fun.



Love for the 1.4 twincharged lump here, I had the misfortune of getting an early unit in my second gen Fabia vRS. That thing drank oil like a dipsomaniac, seemingly post 2012 they got the issue sorted.


----------



## ddtonfire

From my autocross runs this past weekend:



^It was especially fun in the wet since we all slid around a lot!


----------



## troyguitar

E46 M3 only runs FS? That car must dominate in that class.


----------



## ddtonfire

Yup, it used to be in AS but they've since moved it. I've never really had competition in my class yet.


----------



## Joose

Just looking through photos from last December and realized a few things...

1. I miss the fvck out of Colorado.
2. I need to buy a camera as good as my friend's who took a bunch of photos of my car there.
3. I really want to buy an SRT hood, paint it Sub Lime, have a vinyl wrapper redo all of my decals and make an interesting cut for the hood decal. Plus, then I'd get the correct intake for the hood to channel air into.
4. Cars are more photogenic than most people, a lot of the time 







EDIT: Here's a guy who put an SRT hood on his. He used the Super Bee style hood decal, I'd want mine to look like the stock one for the most part, just cut to fit the scoop nicely.


----------



## TMatt142

Did some "tweaking" to the Shelby this past winter...


----------



## Joose

^Beast. Love it.


----------



## TMatt142

Thanks man...


----------



## Joose

Just sittin' here, wishing I wasn't back in the South.... I'll be back soon, Colorado!


----------



## TMatt142

Joose, that was quite a compliment coming from a Dodge guy.... Love The green BTW...


----------



## Joose

TMatt142 said:


> Joose, that was quite a compliment coming from a Dodge guy.... Love The green BTW...





And thanks man.

Honestly, I am not someone who dislikes a brand just because it's not my preference. Sure, I'll throw out a "Mopar or no car" here and there, because I do adore them; but I also love many, many other cars.

For instance, if I were rich and had a 10 car garage, it would consist of my Daytona, 2015 Challenger Hellcat, '08 Mustang GT500, '71 426 Hemi 'Cuda, C7 Stingray Z51, C6 Z06, '08 Grand Cherokee SRT8, '99 Viper GTS, '14 Mercedes E63 AMG S-Model and an '02 Trans Am WS6.

Only half Mopar, haha.


----------



## Joose

Excuse the double-post... I'm gonna ramble here for a minute. 

Like here's my (very short version) opinion on the Challenger/Mustang/Camaro debate people always end up in. We'll just use the competitive trims... SRT8, GT and SS.

Mustang: Lightest of the 3, straight rear axle, a great tranny, slick looks and an unmistakable exhaust note. They're a blast to hoon around, if you know what you're doing. Also a big fan of the interior.

Challenger: Heaviest, the most powerful, a Mercedes derived 4 wheel independent suspension, uber-retro looks, widely regarded as the easiest to drive daily (so much interior and trunk space) and a deep, glorious exhaust note. Also an absolute blast if you know how to throw its weight around. 2014 and earlier interior, nice but not great. That 2015 interior though.... awesome.

Camaro: Also a heavy beast, a very nice suspension courtesy of Australia, my favorite of the manuals, the always great LS exhaust note. I've never had the opportunity to thrash an SS, but I assume they're the easiest (of these 3) to corner with. 

They're hardly even competitors in my mind, because they all have such unique personalities.


Then there's the Hellcat, GT500, ZL1 arguments people have... also pointless to me.

And I didn't use the 2015 SRT for this post because I obviously haven't driven one yet. But we know it has multiple traction, suspension and steering settings; plus all of the new SRT "Performance Pages", 6 piston Brembos and plenty of other goodies.


----------



## TMatt142

Joose said:


> Excuse the double-post... I'm gonna ramble here for a minute.
> 
> Like here's my (very short version) opinion on the Challenger/Mustang/Camaro debate people always end up in. We'll just use the competitive trims... SRT8, GT and SS.
> 
> Mustang: Lightest of the 3, straight rear axle, a great tranny, slick looks and an unmistakable exhaust note. They're a blast to hoon around, if you know what you're doing. Also a big fan of the interior.
> 
> Challenger: Heaviest, the most powerful, a Mercedes derived 4 wheel independent suspension, uber-retro looks, widely regarded as the easiest to drive daily (so much interior and trunk space) and a deep, glorious exhaust note. Also an absolute blast if you know how to throw its weight around. 2014 and earlier interior, nice but not great. That 2015 interior though.... awesome.
> 
> Camaro: Also a heavy beast, a very nice suspension courtesy of Australia, my favorite of the manuals, the always great LS exhaust note. I've never had the opportunity to thrash an SS, but I assume they're the easiest (of these 3) to corner with.
> 
> They're hardly even competitors in my mind, because they all have such unique personalities.
> 
> 
> Then there's the Hellcat, GT500, ZL1 arguments people have... also pointless to me.
> 
> And I didn't use the 2015 SRT for this post because I obviously haven't driven one yet. But we know it has multiple traction, suspension and steering settings; plus all of the new SRT "Performance Pages", 6 piston Brembos and plenty of other goodies.



All good points to consider if looking into purchasing one of these Joose...

Just have to ask though, why an 08' Shelby? quite a difference between an 08' and say.... my 11'


----------



## Joose

TMatt142 said:


> All good points to consider if looking into purchasing one of these Joose...
> 
> Just have to ask though, why an 08' Shelby? quite a difference between an 08' and say.... my 11'



The exterior. That's literally it. I absolutely adore what Shelby did with that era. I love yours and the newer ones as well, of course. But yes i'd have an '08, dark blue with white stripes and some nice, flat black wheels. 

I mean, i know they looked like that for more than just one year, but that's just what i always search for when i'm car shopping, just to see if one is affordable at the time.


----------



## MikeH

Went to the Central Ohio Subaru meet yesterday. Saw some super nice rides. Makes me really want an STI again. And by again, I mean I used to really want one. Not that I used to have one. 

My favorite of the day:





One quarter of the second lot. There were two of even size. Probably about 100 cars there.





Slammed Legacy





What appeared to be an extremely fast STI. I want.





My buddy's '99 Forester (feat. Me in the passenger's seat.)









And here's two videos of the exhaust contest. The winner ended up being a bug eye rally car. Of course. 
Instagram
Instagram


----------



## MikeH

Found a few more on Facebook.

The crew we rolled up with.





























Random shots from the event.


----------



## Joose

^That's a lot of turbos! I can only imagine how great everyone leaving at the same time would sound, as Subies easily have my favorite sounding 4 bangers.


On another note, anyone else notice the only tag for this thread is "black dingus"?


----------



## troyguitar

I wish they sold the Forester STI over here, those are badass. 2015 WRX is cool too but IMO the point of getting a Subaru is utility - which is defeated by only being sold as a sedan.


----------



## asher

I might well have one if they did. Damn...


----------



## Joose

Damn you, 100k mile mark... well, almost, 99,268. I need a new front sway bar and front passenger side upper and lower control arms. Guess that explains all the clicking and shit when i turn right under braking.

Oh well, at least my engine and transmission are still running great. I'll take it.

I suspect all of my overly-spirited driving in the Rocky Mountains and all outside of Vegas on the twisty desert roads, despite being over 85k miles, probably took quite a toll on the car. 

Brought it on myself.


----------



## Luafcm

I'm not really a car guy, but you guys may find this interesting. I design reflectors for vehicle exterior lighting (headlamps and such). I do the optical prescriptions (reflectors and lens optics, projectors, LED systems etc).

If you have any lighting questions, I'm actually an expert! (The only thing I'm an expert in). For instance I did the 2013 Dodge Ram, all headlamps tail lamps and fog lamps.

Here's my car parked beside a prototype sample car that we made the headlamps and tail lamps for. Some of you might recognize this one. It's been in production now for some time, since like 2009 I think. (old pic from '05)





This was a really fun car to drive, but it's now compressed into a tiny cube of solid metal and leather haha. They destroy prototypes, we didn't get to keep it.


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> Damn you, 100k mile mark... well, almost, 99,268. I need a new front sway bar and front passenger side upper and lower control arms. Guess that explains all the clicking and shit when i turn right under braking.



Hey I got one right 



troyguitar said:


> It's hard to say what's causing your issues without driving the car, but pops/clicks/clunks is usually sway bar or control arm bushings



That stuff is not a big deal and is just the nature of running a 4000+ lb performance car, both of my Audi wagons had similar issues.

It does seem unlikely that you would actually need a new bar and arms though and not just new bushings, especially the sway bar. Some control arms can't really be serviced but your sway bar probably just needs end links and/or bushings. The metal parts are rarely what fails, it's almost always the rubber bits in between.


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> Hey I got one right
> 
> 
> 
> That stuff is not a big deal and is just the nature of running a 4000+ lb performance car, both of my Audi wagons had similar issues.
> 
> It does seem unlikely that you would actually need a new bar and arms though and not just new bushings, especially the sway bar. Some control arms can't really be serviced but your sway bar probably just needs end links and/or bushings. The metal parts are rarely what fails, it's almost always the rubber bits in between.



Yeah, considering it was a guy who works at Goodyear who diagnosed it, you're probably correct. Shame I wouldn't trust myself to replace those. 

I also find it difficult to find the correct parts; as most part websites don't give me the option of "Daytona R/T", just R/T or SRT8.... which is a problem, as the Daytona, R/T Max and R/T with the Road And Track package have a mixture of base R/T and SRT8 parts.


----------



## troyguitar

The sway bar bushings at least are simple and cheap. It's 2 bolts/nuts on a metal bracket holding a piece of rubber in place like this:






The end links are only slightly more complicated but they're really just 2 bolts each as well.

You might be able to tell which pieces are obviously bad by just getting under the car and yanking on the bar in a few places.


----------



## shadscbr

troyguitar said:


> I wish they sold the Forester STI over here, those are badass. 2015 WRX is cool too but IMO the point of getting a Subaru is utility - which is defeated by only being sold as a sedan.



We have an 05 Foz XT Limited manual as one of our work cars, its a great combo of turbo awd fun with the ability to haul stuff, and the big sunroof is always open  An STi version would be so awesome, I agree 

Shad


----------



## Joose

@Troy: Yeah, that certainly doesn't look difficult. I've done plenty of work under the hoods of cars, but never under the car itself. So the thought of replacing something that deals with actually being able to turn makes me slighty nervous. Lol

I went to NAPA earlier to see if they could help me find the exact parts... it took awhile, but I think they found the correct part numbers. I had to actually show them my options list from the original owner to prove to them that the Daytona package includes performance suspension and steering. 

I'll buy them as soon as I'm certain they're correct. I figure I may as well just replace on both sides of the car.

Edit: And now I have a fellow Mopar fan telling me I should try tie rods and tension struts instead, as it's a common issue with our gen LX Chryslers.


----------



## Forrest_H

Now begins the process of trying to sell the 911 as a roller. Biggest issues:

- It's on a convertible chassis, so people that race 911s and want a shell won't want it

- Certain engine parts are specific to each individual engine

- Not a lot of people want to rebuild a 996

This will be fun 

I'm still looking at potential replacements. 

A C5 'vette would be my first choice, obviously. My dad offered to sell me his Nassau Blue FRC, but I really want a black one, and I wouldn't feel right about wrapping such a rare car. 

He also offered to sell me his G8, as he wants to get another m5, but I'm just not too excited about that car. Since we've tuned it with the HP tuners software, it is wicked fast (transmission shifts faster than the SMG in the m5 now, and it accelerates like a mofo), but driving it just doesn't get me going.

If I could find a 964 Carrera, I'd be all over that. The engine in those lasts forever. A coworker of mine has an old targa, and the odometer is sitting at 300,xxx with no rebuilds. However, they are pricey.

And then there's the GTO. I'm not too keen on the body anymore, but it's definitely an option.


----------



## Joose

GTO man... GTO.

They're all good choices, G8 (assuming a GT) would be my choice, because I love sedans. But the GTO is my favorite out of those. Followed closely by the C5. GTO's have nice, well built interiors, the best seats like... ever, look great without being a cop magnet, etc.

I can't speed in my car, I just can't. I know their radar guns are on me the second they see lime green.


----------



## Forrest_H

Joose said:


> GTO man... GTO.
> 
> They're all good choices, G8 (assuming a GT) would be my choice, because I love sedans. But the GTO is my favorite out of those. Followed closely by the C5. GTO's have nice, well built interiors, the best seats like... ever, look great without being a cop magnet, etc.
> 
> I can't speed in my car, I just can't. I know their radar guns are on me the second they see lime green.



The only issue I have with the GTO is that it just doesn't look all that pretty to me. It's a cool looking car, but ever since I was 7 and my dad brought home a black C5 coupe, I've had a love for corvettes like no other. I might end up with a GTO though, they're easier to find standard transmissions in than Corvettes (Damn you automatic drivers ). 

By the way, you might wanna look into a Valentine 1 radar detector. I've got one right now (newest version with blue tooth) and it's SOOOO helpful, especially on road trips to Giddings to take my girlfriend back to her mother's house. They're on craigslist all the time if you don't wanna pay the $500 to get a brand new one, and if you get the blue tooth version, there's an app someone wrote (far exceeding the standard app, by the way) for android and I think iOS that makes it even better. It'll filter out x bands (since no cops use that anymore), the annoying K bands from other drivers' adaptive cruise control (Super annoying when you have a radar detector), and you can do a stealth install and just have your phone sitting on the dash, with options to black out the display on the original unit. Plus, I added my own sounds to the app, so if I get a KA Band (Always cops, by the way), it goes "OH SHIT"


----------



## troyguitar

I can't see being happy long term with a G8 or GTO when coming from a 911 and looking at C5's and other actual sports cars. Do you want a big comfy cruiser or something that handles?


----------



## asher

Are radar detectors actually legal in Texas?


----------



## Forrest_H

troyguitar said:


> I can't see being happy long term with a G8 or GTO when coming from a 911 and looking at C5's and other actual sports cars. Do you want a big comfy cruiser or something that handles?



Something that handles well. The G8 definitely doesn't handle as well as the 'vette (or the 911, for that matter), but it's not dreadful. If I got it, I'd definitely do a ton of crap to it, suspension-wise, but I'm not that interested in it. It handles close to the M5 did. 

I have yet to drive a GTO, but from what I've read it's _slightly_ better than the G8. Still don't know about that one either.

The C5 fits pretty much all of the requirements I have for what I want, the only issue is that it's a pretty wide car, and the trunk space isn't amazing. It's probably the best handling out of the domestic cars I'm looking at though, it tears through the back roads where I live, and if it loses control, I don't have a difficult time getting it back (This might be because my dad taught me how to drift and go around corners, and because when I got my CLK with completely worn tires in the rear, I learned through trial and error how to not spin a car and how to have fun around corners in a FR car ).

I would love to have another 996 911, or even fix up the Targa, since that was easily the best handling car I'd ever driven (never slid out, even taking turns at 65 mph), but the 3.6 engine Porsche put out is just absolute crap. I'd have to pre-emptively replace the IMS bearing, put stronger cylinder walls in, and get stronger valve springs just to make sure it doesn't blow up, not to go faster. If I manage to find a 964, though, that's my first choice over everything else. I recently got the chance to drive a 964 targa at a dealership, and I loved it. There was a huge exhaust leak, but it still drove amazingly.


----------



## troyguitar

GTO will be both better and worse than the G8. It's lighter, but all of that weight loss is from the back end which is not particularly helpful.

The C5 isn't really that wide compared to many cars today (it is 1.2 inches narrower than a G8 for example - 73.6 vs 74.8), it just looks wide because it's so low to the ground. If you get the coupe and not an FRC/Z06, the hatchback trunk actually holds a whole lot of crap. I'd look for an 01-04 6-speed coupe since they have several upgrades over the 97-00 cars.

I feel like I'd rather find a Cayman S than a 964 but both have their advantages. That's a tough call. Either Porsche would definitely be more fun to drive than a C5, but most likely more expensive to own over time. (Then again all 911's seem to be consistently going up in price to the point of absurdity, so a 964 might end up costing you nothing)


----------



## Forrest_H

troyguitar said:


> GTO will be both better and worse than the G8. It's lighter, but all of that weight loss is from the back end which is not particularly helpful.
> 
> The C5 isn't really that wide compared to many cars today (it is 1.2 inches narrower than a G8 for example - 73.6 vs 74.8), it just looks wide because it's so low to the ground. If you get the coupe and not an FRC/Z06, the hatchback trunk actually holds a whole lot of crap. I'd look for an 01-04 6-speed coupe since they have several upgrades over the 97-00 cars.
> 
> I feel like I'd rather find a Cayman S than a 964 but both have their advantages. That's a tough call. Either Porsche would definitely be more fun to drive than a C5, but most likely more expensive to own over time. (Then again all 911's seem to be consistently going up in price to the point of absurdity, so a 964 might end up costing you nothing)



Ahhh, okay. Good to know about the GTO, then. And yeah, when I said it was wider, I really meant it was a bit harder to drive because it's so low. I wasn't aware about the coupe's trunk being larger, actually. That's really good to know.

The only reason I'm staying away from newer Porsche's is because of the engine issues. I've read that after the 993 came out, Porsche began outsourcing parts to companies that would build them for cheaper (which had it's obvious setbacks). The 3.4 engine had it's share of issues, and the 3.6 is a bit better because it's the turbo block, but the valve spring failure on my engine is not an isolated incident in the Porsche owner's world. I've seen many, MANY failures of the newer flat six engine, failures that just don't make any sense. The IMS bearing especially, since they continued production of the faulty bearing well after people were blowing engines in their cars. The newer 997 and 991 might have this fixed, but I don't have that money, first of all, and second, I don't want to buy something that will break. I think no one really hears about Porsche failures because I haven't seen a lot of people driving 911's as daily drivers or who own them past like 80,000 miles. 

Then again, I'm probably being jaded. I'm not a huge fan of German cars at the moment because of all the issues I've had with the ones in my life. My CLK's interior is falling apart, for one. That should be a given, because, you know, the car is only 4 years younger than me, but it's really, really bad. The headliner above is hanging down, and when I move the sunroof shade back and forth I typically get a bunch of foam in my eyes. The leather is melting, literally melting if I have my arm resting on it. the A/C unit's buttons are broken, and they can't be fixed with the tools I have, so I've had to just rip them off and shove my finger in to press the contacts. 90% of forum posts on MBWorld reveal that my LCD dash is not the only one to have awful, awful contacts, and a lot of people have the same pixel problem I do.

Also, the M5 was totalled in a stupid way too. My dad was going 10 under the speed limit to look for the new house we were going to buy, and when he barely grazed a guard rail, the passengers side suspension and control arm were just hugely damaged. 

The 911 was it for me, this high performance engine being destroyed by something as simple as a valve spring breaking just threw me off from a lot of german cars. I have had some good times in all 3 cars, but I would honestly much rather have something known to be reliable, and if I stick with domestic, a new ls1 crate motor is near $4500, compared to the $11,000 3.6 flat 6 for the 911.


----------



## Joose

I guess I'm just kind of a GTO "fanboy", if that overused term is appropriate. Something about a 400bhp, 6 speed, LS2 in something that (other than the nostrils) is as basic looking as a Cobalt is just awesome to me. 

But, as Troy said, they're more of a sports cruiser, which is my thing. GTO, Challenger, Charger, G8, Mustang GT, base Camaro SS, etc... i just love the idea of having no issue road tripping in something that will put plenty of other cars to shame in multiple forms of racing. And all without having to deal with the hassles of something like an AMG; price, maintenance, cost of parts and labor, etc.

Suppose that's why, if I had a grin-worthy bank account, I'd spend a couple hundred grand on something like an Aston Martin over a supercar.

I'm that guy who takes the long way home, just because I want to cruise.


----------



## troyguitar

That's definitely the way it goes with German cars, all of my Audi's were the same way.

That being said, I still want to get an 00-04 Audi A6 eventually as a daily cruiser with the 2.7 twin turbo V6 and 6-speed manual. Classy, spacious, cheap and still fast as hell with just a few mods. Perfect for our ever-deteriorating roads.

Something like this:












Throw some sway bars and tires on it, take care of preventative maintenance, give it a mild performance tune, and put a good modern stereo in it and have a beautiful AWD sport sedan making like 375 hp at 3750 lbs for maybe $10-12k total.


----------



## shadscbr

Forrest, you could always go the lightness route, and get a Lotus Elise or Evora with the Toyota engines....i've got one on my wish list 

Shad


----------



## Joose

Audis are sweet.

One of the best cars I've ever driven was an '06 RS4. That 4.2 man... fvck me, that is a glorious engine.


----------



## Forrest_H

shadscbr said:


> Forrest, you could always go the lightness route, and get a Lotus Elise or Evora with the Toyota engines....i've got one on my wish list
> 
> Shad



Hmmm, I didn't think about that actually... Good idea!


----------



## troyguitar

Forrest_H said:


> Hmmm, I didn't think about that actually... Good idea!



The Elise is my favorite car in the world. I will have one some day. For a fun street car nothing can beat it.


----------



## Joose

I've never driven an Elise. But I have driven an Evora. Man that thing was a blast!


----------



## smucarolina

James May's Cars of the People - Episode 1 - Video Dailymotion


----------



## Joose

Oh, ya know.... just 707hp, 650lb-ft, 3.7 second 0-60, 11.0 second certified 1/4 mile on STREET TIRES, 204 MPH Top Speed, fastest production sedan in the world.

The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat





Boom. It's faster than the Challenger Hellcat. It has much better weight distribution too, 54/46, as opposed to the Chally's 60/40 (i believe). And, though even heavier than the Chally, somehow yes... it is faster.


----------



## MikeH

I've never been crazy about Dodge, but holy shit...


----------



## Joose

And then I got bored and just had to see some other colors... used an app on my phone, so they aren't perfect; and I couldn't do a good silver or black.


----------



## troyguitar

Yeah, that's ....ing badass. Way more badass than the Challenger.


----------



## Joose

I agree, and I adore the Challenger haha.

It's the fact that you could comfortably fit 3 passengers, a couple guitars, a 4x12 cab, a head and a pedalboard in it that makes it so bad ass. (I've done that with my Charger, pretty much the same trunk dimensions)


----------



## ddtonfire

6spd and I'd be really, really tempted. Having to choose the ultimate dad mobile between that, the CTS-V, and M5 would be a challenge.


----------



## Joose

There IS a part of me that wishes they'd offer a 6 speed in it. But, since the 8 speed auto w/paddles shifts faster than you can blink, and it's just the world's most bad ass grocery getter, I think I'd still end up with the Auto.


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> I agree, and I adore the Challenger haha.
> 
> It's the fact that you could comfortably fit 3 passengers, a couple guitars, a 4x12 cab, a head and a pedalboard in it that makes it so bad ass. (I've done that with my Charger, pretty much the same trunk dimensions)



Exactly, a fast 2-door is not nearly as special at this point but a stock sedan that is only like $60k being that fast is ridiculous. That thing will smoke the C7 vette anywhere but a track and for the same damn price... it's crazy.


----------



## maliciousteve

Love the look of the new Charger, much more of an improvement. 

Though I think I still prefer the Challenger


----------



## Forrest_H

Speaking of Challengers, I just talked to a coworker about his SRT8, and I'm thinking about that one too now. His looks sick, all black with dark matte grey stripes on the side like a C6 Grand Sport.... I'm going to see if he'll take me for a ride in it sometime. My only dislike is that it won't handle as well as the 911 or C5 did/would...


----------



## SonicBlur

I'll never understand why these auto makers are so hell-bent on putting these tiny tires on such high horsepower cars! I mean, 707hp Hellcat Challenger/Charger, 663hp GT500, etc...and they won't put anything bigger than a 285 on the back. The only car that did it right is the Z/28 with the 305's.


----------



## Joose

^Well, considering the Charger can run an 11.0 on the drag strip, on stock street tires, I guess it's not totally necessary. Though if I end up with one, i will throw 295's on the rear even if just for the appearance lol.


----------



## MikeH

I really need to up...well, I guess lower my suspension game. Chevy Cruzes are so much more aggressive looking when lowered. The front of mine looks aggressive as is, but then you see the ride height and shitty wheels and it's an instant dad-mobile.  Once I get through basic and get stationed, I'll hopefully be able to start ordering parts in. I know Eibach makes some pretty inexpensive springs for the Cruze, which is like a 1.2" drop all around, but most people have said they've dropped up to 2" in the front and 1.5" in the back.


----------



## MikeH

I really need to up...well, I guess lower my suspension game. Chevy Cruzes are so much more aggressive looking when lowered. The front of mine looks aggressive as is, but then you see the ride height and shitty wheels and it's an instant dad-mobile.  Once I get through basic and get stationed, I'll hopefully be able to start ordering parts in. I know Eibach makes some pretty inexpensive springs for the Cruze, which is like a 1.2" drop all around, but most people have said they've dropped up to 2" in the front and 1.5" in the back.


----------



## ghostred7

I got a TRS Morimoto 35w 5000K HID kit for my car. I have a 2014 base-model Mazda 6 Sport that pretty much comes with no amenities lol. The HIDs are ~$1k each light if done at the dealer with their new projector housings and stuff. I like my $120 (-20% discount for open house) better lol.

As they are going through projectors, there's a cut-off so no blinding cars in front of me (either direction). Best thing is that it was a really easy install and a friend of mine and I got it installed, neatly mounted, etc in < 1hr


----------



## troyguitar

ghostred7 said:


> I got a TRS Morimoto 35w 5000K HID kit for my car. I have a 2014 base-model Mazda 6 Sport that pretty much comes with no amenities lol. The HIDs are ~$1k each light if done at the dealer with their new projector housings and stuff. I like my $120 (-20% discount for open house) better lol.
> 
> As they are going through projectors, there's a cut-off so no blinding cars in front of me (either direction). Best thing is that it was a really easy install and a friend of mine and I got it installed, neatly mounted, etc in < 1hr



Nice, we might have to look into that for our 2014 Mazda 3 - though the stock lights are pretty good really.

I have just recently finished converting all of the lighting in my Z06 over to LED/HID inside and out and it makes a huge difference. The car is both sexy and visible at night now. 55w HID projectors compared to the stock C5 dim halogens is literally like night and day.


----------



## ddtonfire

Does anybody know anything about tires? I've been using the stock 19" wheels with Continental DW's all around on my M3. They're good for street and fun on the autocross course, but I've noticed that after a session, chunks are taken out down to the chords, so I'd like to run a separate set of tires just for autocross.

Fortunately, I have a set of 4 18x8 TSW Kyalami's, but unfortunately I know nothing about tires. What size tires can I run on those wheels? What tires can I choose, but still stay in FS? What if I wanted to switch to track and competition DOT's? What tires would be available? This would bump me into street touring, correct?


As far as the chunk are concerned, it's probably from understeering into tight 180's so I'll also take those slower and probably change the camber in front a little bit.


----------



## troyguitar

It's from overheating the DW's mainly (and possibly non-ideal alignment and pressure settings), those tires aren't made to take the heat from track use. They are phenomenal in the rain though.

SCCA stock class rules are actually open right now for tire sizes and just require 200+ treadwear. The rules are more strict about wheel sizes.

Your wheels must be the same widths as the stock wheels, within 1" of the diameter of the stock wheels, and within IIRC 6 mm offset of stock - so your wheels might kick you out of FS depending on the specs of the car's stock wheels.

For stock class tires the fast guys are running BFG Rival, Hankook RS3, Bridgestone RE-11A, and Dunlop ZII.

What year M3 do you have?


----------



## Joose

My Charger Daytona will be paid off by the time Charger Hellcat orders start.... add in the fact that my annual income is going up significantly and well, you can guess what's gonna happen.

Can't wait to see what colors they offer. I'm not usually one to buy a red car, but it does look pretty damn great in red!


----------



## ddtonfire

troyguitar said:


> It's from overheating the DW's mainly (and possibly non-ideal alignment and pressure settings), those tires aren't made to take the heat from track use. They are phenomenal in the rain though.
> 
> SCCA stock class rules are actually open right now for tire sizes and just require 200+ treadwear. The rules are more strict about wheel sizes.
> 
> Your wheels must be the same widths as the stock wheels, within 1" of the diameter of the stock wheels, and within IIRC 6 mm offset of stock - so your wheels might kick you out of FS depending on the specs of the car's stock wheels.
> 
> For stock class tires the fast guys are running BFG Rival, Hankook RS3, Bridgestone RE-11A, and Dunlop ZII.
> 
> What year M3 do you have?



Thanks for the reply! I have a 2004 Coupe. The extra set of wheels I have are 18x8 (M3 was _available_ with stock 18x8 F and 18x9 R), so they wouldn't bump me from stock afaik, though I'm not sure of the offset. What size tires would be appropriate for those wheels?


----------



## troyguitar

As I understand it you would have to run a 9 or 9.5 inch wide rear wheel to technically stay legal for FS. Your car having 2 different stock options gives you more choice than most, but I don't think you can run 8" width in the back unless there was a stock option to do so.

So the base stock option is 18x8 front and 18x9 rear, you can run 17x8, 18x8, or 19x8 front with 17x9, 18x9, or 19x9 rear.

Alternatively the other stock option was 19x8 front and 19x9.5 rear, so you can run 18x8, 19x8, or 20x8 front with 18x9.5, 19x9.5, or 20x9.5 rear.

I don't think you can mix the two i.e. 17x8 front and 18x9.5 rear.

Then you have to get the damn offsets right... stock classes are a pain in the ass.

Once you find the right wheels, your best option is probably 17x8 or 18x8 fronts with 245/45/17 or 245/40/18 paired with 18x9 rears with 275/35/18's.


----------



## ddtonfire

Thanks, that makes more sense now. Unfortunately, I only have 18x8 all around, so I'd probably be bumped up into street touring, which isn't a big deal. I know it's really basic, but don't quite understand how to select appropriately-sized tires for my wheels. Would I just want to run a square setup then?


----------



## troyguitar

Yeah with 18x8's I'd just run 245/40/18 all around but note that your M3 goes from FS all the way up to STU by doing that. STU is unlimited wheel sizes and up to 285 wide tires and includes non-Z06 C5 Corvettes running 18x10.5's all around. That's a big jump.

Choosing tire sizes for wheels is a matter of matching up widths and the overall diameter. There's a lot of wiggle room depending on preference, for example an 8" wide wheel can generally take anywhere from a 215 to 245mm wide tire (or a lot less than 215 if you like massive stretch). For autox you usually want the widest tire you can get to maximize lateral grip, for bro-stance-points you usually want the skinniest most unsafe tire possible stretched out to look stupid as hell.

For overall diameter you just want something close to stock. Going way off in diameter is what changes speedometer readings.


----------



## Joose

Just read that SRT designed the Hellcats to be able to have 305's put on them. Wonder what the reason for not doing that from the factory is?


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> Just read that SRT designed the Hellcats to be able to have 305's put on them. Wonder what the reason for not doing that from the factory is?



Price, mpg, hydroplaning resistance, ride quality and road noise are all worse with the wider tires and wheels. 305's are not particularly friendly for daily driving. 

To a certain extent you also actually lose straight line (accel and decel) performance by going to a wider tire, because the tire+wheel combo gets much heavier. Wide tires are primarily useful for cornering grip and it's generally assumed that people don't care how much grip a 4600 lb muscle car can generate on a skidpad - at least not nearly as much as how fast it can go in a straight line.

(of course I have 305's on my 3200 lb Z06 )


----------



## ddtonfire

troyguitar said:


> Yeah with 18x8's I'd just run 245/40/18 all around but note that your M3 goes from FS all the way up to STU by doing that. STU is unlimited wheel sizes and up to 285 wide tires and includes non-Z06 C5 Corvettes running 18x10.5's all around. That's a big jump.
> 
> Choosing tire sizes for wheels is a matter of matching up widths and the overall diameter. There's a lot of wiggle room depending on preference, for example an 8" wide wheel can generally take anywhere from a 215 to 245mm wide tire (or a lot less than 215 if you like massive stretch). For autox you usually want the widest tire you can get to maximize lateral grip, for bro-stance-points you usually want the skinniest most unsafe tire possible stretched out to look stupid as hell.
> 
> For overall diameter you just want something close to stock. Going way off in diameter is what changes speedometer readings.



Perfect, answered my questions. Luckily, there aren't often people running STU at my events. I'd like to stay stock, I just can't really afford to with my tires tearing up like that.


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> Price, mpg, hydroplaning resistance, ride quality and road noise are all worse with the wider tires and wheels. 305's are not particularly friendly for daily driving.
> 
> To a certain extent you also actually lose straight line (accel and decel) performance by going to a wider tire, because the tire+wheel combo gets much heavier. Wide tires are primarily useful for cornering grip and it's generally assumed that people don't care how much grip a 4600 lb muscle car can generate on a skidpad - at least not nearly as much as how fast it can go in a straight line.
> 
> (of course I have 305's on my 3200 lb Z06 )



Yeah, makes sense. Slightly wider on the Challenger would maybe help though. Considering it has a lot more of its weight up front.

Honestly, the most shocking part about these cars, to me, is that they actually let the Charger be faster. And while we haven't seen skid pad or slalom tests yet, it's pretty safe to assume it will outperform the Challenger, as it always has. But acceleration _and_ Top Speed as well? No one would have been surprised if it was toned down. 

Then again, if you're gonna take the title of "fastest and most powerful production muscle car ever", why not take "fastest and most powerful production sedan in the world" as well? Lot of people are arguing with that, but we'll see when some real world testing is done.

Dodge CEO: Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcats brand halos, limited production rumors false | MLive.com

"Dodge" was Google's most searched word that day, in the 6 years since tracking that. Damn, more than the unveiling of the SRT Viper in what, 2012?


----------



## troyguitar

It's not too surprising, IIRC a decent amount of the Euro muscle-cars (like E55 and E63 AMG's) are actually faster as wagons than sedans due to the extra weight over the rear tires. A Magnum would probably be slightly faster than the Charger.


----------



## SonicBlur

Joose said:


> Just read that SRT designed the Hellcats to be able to have 305's put on them. Wonder what the reason for not doing that from the factory is?



That's what I don't get. I mean I understand what you said about the car going 11's on those tires but extra meat means extra traction...also, these cars are going to cost $60K+, 707hp, and be 198+mph capable so people who are concerned with cost and MPG's look elsewhere. With that kind of power and top speed available, I'd want tires that keep you solid...there's a reason cars like the ZR-1, Viper, etc. come with those massive tires.


----------



## Joose

1963 dodge dart wagon


There's someone from the Mopar club I was a part of in Vegas that is likely going to buy it and restomod it. I think he already has a 6.1 Hemi from an '07 300C SRT8. And I think he's going to paint it a dark metallic blue.


----------



## Konfyouzd

2007 VW Eos 2.0T

Or

2010 Golf 2.5L base

Prices are similar. Condition similar.


----------



## shadscbr

From an engine standpoint, I vote turbo 

Did you drive both vw's yet?

Any other cars on your radar? For example, a WRX would give you the added fun of AWD over fwd.


Shad


----------



## troyguitar

Konfyouzd said:


> 2007 VW Eos 2.0T
> 
> Or
> 
> 2010 Golf 2.5L base
> 
> Prices are similar. Condition similar.



The 2.5 hatchback, especially if it's manual trans, is a hundred times more practical and reliable than the 2.0T convertible. It also runs on regular instead of premium.

The Eos weighing in at 500 lbs more than the Golf also negates the extra power from the turbo.

It's really hard to argue that anyone should buy an Eos - unless you just love convertibles and VW's. There are better VW's and better convertibles, but not a better VW convertible


----------



## Joose

Me to the driver when he got out of his car: "You know like 1/4 of your car is in the fire lane, which is a driving lane when there isn't a fire truck, right?

Driver: "Who gives a shit? Maybe someone will hit it and i can get a new car"

No, I'm not back in the South at all...........


----------



## Konfyouzd

Okay... Eos is out. I don't like what I read about it. I'm now basically considering the Golf and it's variations...

Test driving: '05 GTI VR6, '10 Golf 2.5L, '10 GTI 2.0T and I'm still looking for a 1.8T I actually wanna drive. Anything I should look out for in any of those? I hear the clutch on the 1.8T is weak.


----------



## shadscbr

The GTI's always rank high in comparison tests, and they are fun to drive (if you like fwd). My guess is, that the test drives will help you sort out your personal power delivery preferences. The VR6 has nice torque, the 2.0T has the turbo rush, and the NA 2.5 is more frugal.

As a more eco friendly choice, you could also try a manual Tdi. The extra MPG's take the sting out the fwd  

good luck, and have fun driving! 

Shad


----------



## Konfyouzd

The TDI is interesting to me, but I have trouble locating one in my price range that doesn't have a TON of miles on it. I'm not 100% sure how much that actually means but I know that all of my cars eventually began to behave a bit differently as they got up in miles so buying used cars with high miles kinda make me nervous.


----------



## troyguitar

TDI resale value is too high to make it worth buying a used one IMO unless it's really old and you are going to do work on it yourself. 

You'd spend less money over time getting 30 mpg on regular 87 in a 2.5 than getting 40 mpg on diesel in the TDI unless you drive a LOT of miles, probably on the order of 300k miles total.


----------



## shadscbr

Konfyouzd said:


> The TDI is interesting to me, but I have trouble locating one in my price range that doesn't have a TON of miles on it. I'm not 100% sure how much that actually means but I know that all of my cars eventually began to behave a bit differently as they got up in miles so buying used cars with high miles kinda make me nervous.



The thought of having a car payment and a repair bill at the same time is something my personal financial house of cards cannot handle. So, I lease. 

VW has 7th gen Tdi golf and GTI lease specials right now, at approx the same payments as the used examples you have been looking at...just another financing option to consider. Plus, test driving new cars can be fun 


Shad


----------



## ddtonfire

So. New Z06 pricing released:

1YZ07 Corvette Z06 Coupe -- $78,000.00 MSRP / Destination... $995.00
1YZ67 Corvette Z06 Conv ----$83,000.00 MSRP / Destination ...$995.00


2LZ Z06 Equipment Group 1YZ07/1YZ67 --$3,270.00
3LZ Z06 Preferred Equipment Group 1YZ07/1YZ67 --$8,650.00


Z07 - Performance Package
Includes: 
(J57) 4-wheel antilock, 4-wheel disc, carbon ceramic brakes, 
(FE7) Z07 suspension with Magnetic Selective Ride Control, 
(XFM) front P285/30ZR19 and rear P335/25ZR20 Michelin Pilot Super Sport Cup 2 summer-only run flat tires, and level 3 Aero Package (splitter end plates and clear adjustable wicker bill)----$7,995.00 (Requires CFZ or CFV)


CFZ - Carbon Fiber Ground Effects Package
includes Carbon Flash-painted splitter and rockers, and more aggressive rear spoiler---------$2,995.00


CFV - Carbon Fiber Ground Effects Package 
includes visible Carbon Fiber splitter and rockers, and more aggressive rear spoiler--------$3,995.00



Mine works out to just over 98k.


----------



## Joose

So basically, the new Z06 is fvcking phenomenal value for money.

Between this, the Hellcats, the upcoming Stangs and Camaros, the likely supercharged Viper with over 800bhp, new CTS-V and ATS-V, etc.... go America! Value for money!


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> So basically, the new Z06 is fvcking phenomenal value for money.
> 
> Between this, the Hellcats, the upcoming Stangs and Camaros, the likely supercharged Viper with over 800bhp, new CTS-V and ATS-V, etc.... go America! Value for money!





ATS-V is my favorite whenever it finally comes out, curb weight should be almost the same as the C7's, power and price almost the same, but with 4 doors.


----------



## Joose

Yeah dude, the ATS-V is gonna be amazing. Even the base models are great. A 3 series fighter was a very good idea. Isn't there going to be an ATS-V Coupe as well? 

I wish they'd do a new XLR-V. Give it all of the C7's underpinnings, a classy body, luxurious interior; SL fighter.


----------



## shadscbr

It's cool that Caddy put a maunal tranny option on the rwd 2.0T ATS 

Shad


----------



## Seanthesheep

Konfyouzd said:


> Okay... Eos is out. I don't like what I read about it. I'm now basically considering the Golf and it's variations...
> 
> Test driving: '05 GTI VR6, '10 Golf 2.5L, '10 GTI 2.0T and I'm still looking for a 1.8T I actually wanna drive. Anything I should look out for in any of those? I hear the clutch on the 1.8T is weak.




Cant really speak for the newer ones but watch out for MK3s, somehow had the turbo eat shit on my '03 Golf TDI


----------



## shadscbr

There is a big Corvette show in Carlisle this weekend...should be some good eye candy on my travels up there today 

Shad


----------



## maliciousteve

I've just finished servicing my car (2011 Fiat Punto). I phoned the local Fiat garage to get a quote for a full service and they quoted £160 

I hung up and thought I'll do it myself.

A trip to the local car parts store got me everything I needed for £70 (all good quality parts and oil) and a total of an hour with my Uncle and the car was done. The Air and Pollen filters were filthy (black not white) and the spark plugs were starting to go white but overall it was very easy and the whole car is in good condition. I did however find out that the previous garage who gave the last service, used the wrong grade of oil (5w30 instead of 5w40) so I was a bit miffed about that.

I managed to find the source of an annoying rattle in the passenger door and it turned out to be a loose plastic part. Now it's lovely and quiet to drive.

Just goes to show what you can save if you know how to do it yourself.


----------



## Kiwimetal101

My rear quarter window got smashed on my old GLX Lancer, was gonna be like $275 for the car glass people to do it. 

Like you I hung up the phone. Went to the local wrecking yard, found a replacement with the seal for $45 bucks and then spent an hour cleaning all the glass out and replacing it with dad.

Ask those who know, they hate spending that cash and more often than not are willing to help others save a bit too.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Snagged an '05 GTI VR6...


----------



## Konfyouzd

Anybody have anything 1.8T equipped and like/dislike it? I kinda wanna snag a second car... I got that GTI at a good deal. I might not, but I'm considering it.


----------



## troyguitar

I really like the old 1.8T A4's (97-01) as a fun winter car with AWD. I'd get the wagon to haul crap, but the sedans are cheaper and easier to find with the 1.8T and 5-speed. They're relatively cheap now for a cool and still very classy car - as long as you keep it clean they still look great despite being ~15 years old.












Any of the old 1.8T's are old enough now to probably need a decently large amount of maintenance. There aren't any real major issues that I know of, but they still will need work here and there.


----------



## wannabguitarist

^my brother has been driving a 5-speed 1.8t B5 for about 4 years now. 230k+ miles and outside of normal maintenance (timing belt+accessories) it's been a fairly cheap car to run. Fun as hell too.

I just scored a 95 E36 M3 coupe in Alpine white with 86k miles from the original owner. It's fvcking pristine


----------



## shadscbr

They put the 1.8T in the TT, one of the very few awd manual convertibles. No personal experience regarding reliability though

Shad


----------



## Konfyouzd

troyguitar said:


> I really like the old 1.8T A4's (97-01) as a fun winter car with AWD. I'd get the wagon to haul crap, but the sedans are cheaper and easier to find with the 1.8T and 5-speed. They're relatively cheap now for a cool and still very classy car - as long as you keep it clean they still look great despite being ~15 years old.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any of the old 1.8T's are old enough now to probably need a decently large amount of maintenance. There aren't any real major issues that I know of, but they still will need work here and there.



I hadn't even considered Audi... I'm gonna check those out. I was looking at the Jetta GLI/GLS/GL 1.8T all this time...


----------



## axxessdenied




----------



## Konfyouzd

I wanted to snag a 3 series... Had the $$$ for it. Don't know why I didn't. Well I kinda know... I couldn't afford the M3...


----------



## chris9

just thought i would post a pic of my 350z


----------



## shadscbr

^^ Your Z makes me want to go drifting 

Shad


----------



## troyguitar

axxessdenied said:


>



Which one is that? I keep thinking about buying an E39 one of these days.


----------



## StevenC

chris9 said:


> just thought i would post a pic of my 350z



Well, if you're sharing your Z, here's my 240Z:






Needs some work to make it road worthy again.


----------



## Maniacal

Made a little modified to the STI. Gives an extra 50BHP.


----------



## Forrest_H

Hey guys, I need anyone who's ever owned a Mercedes V8 or someone who knows Euro engines' help.

2 days ago, I got a coolant level warning light, so I checked under the engine and saw coolant dripping. It was too dark to really see anything, so I put some water in the coolant tank and drove home. When I got there, coolant was still leaking, but it stopped when the engine cooled down.

Saving the long story, here's what I can see after driving it today and seeing no signs of improvement.

1- Coolant in the center cavity of the engine:






2 - Coolant leaking from this nut, I think it's the radiator drain plug...






This is a really big deal, this is my only way too and from work or my parents' houses, so if anyone has any suggestions or ideas, I'll be sure to +rep the shit out of you.

I don't think it's the water pump, because I replaced that not too long ago, but in this Texas heat, man, who knows?


----------



## Vhyle

Well, I sold my '86 Chevy K5 1009, to fund this car and get it up and running. So I finally finished working on it and brought it home.

'95 Ford Mustang, 3.8L V6, 5-speed.

























It needed head gaskets, and I bought it off a good friend of mine in Nashville. So far, I've replaced the heads with rebuilt, machined Cougar 3.8 heads, water pump, hoses, thermostat (all necessary for head gasket work), fluids, alternator, battery, and spark plugs and wires. This got it back up and running decently, and brought it home.

I paid $200 for the car, and about $500 in parts (including the heads). Not bad, I'd say. It's not running perfect yet - it still needs a bit of work, like replacing all the vacuum lines. I temporarily plugged a couple of them up to get it drivable. Needs a few other minor things. The only expensive thing I'll need in the near future is tires, but I have some time.

I will say that putting the 3.8 back together was a freaking nightmare (haha, get it, because it's a Mustang?). If I have to do any major engine work again, I'll likely just save up cash and do a 5.0 swap.

EDIT: inb4 "why did you sell the K5 for a Mustang?" Because that K5 was a diesel, and just a bit outrageous to be a daily driver. Putting diesel in it got old pretty quickly. This Mustang has already proven to be much more suitable as a daily driver.


----------



## Vhyle

Forrest H - if you're not sure about where the leak is coming from, the best thing to do is get it pressure tested.


----------



## Forrest_H

Vhyle said:


> Forrest H - if you're not sure about where the leak is coming from, the best thing to do is get it pressure tested.



Yeah, that sounds like the best idea. Thanks man! Congrats on the Mustang


----------



## axxessdenied

troyguitar said:


> Which one is that? I keep thinking about buying an E39 one of these days.



1998 540i with facelift headlights and front and rear ///m bumper.

Working on updating the interior:





Replaced the wood trim with carbon fiber wrapped trim.
Going to be getting a bunch of alcantara goodies for the interior.


----------



## troyguitar

Awesome, I almost bought an E39 530i sport as a daily driver but the practical side of my brain took over and I bought a cheap hatchback instead. One of these days I'll probably end up with an E39 M5 or a G8 GXP or CTS-V, gotta love a 6-speed V8 RWD sedan.


----------



## axxessdenied

Buy a cheap subaru and have a fleet of BMWs. That's my plan.
I'm selling my Toyota Sienna, buying a cheap Forester. I had one that ran strong at half a million kilometers, only reason I got rid of it was because it was leaking a lot of gas from the tank and i didn't want to get sick from smelling all those fumes, lol. 

My next BMW will be an E39 M5. I will be keeping the 540 most likely as well


----------



## ddtonfire

E39 M5's are prissy beasts. 

@Forrest maybe replace the drain plug and its O-ring?


----------



## NickLAudio

Sold my old beater truck last week and got something a little nicer...

2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT 2.7L V6 6-Speed

Mods so far...

-Injen SR Intake
-Forza catback dual exhaust
-05-06 headlights w/ eyelids
-Highrise spoiler
-Painted interior trim (silver)
-Debadged w/ "T" tuscani badges
-Short antenna
-Rear wiper delete
-Kicker sub/amp


----------



## TheStig1214

Sweet! HNCD! 

Always liked the Tiburon. This one is very nicely done.


----------



## axxessdenied




----------



## Chuck

Thinking of buying a 2005-2006 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT sometime in the near future. Any thoughts guys?


----------



## Konfyouzd

So... How many of y'all own multiple cars? I've already googled a buncha pros/cons... Most of them have to do with space/money. Any others? I kinda want something I can play with and keep one stock (or relatively close).

Ya know... Like always having a backup computer in case you break one tinkering...


----------



## troyguitar

We have 3 between the two of us, where 2 are nicer daily drivers and the 3rd is more of a cargo hauler or backup. Since I generally do all of my own work, it is nice to have another car I can drive if I need to have something apart for more than 1 day - it beats having to rush to put the car back together to drive to work in the morning.

The downside is obviously paying for and registering/insuring/maintaining another vehicle, which is why our extra car is a cheap reliable hatchback that has more or less fully depreciated.

Some people do the 2 car route and just have 2 cool but cheap/unreliable cars so that at least one of them should be running at all times, I guess that works too


----------



## Joose

So, the Saleen FourSixteen EV makes crazy noises. I like the way C&D described it... either a low flying jet or the world's angriest golf cart. I think it sounds sick! 

Watch Saleen's Tesla Model S


----------



## Konfyouzd

troyguitar said:


> We have 3 between the two of us, where 2 are nicer daily drivers and the 3rd is more of a cargo hauler or backup. Since I generally do all of my own work, it is nice to have another car I can drive if I need to have something apart for more than 1 day - it beats having to rush to put the car back together to drive to work in the morning.
> 
> The downside is obviously paying for and registering/insuring/maintaining another vehicle, which is why our extra car is a cheap reliable hatchback that has more or less fully depreciated.
> 
> Some people do the 2 car route and just have 2 cool but cheap/unreliable cars so that at least one of them should be running at all times, I guess that works too



The last thing you said is my concern. 

I'm looking at 2 different cars for different reasons...

2003 Honda Civic EX - It's obviously a relatively reliable car and good on gas mileages. Would open up the door for me to mod my GTI, but parts for my particular GTI (24v VR6) are a bit more expensive so I might be able to pull off daily driving the GTI and modding the Civic, but at that point I'm just bringing down the "reliability" of the presumably more reliable car...

2001 BMW 325ci - Another 6 cylinder. Gas mileage is about the same on both and maintenance will undoubtedly cost more on both. Based on reviews this seems to be more reliable than the GTI, however and either of the two would be fun to mod assuming the other works. Plus I've always wanted a BMW 3 series in that generation.


----------



## shadscbr

^ I vote BMW...for me, RWD is much more exciting to drive than fwd. Reliability, you can't go wrong with the honda, maybe an S2000 instead?

Shad


----------



## troyguitar

I really don't know anything about Hondas, they just seem to be more expensive used than they should be to me all due to the "honda = reliable" reputation. I do remember that you just got out of a Honda with transmission issues though 

You're almost better off to go E36 than E46 as far as reliability goes, or an E39 5-series (97-03). I haven't actually owned any of them but have wanted to get one for awhile. I was advised that E46 and newer 3-series and F60 and newer 5-series are the ones that have piles of computers and become money pits. But at the same time I see a lot of E46's around with a lot of miles on them, so I don't know if they're really that bad.

I personally wouldn't mod a vr6 GTI much, they are pretty cool as-is and as you said it's expensive to make them much better. I'd do non-performance things like a stereo, maybe short shifter or exhaust, refresh factory suspension, that sort of thing to just keep it nice.


----------



## Konfyouzd

I got cold feet on the BMW 

I thought about a turbo jetta with pretty low mileage on it too, but I didn't really trust the dealership so I went with the slow, trusty and fuel efficient Civic. But it's pretty damn slow so I feel like eventually I'm going to end up pulling that motor and ruining the fuel efficiency... 

Opinions on the following motors in an EM2 Civic?:

K24a1, K24a2 or K24a8?


----------



## shadscbr

Chuck said:


> Thinking of buying a 2005-2006 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT sometime in the near future. Any thoughts guys?



I think that's a great choice. The AWD turbo manual configuration is a ton of fun, and is becoming a dying breed. We have 2 Subaru's w that config for work, and they have proven to be reliable. They didn't make a ton of them, but check out the Spec B, it has a cool list of factory upgrades. I wish they still offered the turbo manual combo in the Legacy. 

Good Luck! Have fun with the test drives 

buyer beware regarding used cars with engine mods

Shad


----------



## troyguitar

IIRC the Legacy 2.5 GT is not turbo but it is still a great car, probably my favorite Subaru sold in the USA. Way less likely to beat to shit too than a comparable Impreza.


----------



## shadscbr

troyguitar said:


> IIRC the Legacy 2.5 GT is not turbo but it is still a great car, probably my favorite Subaru sold in the USA. Way less likely to beat to shit too than a comparable Impreza.



Hey Troy, you're right regarding the Gen III Legacy GT not being turbo, but the Gen IV GT's that Chuck is looking at ushered in the turbos. Gen V had it too, but that was it 

Shad


----------



## shadscbr

I also agree with Troy, the Gen IV is the best looking Legacy sold here 

Shad


----------



## troyguitar

Oh wow I didn't even realize that they sold a turbo manual Legacy here, that is cool - Is it the wagon version that they only had in the 2.5 non-turbo? I only ever really looked at the wagons when I was searching.


----------



## shadscbr

Yes, they made a Legacy GT wagon AWD manual turbo...and I didn't get one . I still kick myself, that is such a cool wagon that I would still have today 

Shad


----------



## troyguitar

dafuq - What year? I swear that I concluded there was no such thing sold in the USA.


----------



## shadscbr

2005 was the first year for the magic AWD manual turbo in the legacy. Wagon has Dual moonroofs, front tilts, rear opens 

Shad


----------



## troyguitar

Sweet, I'd drive that.


----------



## ddtonfire

Had a friend with a modded 335i come out to our local autocross and we had goPro's on both cars, so I synchronized the videos at time start. Granted, it would be a more fair driver comparison if the cars were in the same class and more fair car comparison if it were the same driver, but it's still fun to see the differences.


----------



## musicaldeath

It's definitely nice waking up seeing this out front in the morning. Nicer driving it to work lol.


----------



## troyguitar

Wow, jealous. R8 with manual trans is my dream car.


----------



## musicaldeath

This is the V8 with manual. Definitely my favorite transmission between this and the s-tronic. Paddle shifting is fun, but it's not the same.


----------



## asher

Hoooooooooly shit.

My dad got a ticket through a friend to the R8 experience at Infineon and got to tear around the track in one (plus time in an RS4/5). He had awesome things to say about it.


----------



## musicaldeath

Sadly they tore up the track where I live, so the best I've got is some kickass mountain highways. I wouldn't mind tracking it, but the other part of me is not sure that's a great idea. I have pretty much zero track time. That being said, I plan on doing Porsche Racing school or something like that in the next 9 months or so.


----------



## ddtonfire

I live in south Texas... kickass mountain highways make me salivate.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Little help?

I ended up picking up a cheap little daily driver (probably the problem ) and it seemed cool at first, but there are a few small things that seem to be wrong with it now that I've had a bit more time with it. Sold as is... My fault; I know (please spare me any lectures you may have prepared).

It was misfiring so I changed the spark plugs last night. It misfired maybe a little bit when I first started it back up but soon stabilized and would idle really smoothly.

This morning on the way to work I noticed that intermittently it would seem to want to vibrate a bit almsot as though I was pressing the accelerator while idling. It seemed to do this on consistent intervals. I didn't notice a rise in the RPMs, however.

Any ideas of what it might be? I'm looking into performing a leakdown test this weekend and I'll also be checking/replacing the air filter in case that happens to be the problem.


----------



## cwhitey2

Infinity G35 X or Infinity G25 X?

I cant decide, I'll probably go with a G25 X just because I can get one with lower miles and a little cheaper.


----------



## asher

Konfyouzd said:


> Little help?
> 
> I ended up picking up a cheap little daily driver (probably the problem ) and it seemed cool at first, but there are a few small things that seem to be wrong with it now that I've had a bit more time with it. Sold as is... My fault; I know (please spare me any lectures you may have prepared).
> 
> It was misfiring so I changed the spark plugs last night. It misfired maybe a little bit when I first started it back up but soon stabilized and would idle really smoothly.
> 
> This morning on the way to work I noticed that intermittently it would seem to want to vibrate a bit almsot as though I was pressing the accelerator while idling. It seemed to do this on consistent intervals. I didn't notice a rise in the RPMs, however.
> 
> Any ideas of what it might be? I'm looking into performing a leakdown test this weekend and I'll also be checking/replacing the air filter in case that happens to be the problem.



My 330 has always had a really rumbly idle, never seemed to be a problem.


----------



## musicaldeath

My DD does that all the time. Techs never found anything out of the ordinary, and it's always been on time with maintenance. I would say it's nothing. Some engines just do not like sitting still.

Also, I would go with the 35 over the 25... but I am a little biased there. I have spent a lot of time in the 35 and hardly any in the 25. Can't go wrong with either, mind you and lower miles/better price is always a good deal.


----------



## shadscbr

musicaldeath said:


> This is the V8 with manual. Definitely my favorite transmission between this and the s-tronic. Paddle shifting is fun, but it's not the same.



I can hear the beautiful "clack" of that shift gate....so jealous 

Shad


----------



## musicaldeath

That is one of my favorite things about the gated 6. It's almost like pulling the bolt on a rifle. 

Also, downshifting under bridges or in tunnels is awesome.


----------



## asher

musicaldeath said:


> That is one of my favorite things about the gated 6. It's almost like pulling the bolt on a rifle.
> 
> Also, downshifting under bridges or in tunnels is awesome.


 

Even in a normal car heel-toe makes every downshift 10x cooler, so I can only imagine!


----------



## Chuck

Okay guys so I want to buy a new car before I move out next summer, here's my criteria:

4 door sedan
RWD or AWD
Decent gas mileage (20 ish combined is fine)
Fun to drive 
Relatively fast (0-60 in under 7 or so seconds)
Relatively low maintainence 
Good reliability 
10K price budget

Any ideas?


----------



## shadscbr

musicaldeath said:


> That is one of my favorite things about the gated 6. It's almost like pulling the bolt on a rifle.
> 
> Also, downshifting under bridges or in tunnels is awesome.



between the engine note and the shift gate clack, a radio would ruin that car 

Shad


----------



## troyguitar

Chuck said:


> Okay guys so I want to buy a new car before I move out next summer, here's my criteria:
> 
> 4 door sedan
> RWD or AWD
> Decent gas mileage (20 ish combined is fine)
> Fun to drive
> Relatively fast (0-60 in under 7 or so seconds)
> Relatively low maintainence
> Good reliability
> 10K price budget
> 
> Any ideas?



G35 would be my first guess.


----------



## wannabguitarist

I'll try take some better shots this weekend when I have a chance. It's about 3 weeks and I've put close to 2,000 miles on it already; I've taken almost every back road possible from my clients back to my house instead of my normal commute. I'm in love 

Numbers and what not:
1995 E36 M3 from original owner
88,000 miles
Turner motorsport reinforcement kit (first mod, done by me)
5-speed
240hp


----------



## Joose

Chuck said:


> Okay guys so I want to buy a new car before I move out next summer, here's my criteria:
> 
> 4 door sedan
> RWD or AWD
> Decent gas mileage (20 ish combined is fine)
> Fun to drive
> Relatively fast (0-60 in under 7 or so seconds)
> Relatively low maintainence
> Good reliability
> 10K price budget
> 
> Any ideas?



How important is that 20 mpg average? 

'Cause damn have my Dodges been good to me; and I would only recommend Hemi equipped ones because, well... V6's in Chargers and Magnums just don't do anything for me.

Combined, I have put around 200k miles on my old '06 Magnum R/T and current '07 Charger R/T Daytona Edition with no problems; well, except for some small suspension stuff on the Daytona, but that's my fault for giving into temptation on the desolate, twisty roads in the desert. 

My Charger has been from FL to CO to NV to NC since April 2013. 

A regular '06 to probably '08 Charger R/T meets all of your criteria.... except gas mileage. I can get 25-26 mpg on the highway if it's flat enough, because the 5.7 Hemi shuts down half of its cylinders when maintaining a consistent speed. But city? Ehhhhh..... wasn't bad in FL or CO; but Las Vegas and now Charlotte, awful... traffic lights that make no sense, endless stop signs and traffic have me sitting at a 13 mpg average.


----------



## ddtonfire

wannabguitarist said:


> I'll try take some better shots this weekend when I have a chance. It's about 3 weeks and I've put close to 2,000 miles on it already; I've taken almost every back road possible from my clients back to my house instead of my normal commute. I'm in love
> 
> Numbers and what not:
> 1995 E36 M3 from original owner
> 88,000 miles
> Turner motorsport reinforcement kit (first mod, done by me)
> 5-speed
> 240hp



SS.org M3 club


----------



## wannabguitarist

ddtonfire said:


> SS.org M3 club



What year do you have? I love me some straight 6 noise


----------



## Chuck

Chuck said:


> Okay guys so I want to buy a new car before I move out next summer, here's my criteria:
> 
> 4 door sedan
> RWD or AWD
> Decent gas mileage (20 ish combined is fine)
> Fun to drive
> Relatively fast (0-60 in under 7 or so seconds)
> Relatively low maintainence
> Good reliability
> 10K price budget
> 
> Any ideas?



Opening this up to hatchbacks and FWD as well. 

As for Troy and Joose's replies, I'm not so into the Infinitis and the charger is out of my price range


----------



## musicaldeath

4-Door GTI? Used obviously.


----------



## troyguitar

If you can do FWD then the answer is 2007-2011 Civic Si, no question.


----------



## ddtonfire

wannabguitarist said:


> What year do you have? I love me some straight 6 noise



Oh man me too, the induction noise is better than the exhaust note!

04, she's a beast. There are a few videos of her in action in this thread.


----------



## Chuck

Well I guess my mom wants me to buy her 2010 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen. Hmmmm.


----------



## axxessdenied

Buy your mom's Jetta if she's taken good care of it 

Wannabeguitarist; beautiful M3, bro! Don't see them in white too often. LOVE IT!

Just put new shoes on my beast


----------



## musicaldeath

The Jetta is a good idea. At least you will have some idea of what it's been driven like.

Nice M3's. I love this generation of M3's body styles. So much class, and so much beast all rolled into the same car. Unfortunately, where I live, most of the people driving these cars are teenagers/early 20's kids who drive like total knobs, so I spend more time hating on bmw drivers then getting to appreciate them.


----------



## Chuck

Yeah it's been very well taken care of. Been at the dealer getting serviced for a non-starting problem but it's all fixed now.


----------



## musicaldeath

That's VW for you... the only thing you can ever be sure that works on those is the Check Engine light. 

All jokes aside, they are great cars and you can't really go wrong with one.


----------



## troyguitar

Chuck said:


> Well I guess my mom wants me to buy her 2010 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen. Hmmmm.



I want a 10-14 tdi sportwagen to replace my Pontiac Vibe when I have the money, it's the most practical car on the US market. Manual or DSG?


----------



## Chuck

DSG.


----------



## troyguitar

Too bad, I guess I should have figured that mom couldn't be THAT cool 

At least dsg is a good automatic.


----------



## Jake

musicaldeath said:


> That's VW for you... the only thing you can ever be sure that works on those is the Check Engine light.


This is my cavalier 

02 with about 70k miles on it and it's starting to shit the bed. Pretty sure whoever owned it before me didn't do any kind of servicing to it. I've owned it since about 40k miles. But with me graduating college soon it's gonna be time to get myself a nice daily driver and I'm really thinking it through currently. We'll see what my finances are looking like come summer time but my grandparents have this habit of throwing a lot of money towards me for things and I have a feeling they want me to have a nice car too 

So we'll see what I report back in with eventually. Also hoping I can win the lottery in the mean time to get myself one of these








or one of these....well I might buy a 911 anyway


----------



## musicaldeath

I love mine, so if you do end up winning the lottery, go for it. I have always loved the Ibis white w/ Carbon blades... but I wanted something low(ish) profile and I love black on that car for whatever reason. Phantom black w/ carbon for me.

As for Porsche... sadly they don't do anything for me


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

You guys and your expensive tastes .

If I ever get around to getting a legal drivers license here in Korea, I'll probably try to get something like one of these bad Larrys:









Small enough for Korean city traffic and parking, but still roomy enough for hauling gear.

Plus they look hilarious. As a prior owner of an old Ford Festiva, I'm a fan of cars that make me laugh when I look at them .


----------



## musicaldeath

There was one of those... or the one Mitsubishi make that looks like that, that parked out in front of my old condo building. The guy 's license plate was 666AXIS or something really close to that and coming home from the bar one night my buddy and I looked at it and decided that Satan, Hitler, Mussolini etc must use that van to party, hence the license plate. From that day forward, it was known as the Satan Party Bus. Funny thing, what alcohol and things can do to your head lol.


----------



## axxessdenied




----------



## Seanthesheep

Just test drove a Scion FRS yesterday and wow!!! Really great car and drives really well and is really comfortable

Its just as small as youd think but the interior is really roomy, probably moreso than my vw golf and arguably drives better than the Cadillac CTS coupe IMO


----------



## ddtonfire

I'm so happy I drive with a dashcam:


----------



## Forrest_H

I realized I hadn't posted any pictures of my dad's newer G8 since we got the black wheels:





















We've been doing a ton of sh-t tuning wise, but so far we've got:

Custom-Tuned ECU (via HP Tuners' software)

Kooks Headers

Corsa Exhaust (Not sure what model)

Cold Air Intake (no idea what model, luckily it was oiled up when we got it)

19in wheels with 285's on the rear

next up, we have a zl1 cam, ls3 heads, and a fender roll coming our way


----------



## Joose

Man, G8's are such pretty cars. Someday I'd really like to get a 6 speed GXP in that dark metallic red they offered.

Buddy of mine has a white GT with the black/red leather interior. He's had a Procharger for it sitting in his closet for a couple years now lol. 

I was really close to buying a G8 GT, but I got my Charger for about 8 grand less, thanks to the dealership having no clue how to advertise and being in "it's gotta go" mode.


----------



## axxessdenied

how are those continental tires?


----------



## MemphisHawk

Here's my Lost Birds R33 GT-R. Painted by my wife back in 2010. 











There's about a million pictures out there of it. I had to check the thread, but apparently I never posted it in here!


----------



## Joose

^Nice!



axxessdenied said:


> how are those continental tires?



Dunno about on the G8, but I loved the Extreme Contacts on my Charger. Running Hankooks right now, but plan to go back to the Continentals.


----------



## StevenC

Hybrid Lamborghini, anyone?

Lamborghini reveals Asterion LPI 910-4 hybrid hypercar concept - Autoblog

Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4

Possibly my new favourite car.


----------



## StevenC

Double post, damn laggy internet.


----------



## ddtonfire

New Z06/Z07 stats per http://wot.motortrend.com/1410_2015_chevrolet_corvette_z06_hits_60_mph_in_2_95_seconds.html

8AT:
2.95 0-60
10.95 @ 127 quarter mile

6MT:
3.2 0-60
11.2 @ 127 quarter mile


----------



## Jake

^^ WANT


Actually gonna be looking at standard Corvettes once I get out of school. I've always had the biggest soft spot for this car.




<3


----------



## ddtonfire

We're going to have to start a ss.org corvette club here, soon.


----------



## Joose

ddtonfire said:


> New Z06/Z07 stats per 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Hits 60 MPH in 2.95 Seconds - Motor Trend
> 
> 8AT:
> 2.95 0-60
> 10.95 @ 127 quarter mile
> 
> 6MT:
> 3.2 0-60
> 11.2 @ 127 quarter mile



And the Charger Hellcat: Dodge Charger Hellcat Also Stupid Fast, Does 0-60 In 2.9 Seconds


And how about the new Lambo Asterion concept? 897hp Hybrid? Why not!
http://m.autoblog.com/2014/10/01/lamborghini-reveals-asterion-lpi-910-4-hybrid-hypercar-concept/


----------



## ddtonfire

That's... that's just ridiculous.


----------



## NovaLion

Funny you should mention the Hellcat, I'm in talks to get one when I get back to the US next year. In th emean time, I'm running around with this still:


----------



## Vhyle

As a bonus to my Mustang, me and a friend just got the stereo working again. The car came with an MTX RT2400, two 12" MTX subs and Alpine speakers. It's an old 400w system, but still a pretty cool deal to come with a car that I only paid 200 bucks for. The only issue was a bad connection from the battery to the primary fuse. Now it's working and it sounds awesome. Melting my own face off with thundering double bass in traffic. I love it.


----------



## MemphisHawk

NovaLion said:


> Funny you should mention the Hellcat, I'm in talks to get one when I get back to the US next year. In th emean time, I'm running around with this still:




Novalion, you didn't notice my car was a Y Plate too? I live in Okinawa as well. That car used to belong to a guy in a local band called Raising Apollo, unless you are him.. lol
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


----------



## axxessdenied

tried driving with a gopro on my car for the first time, haha.


----------



## atrfan1

Here's my little POS! It burns oil, barely has brakes, and the interior is falling apart. But I paid $900 for it with a fresh California smog, so I guess I can't complain.

Thankfully it's only a temporary car. Next year I'm upgrading to something much nicer, as well as starting to build my dream car: 1967 Dodge Dart Swinger that's been gutted on the inside to save weight, Mopar 528 hemi under the hood with the meanest thumper cam money can buy, and a tubbed rear end. My hope is that it sounds like pure evil and does crazy wheelies!


----------



## musicaldeath

Took Batman out for a ride in the "Batmobile" this weekend. 4 years old and already a car guy... well maybe not, he does ask to be referred to as Bruce Wayne when not wearing the costume. 






A couple of police officers at the light asked if the person driving the car was Alfred. Little guy responds, confused "No... he's Superman!" Awesome.

Fun fact... these make great family cars (lol) there is an anchor system for a full sized car seat.


----------



## asher

You are awesome. That is all.


----------



## Forrest_H

Joose said:


> Man, G8's are such pretty cars. Someday I'd really like to get a 6 speed GXP in that dark metallic red they offered.
> 
> Buddy of mine has a white GT with the black/red leather interior. He's had a Procharger for it sitting in his closet for a couple years now lol.
> 
> I was really close to buying a G8 GT, but I got my Charger for about 8 grand less, thanks to the dealership having no clue how to advertise and being in "it's gotta go" mode.



I wish I had a picture of the other G8 for you. It's still a GT, but good god, once you sit down and tune those things, they become seriously quick. There was a world of difference from just advancing the spark advance timing slightly and raising the red line a little bit. Also, they shift f-cking insanely fast. Like, "what gear am I in now???" fast.

I agree as well, they are pretty cars. I'm debating one over a 'vette now... 



axxessdenied said:


> how are those continental tires?





Joose said:


> Dunno about on the G8, but I loved the Extreme Contacts on my Charger. Running Hankooks right now, but plan to go back to the Continentals.



They're awesome. We ran them on the old m5 as well, which was super hard to get going sideways.

On the G8, they're definitely better than what was on there. It sticks now, and pretty well, but you still have to be focused if you're going into a corner. There have been moments in that car where I'm glad my dad used to track cars all the damned time, and how that was implemented into teaching me to drive when I was 14


----------



## musicaldeath

I had Contisportcontacts before the P-Zeros and had Conti somthings on my other car for a while. I seriously dislike those tires. Found the ride very rough.

Next tire swap I want to try the Michelin Pilot SS. I hear great things about them. YMMV

Asher: it's fun taking him out in it, even though I don't go all that fast (the odd sprint for giggles). And he insists on the batman costume if he goes in pretty much any car.


----------



## asher

There was a period when I was in pre school I'd just wear my Batman costume out for shiggles, I understand


----------



## Joose

Forrest_H said:


> I wish I had a picture of the other G8 for you. It's still a GT, but good god, once you sit down and tune those things, they become seriously quick. There was a world of difference from just advancing the spark advance timing slightly and raising the red line a little bit. Also, they shift f-cking insanely fast. Like, "what gear am I in now???" fast.
> 
> I agree as well, they are pretty cars. I'm debating one over a 'vette now...



I would, depending on which G8 and which Vette. Fast/fun 4 doors>Everything. Even though there are so many 2 doors I want. 

And yeah, it doesn't take much to make a G8 GT fly; I have plenty of friends back in Florida who have turned theirs into monsters. And 1 friend who had a 6 speed GXP in silver with the red accented interior; bone stock and I loved it that way. Just a super nice car.




musicaldeath said:


> Took Batman out for a ride in the "Batmobile" this weekend. 4 years old and already a car guy... well maybe not, he does ask to be referred to as Bruce Wayne when not wearing the costume.
> 
> &#8212;_internet-winning photo of the day_&#8212;
> 
> A couple of police officers at the light asked if the person driving the car was Alfred. Little guy responds, confused "No... he's Superman!" Awesome.
> 
> Fun fact... these make great family cars (lol) there is an anchor system for a full sized car seat.



The Bruce Wayne part is absolutely hilarious. 

I met a dude in Denver who had an R8 V8 as well, he had a Capristo exhaust system on it... that thing sounded incredible. I mean, they sound evil enough stock; adding an exhaust like that is just for additional grins. And epic tunnel runs.


----------



## musicaldeath

This one is still stock... I am thinking a new steering wheel... something a little more awesome than the normal one (thinking along the lines of the 458's). Capristo exhaust may happen next season. Pretty soon this thing will be getting winter prepped and put away lol.

I love the sound of the V8. I think I like it more than the V10... more growl.


----------



## Joose

musicaldeath said:


> This one is still stock... I am thinking a new steering wheel... something a little more awesome than the normal one (thinking along the lines of the 458's). Capristo exhaust may happen next season. Pretty soon this thing will be getting winter prepped and put away lol.
> 
> I love the sound of the V8. I think I like it more than the V10... more growl.



New steering wheel huh? That could be pretty sweet.

And I definitely prefer the sound of the 4.2 to the 5.2; it's a sophisticated growl, what's not to love?


----------



## troyguitar

Put away for the winter? You've got quattro dude, put some winter tires on that thing and go nuts.


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> Put away for the winter? You've got quattro dude, put some winter tires on that thing and go nuts.



I'd be super skeptical if it were my R8... not of my driving or of the car's abilities, but of all the dumbasses driving within a mile of me.


----------



## musicaldeath

There are many reasons why it gets put away. They sand the roads pretty much everyday here in the winter - that's murder on the paint at the best of times. Throw in everyone else on the road's that are usually covered in ice and that's no fun.

Also, the city doesn't plow the streets in my part of the subdivision, just the main boulevard by my street, so give it a solid snowfall and the snow is already 6"+ high, and the R8 only has something like 4" clearance.


----------



## MemphisHawk

Me and my buddy daily drive the GT-Rs when it snows. It will snow 30cm in one day easy in Aomori for 5 months straight. And let's be honest, Japanese driver's are not so great.











Here's my wife's car (Subaru GC8 Impreza) after about 6 hours of being left alone


----------



## troyguitar

Yeah I get it, I have winter tires for my Z06 but have yet to actually take it out in the snow/salt/sand so I can't blame you. The low ground clearance is definitely a problem.

I'd like to get a cheap but still fun AWD car for winter like a ~2000 Audi A4 with some upgrades, for now I just drive the Pontiac Vibe for most of the winter.


----------



## musicaldeath

I could drive it in the winter, I am mainly just concerned about the sand. The rest is okay... I only drive 10 min to work so my commute is easy. Maybe next year... it would be my luck I would drive like an idiot and crash it... kind of want the newness (to me) to were off first so I don't feel like flooring it every time i sit in it.

And holy crap that's a lot of snow! How are those GT-R's in the winter? I test drove one a few times, not my thing but they are stupid quick. Really cool piece of engineering.


----------



## MemphisHawk

Well , I imagine with any car you will experience a lot of reduced braking capacity. On the GT-R, the big wheels would build up a ton of snow inside them and keep the brakes at near freezing temperature. I would hair dry all that snow out when I got home because the pads had a tendency to stick to the rotors and I didn't want to crack my brake pads if they really got stuck. 

I had to dig out the intercooler a few times after plowing through 16 inches of snow, but with real snow tires on (not even studded) the car drove like it was Bigfoot. I got stuck ONCE, and it was my fault. I tried to drive up a mountain road that was closed for the winter, haha. Some helpful snowmobile riders found me and pushed the car backwards while I floored it until the car could travel on it's own again. 

I never have crashed or had any mechanical problems from winter driving, and one the toll roads, we regularly cruise at 100+ KPH over snow. Once you really get good at driving in the snow, it's kinda sad when it all melts! But then at the same time, when it melts in Aomori, this is what our roads look like!!!


----------



## asher

Given all the systems in that thing, I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised it does snow mostly like a champ with the right tires... but it's still impressive!


----------



## axxessdenied

Videos from a bimmercruise i was at on sunday. needed more gopro batteries so I only got highway footage and nothing on the back roads in the twisties.







Trying out different angles yesterday


----------



## axxessdenied

Videos from a bimmercruise i was at on sunday. needed more gopro batteries so I only got highway footage and nothing on the back roads in the twisties.







Trying out different angles yesterday


----------



## ddtonfire

I've never been on a cruise like that before, it looks fun!


----------



## Mr Violence

I was considering selling this guy for a while now. Eats a lot of gas, but it's the most comfortable ride and it has serious balls when you push it. Not a lot of road feel or anything, it's definitely just a cruiser, but it can be a bruiser when you want it to be.

Was planning on trading it for a smaller stick car before winter., then the back brakes and rotors went. While I was driving around with shot rear brakes, I was using the paddle shifters to engine brake. Then, I realized how much balls this thing packs in lower gears. Really hauls ass. I decided to keep it, replaced the brakes and rotors and got new Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring All Seasons all around.

Not that it's a sports car or anything. You guys have some awesome tuners here, but I thought I'd share. It's a hell of a lot of car for what it's worth, and I got it with all the fixings for under 20k, so I think I lucked out. Under 30k miles when I bought it.

Here's a pic of when I bought it. Low light, crap camera. I'll post some decent pictures when I get it detailed.


----------



## troyguitar

SHO taurus with performance package and a tune on that 3.5 is pretty ridiculous in a straight line. Just a tune for premium fuel puts them into the 12.x 1/4-mile range, not bad for a 4400 lb rental car


----------



## Chickenhawk

The SHO is a hell of a car, indeed. Is that a SHO, Mr. Violence, or a regular Taurus? 



The wifey has a 2014 PP. Finally convinced her to let me do some work on it in the spring (intake, exhaust, downpipes, tune). Fairly excited.

I've posted pics of her car more than once, but one more doesn't hurt, lol.


----------



## Mr Violence

Chickenhawk said:


> The SHO is a hell of a car, indeed. Is that a SHO, Mr. Violence, or a regular Taurus?



Nope, just a 2010 SEL with all options minus Satnav. If I want a fast car, I'll probably get a hot hatch somewhere along the way. This is just a nice cruiser, super comfy. While I'd love the tight suspension and handling of the SHO, I can't justify the gas mileage hit. It's already fairly low for what I'm used to anyways. I previously owned a Focus and then a Mazda 3.

It does what it does fairly well, and it usually can burn up the wanna-be tuners on the city streets. I miss driving a little stick car a bit, but the comfort and luxury of these guys is more than worth it, IMO.


To note: I wish mine was black. It looks so great in black.


----------



## Chickenhawk

Mr Violence said:


> Nope, just a 2010 SEL with all options minus Satnav. If I want a fast car, I'll probably get a hot hatch somewhere along the way. This is just a nice cruiser, super comfy. While I'd love the tight suspension and handling of the SHO, I can't justify the gas mileage hit. It's already fairly low for what I'm used to anyways. I previously owned a Focus and then a Mazda 3.
> 
> It does what it does fairly well, and it usually can burn up the wanna-be tuners on the city streets. I miss driving a little stick car a bit, but the comfort and luxury of these guys is more than worth it, IMO.
> 
> 
> To note: I wish mine was black. It looks so great in black.



I'm positive that if we didn't get the SHO, that we'd have gotten an optioned out SEL. It's a comfy car, even with the AWD and stiffer suspension...

But then again, she came out of an 06 Chevy Equinox (junk), and we traded in my 09 Ram 2500 Cummins for the SHO...sooo, our definition of 'comfy' and 'luxury' differ from most.  

She's averaging 20-22 mpg combined (probably 75% highway driving), which isn't bad to us, considering what the car is. Better than the Cummins was, and 87 is a hell of a lot cheaper than diesel 

Hopefully we'll have another vehicle before spring to show off here. Most likely an older pickup, lifted, 4x4, mud tires, bad mileage...all that senseless 
jazz. Was planning on picking up an SVT Raptor REAL soon, but a house we want to buy is going to hit the market around April, soooo...


----------



## musicaldeath

I love those SHO's. Such a beast of a car, especially for a giant sedan.


----------



## Joose

I averaged 16mpg in Jacksonville FL, 19 in Denver CO, 16 in Las Vegas NV and now here in Charlotte NC? 11.3mpg average... so many stop signs, traffic lights, trains, clueless drivers who can't maintain a speed, etc. It's ridiculous!


----------



## BornToLooze

I don't have much car wise. I got a '08 Cobalt that a teenage idiot got a hold of, and a '65 and '66 Mustang that I can't afford to get running.

My Slowbalt has an intake, a giant exhaust that I'm too cheap to replace, an oil leak because I just had to paint the valve cover black and over tightened 2 of the bolts, missing a door panel because I had to paint my interior panels black and lost the clips, a tow hook because race cars have them, and lowering springs and a tune, which are probably the only 2 things I don't regret doing to it. 

These are the 2 most recent pictures I have of it, which are still a couple years old.











And my Mustangs I got because my grandma was going to sell them but no one would give her what she wanted, so she gave them to me. They've been sitting since the early 80s. The brakes are locked up on both of them, the '65 is missing a gas tank, they both need new tires, carbs, exhaust, brakes, paint, batteries, tune up, ect. And since I'm going to have to redo the brakes on all of them, I figured I should switch it from drums to disk, and since I'm going to switch to disk brakes I might as well get good ones, and the kit I want is about $2k for the front and rear, so that's $8k by itself, not counting probably the $1k-2k in other stuff they need. The real kicker...I got a garage full of spare parts, but not a damn thing I need to fix them up.


----------



## MemphisHawk

Did someone here post my Sharpie GTR to reddit. I swear, not 2 days after I posted it here (I never post it anywhere these days) all hell broke loose online. Now it's on Car Talk, Reddit, every car FB page, and CNN just called and asked to interview me and my wife about it....??????????????


----------



## Joose

^Are those bad things?

Now I'm curious too about if someone here posted it lol.


----------



## MemphisHawk

It's not bad, but it has EXPLODED. The car has existed for 5 years and had quite an internet folowing back in 2010-2011, but now it's just crazy.


----------



## pondman

I spent years on this car and god knows how much money I put into it it for track racing. 

























An engine fire destroyed it recently  8 years work wiped out.


----------



## MemphisHawk

Why did you have a NISMO logo under the hood? That's Nissan Motorsports


----------



## pondman

I wondered who would spot that  It was put on by some promo girl in bra and pants at a car meet when I had my back turned. It was taken off and the cover re-sprayed later on.


----------



## ddtonfire

MemphisHawk said:


> Did someone here post my Sharpie GTR to reddit. I swear, not 2 days after I posted it here (I never post it anywhere these days) all hell broke loose online. Now it's on Car Talk, Reddit, every car FB page, and CNN just called and asked to interview me and my wife about it....??????????????




That was yours? I knew I've seen it somewhere else!

PS wasn't me who posted it.


----------



## TheStig1214

MemphisHawk said:


> Did someone here post my Sharpie GTR to reddit. I swear, not 2 days after I posted it here (I never post it anywhere these days) all hell broke loose online. Now it's on Car Talk, Reddit, every car FB page, and CNN just called and asked to interview me and my wife about it....??????????????



One of my friends shared a story about it from boredpanda on FB, and I'm like "Oh this dude is on SSO, saw this a few days ago." but that was after it blew up. 

I am innocent! But congrats, it's a beautiful car!


----------



## Kiwimetal101

@memphishawk yeah saw that on car throttle 'Churr that's the bad 33 gtr from sso' 

Congrats man that's a bitching car!


----------



## MemphisHawk

Nissan Global contacted me and wants to do a story on us...!!!? What in the hell is happening! This is awesome! I want to share one part of the back and forth emails I have going with Nissan..

Me :

"...Final thought for now - My wife said she would be willing to Sharpie art an R36 GT-R prototype for when it's finally unveiled.  ..."


Response :

"Hi Collen, 


Thanks for packaging this all up and sending over ..... PS - Tell your wife we'd be more than glad to coordinate something like that. It would be AWESOME.


My best,
..signed.."


----------



## Kiwimetal101

^SWEET!!

She did a rad job man, deserves everything being thrown at you guys atm.

EDIT:

Have you clear coated it man??


----------



## Jake

MemphisHawk said:


> Did someone here post my Sharpie GTR to reddit. I swear, not 2 days after I posted it here (I never post it anywhere these days) all hell broke loose online. Now it's on Car Talk, Reddit, every car FB page, and CNN just called and asked to interview me and my wife about it....??????????????



Quite a few of my friends have been sharing the link around FB. I was like HEY I KNOW THAT CAR!


----------



## ddtonfire

From this past month's autocross. I did a helmet cam which really gives good perspective as to what it's like to drive in these events.



Also did a footwork video... heel-toe FTW!


----------



## Mr Violence

Hey guys.

Just as soon as I posted about my Ford Taurus, my front right wheel bearing is diagnosed shot. I took it in for warranty maintenance and was denied citing warranty being out for 6 days.

I've raised holy hell with Ford that wheel bearings shouldn't die at 50k miles and that it was diagnosed before my warranty was up, but they don't seem to be budging.

Anyone else ever dealt with their customer service? They hung up on me more than once now.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## Chickenhawk

Mr Violence said:


> Hey guys.
> 
> Just as soon as I posted about my Ford Taurus, my front right wheel bearing is diagnosed shot. I took it in for warranty maintenance and was denied citing warranty being out for 6 days.
> 
> I've raised holy hell with Ford that wheel bearings shouldn't die at 50k miles and that it was diagnosed before my warranty was up, but they don't seem to be budging.
> 
> Anyone else ever dealt with their customer service? They hung up on me more than once now.
> 
> Thanks in advance!



Go straight to the service manager, and calmly, professionally explain your stance (maybe offer to pay parts, but labor should be covered for you). When/If he doesn't budge, let him know you're calling corporate, and do so...right in front of him.

Inform corporate that you're unbelievably disappointed in your dealerships handling of this situation, and embarrassed by your purchase of a Ford product.

The situation is bound to settle itself shortly after.


----------



## Mr Violence

Chickenhawk said:


> Go straight to the service manager, and calmly, professionally explain your stance (maybe offer to pay parts, but labor should be covered for you). When/If he doesn't budge, let him know you're calling corporate, and do so...right in front of him.
> 
> Inform corporate that you're unbelievably disappointed in your dealerships handling of this situation, and embarrassed by your purchase of a Ford product.
> 
> The situation is bound to settle itself shortly after.



Service Manager at the dealership told me to call corporate straight off and that he couldn't do anything at all. I did call corporate and after they told me nothing could be done and I asked for a supervisor, they hung up on me.

I blew them up on Twitter and Facebook and got attention and the regional customer service manager is supposed to call me today.


I'll keep everything posted here. Thanks!


----------



## Riffer

MemphisHawk said:


> Did someone here post my Sharpie GTR to reddit. I swear, not 2 days after I posted it here (I never post it anywhere these days) all hell broke loose online. Now it's on Car Talk, Reddit, every car FB page, and CNN just called and asked to interview me and my wife about it....??????????????



That's awesome dude!! A friend of mine posted a link to the Reddit page on her Facebook and I instantly recognized the car from this thread. Good luck with everything and I hope you get some cool stuff out of it.


----------



## MFB

MemphisHawk said:


> Did someone here post my Sharpie GTR to reddit. I swear, not 2 days after I posted it here (I never post it anywhere these days) all hell broke loose online. Now it's on Car Talk, Reddit, every car FB page, and CNN just called and asked to interview me and my wife about it....??????????????



Shit man, I saw it on Imgur the other day and immediately recognized it from somewhere, wasn't 100% sure if it was from here though.


----------



## TheStig1214

You know what I love about Minis? They will tell you they you have an exterior light out, then not tell you which one. Passive aggressive fvcks..... I've been walking around my car for a good 30 minutes now and all of my lights that I can see are on. Doesn't help it's still light out right now.


----------



## Shashing

Check your brake lights, a lot of manufacturers use dual filament bulbs now so the running lights work fine but don't light up with the brakes. You can thank our lovely engineers for that one


----------



## TheStig1214

Shashing said:


> Check your brake lights, a lot of manufacturers use dual filament bulbs now so the running lights work fine but don't light up with the brakes. You can thank our lovely engineers for that one



I actually found them. It's my rear plate illuminating bulbs. But both are out. And their LEDs. Kinda concerned it's more than a quick bulb swap.

EDIT: Not LEDS, but still both are out.


----------



## Forrest_H

TheStig1214 said:


> You know what I love about Minis? They will tell you they you have an exterior light out, then not tell you which one. Passive aggressive fvcks..... I've been walking around my car for a good 30 minutes now and all of my lights that I can see are on. Doesn't help it's still light out right now.



I have that issue with my benz, ugh. 

WHY MUST YOU EUROPEANS PREY ON OUR AMERICAN CLOSE-MINDEDNESS


----------



## Forrest_H

Might be picking this up tomorrow:






Already went crazy with photoshop to visualize what I want to do  (And yes, I know it was a shitty job, but it's 4 in the morning here and my dad's loud as shit when he's drunk ):


----------



## MemphisHawk

Don't black out the taillights. That's my vote anyway.


----------



## TheStig1214

MemphisHawk said:


> Don't black out the taillights. That's my vote anyway.



I second this. Don't put those stupid chrome slats over them either. I wanna shoot guys who do that.


----------



## Vhyle

Mr Violence said:


> Hey guys.
> 
> Just as soon as I posted about my Ford Taurus, my front right wheel bearing is diagnosed shot. I took it in for warranty maintenance and was denied citing warranty being out for 6 days.
> 
> I've raised holy hell with Ford that wheel bearings shouldn't die at 50k miles and that it was diagnosed before my warranty was up, but they don't seem to be budging.
> 
> Anyone else ever dealt with their customer service? They hung up on me more than once now.
> 
> Thanks in advance!



While 50k is definitely a short lifespan for wheel bearings, it's more common than you think. In my 8-year tenure as a mechanic (I still turn wrenches now, mainly for personal benefit or helping a friend), I've seen cars that are only 2-3 years old at the time, with failing wheel bearings, tie rod ends (Chevy Equinox, especially - 60k and the tie rod ends are shot), and other problems. It comes with the lackluster QC that a lot of domestic cars are subjected to. I've seen new Mustangs leaking ATF at 30k, new Chevy 1500s leaking oil at 20k, a lot of Chrysler shortcomings... the list goes on. This kind of stuff doesn't happen nearly as often on our Japanese counterparts.

I'm not saying "DON'T BUY AMERICAN HURRR DURRR". That would be silly of me, since my daily driver is a Mustang and I love it. I'm just sharing my experiences from the automotive field.


----------



## musicaldeath

Last sprint of the year (probably), snapped a couple of (really shitty phone) pics while we were out. Enjoy!


----------



## Vhyle

dat r8 doe


----------



## musicaldeath

Ha, just got pulled over for the first time in my entire driving career. Turned left at an intersection and got distracted, hit the gas too much and the police were right there. Was only doing 70km/h in a 60 zone, got off with a warning. Needless to say, that was lucky. Did 59 the rest of the way on the road lol.

More pictures because my buddy just sent me some from this morning (he takes better pictures). I'm the dork in the blue sweater (a bit blurry).


----------



## asher

We need a :jelly:


----------



## Forrest_H

TheStig1214 said:


> I second this. Don't put those stupid chrome slats over them either. I wanna shoot guys who do that.



No chrome slats for sure, eugh.

Smoked tail lights would likely look better on a murdered vette anyways  this is going to drain my bank account, so no aesthetic mods yet, don't worry


----------



## Joose

Normally, I'm great at getting photos of other cars while I'm driving. But I just got the iPhone 6 and am not used to the size yet. So, no photos of the blue w/ white stripes Ford GT I saw this morning. A video would've been great, as he gunned the hell out of it after he got next to me. Glorious car!


----------



## Mr Violence

Vhyle said:


> While 50k is definitely a short lifespan for wheel bearings, it's more common than you think. In my 8-year tenure as a mechanic (I still turn wrenches now, mainly for personal benefit or helping a friend), I've seen cars that are only 2-3 years old at the time, with failing wheel bearings, tie rod ends (Chevy Equinox, especially - 60k and the tie rod ends are shot), and other problems. It comes with the lackluster QC that a lot of domestic cars are subjected to. I've seen new Mustangs leaking ATF at 30k, new Chevy 1500s leaking oil at 20k, a lot of Chrysler shortcomings... the list goes on. This kind of stuff doesn't happen nearly as often on our Japanese counterparts.
> 
> I'm not saying "DON'T BUY AMERICAN HURRR DURRR". That would be silly of me, since my daily driver is a Mustang and I love it. I'm just sharing my experiences from the automotive field.



Well, I avoided the whole situation by making a big enough stink with Ford. They're covering all costs, so I lucked out!

I'll keep that in mind on my next purchase, which will most certainly be Honda, Toyota or Mazda. Thanks!


----------



## musicaldeath

Anyways, good to know that Ford did the right thing there! They had some recalls lately over the front right wheel bearing sheering off or something on a lot of their vehicles so who knows whats going on.


----------



## patata

Anyone has any experience importing a car USA to EU?
Costs etc


----------



## Joose

Well, I may be moving again, from Charlotte to Seattle this time. As much as I'd enjoy another road trip, this will be in the dead of Winter. I'm not going to risk it, with all of those snowy states I'd have to pass through.

So I'd have to ship my car. Anyone have experience with that? Not something I've ever looked into. This may sound ridiculous, but can you load up your car with boxes and shit? That could save money on shipping my belongings.  (i've drastically reduced the number of things I own with how much i've moved in recent years)


----------



## asher

Did it once. Car arrived fine, I don't remember how much it cost, I had to drive out a ways from Oakland to pick it up from their lot, and no packing things in it.


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> Well, I may be moving again, from Charlotte to Seattle this time. As much as I'd enjoy another road trip, this will be in the dead of Winter. I'm not going to risk it, with all of those snowy states I'd have to pass through.
> 
> So I'd have to ship my car. Anyone have experience with that? Not something I've ever looked into. This may sound ridiculous, but can you load up your car with boxes and shit? That could save money on shipping my belongings.  (i've drastically reduced the number of things I own with how much i've moved in recent years)



You generally can't load it up because they don't want the liability of stuff bouncing around or thieves busting windows to take your stuff. I have seen some places allow you to put stuff in the car for an extra fee but it must all be below the level of the windows to be out of sight.

That's all I really know, I haven't done it myself.


----------



## Joose

Yeah I figured there would be liability stuff. Oh well.

Either way, with the distance between here and Seattle, it's probably going to be expensive.


----------



## BigBaldIan

I'm starting to think I may be addicted to fast Renaults, mine is swift but I really, really want to try this:


----------



## Forrest_H

Well, my benz is dead. 







Rest in peace, my friend.

My dad wants to keep it, so who knows, might turn it into something crazy down the line 

Still bummed though. Now I really need to find a replacement car


----------



## TheStig1214

I somehow broke the shifter knob on my Mini. Bought a new one from TWM, the competition series. It's a 7" stick. Will post pics of install.


----------



## Joose

Love or hate NASCAR, this is ridiculous. Easy? I don't think anything is easy at 200 mph.


----------



## Joose

The Charger Hellcat Is The Most American/Insane Car You Can Buy

"Trying to explain this car to non-car people is a great way to take a step back from the insular world of gearheadom and realize just how absurd the whole thing is. You can try to personify it, for example. You could tell a friend to imagine a successful, middle aged man, probably an orthodontist or something, who has good taste, is a responsible and dedicated dad, but also has one of the most elaborate and well-appointed sex dungeons in three states. The car's kind of like that."

Love it. Love everything about it!


----------



## Joose

Edit: Apparently it double-posted.


----------



## asher




----------



## Konfyouzd

Need a little advice...

I've been having some trouble with fouling the plug only in cylinder 4. Did a compression test last night and all 4 cylinders are at 180psi and they hold it well. If I'm not mistaken it appears to be fuel fouling. The plug is black and it smells like gas.

When I start the engine cold it jerks intermittently like somoene is lightly kicking the bottom of my seat. This dies down after about 30 seconds to a minute and/or when the RPMs finally settle (car begins to warm up).

I have a diagnostic scanner and when checking the realtime data, I don't really see anything out of the ordinary but I could be overlooking someting.

Aside from that, I know I have a bad cat and perhaps the O2 sensors as well. I've verified this in a number of ways... 

-p0420 code
-I used an infared thermometer to check the temp at the inlet and outlet
-Looking at the O2 sensor readings on my scan tool suggest that the cat is bad. Both the upstream and downstream sensors bounce around all over the place.

I have a new cat already and I have purchased new O2 sensors as well as PCV valve for the hell of it since they're cheap and the car is getting old now.

Any ideas what it might be? I'd like to get it to stop fouling that plug before I throw the new cat and sensors on it. I posted this on a couple car forums as well but they're not as active as we are here, so I figured I'd ask and see if anyone had any ideas.

So far I have done the following:
-Changed oil and coolant
-Results: Smoother idle
-Changed EGR valve
-Results: Smoother idle, no more hesitating/trying to stall on hard acceleration
-Changed spark plugs a couple times
-Replaced all ignition coils
-Replaced the injector for the cylinder that keeps fouling
-Seafoamed the gas tank, vaccum lines (through the brake booster) and in the crankcase (36 hours prior to oil change)


----------



## troyguitar

Beyond my pay grade there but FWIW the pre-cat o2 sensor readings should be bouncing around at idle, that is normal. The post-cat o2 should be more stable if the cat is working properly, if not then the readings should basically mirror the pre-cat sensor readings with a slight delay.

I had bad cats on my last Audi so I have gone through that whole scenario. The o2 sensors turned out to be fine on my car. The readings at idle looked like gibberish but logging them during actual driving they were fine.


----------



## Vhyle

More info, Konfyouzd. How many miles are on this car?

Also, slightly rough idles at cold temps that last under a minute is usually pretty common on a car with high miles.

Also, for knowledge - if your O2 sensors and cat are all in perfect working order, pre-cat O2 sensor readings should be bouncing like crazy, and post-cat sensor should be reading level voltages. Slight fluctuation, within a volt, but it should be stable.

Have you given your fuel pressure regular a thought? Since you've already replaced the injector, you could look at that. You could be getting an extra bit of fuel dump right when you first crank the car on that particular cylinder, because of it. It's not a common occurrence, but I'd look into it.

Also, check voltages on all of the injector terminals and see if the readings vary a lot. Again, very unlikely, but rule it out anyway.

Does the car smoke at startup (aside from typical condensation from cold weather)? Even slightly?


----------



## Konfyouzd

143k miles. 

And yea I know the second O2 sensor should be staying pretty steady. That's what leads me to believe the P0420 is for the cat not the sensors but I was gonna replace them all at once for the hell of it since I'm not sure how well the previous owner kept up with her.

There's no smoke at startup. 

I'll check those voltages when I get a chance. 

I did think it might have something to do w the fuel system but wasn't sure where to look after the injector. I'll check out the pressure regulator as well. 

Thanks guys! I'll report back soon


----------



## asher

I can't tell if it's me or if the last couple days my flush has started feeling a fair bit mushy relative to what it should be. I swore I smelled rubber from the front wheel wells (the 330 is well paneled up, so that's where the smell vents), and I never smell brakes after a normal drive home from work. Or clutch... and it's like a ten minute drive.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Clutch or flush? Is the fluid low/old?


----------



## MemphisHawk

asher said:


> I can't tell if it's me or if the last couple days my flush has started feeling a fair bit mushy relative to what it should be. I swore I smelled rubber from the front wheel wells (the 330 is well paneled up, so that's where the smell vents), and I never smell brakes after a normal drive home from work. Or clutch... and it's like a ten minute drive.



What year is it/how many miles? You could have a failing clutch master cylinder, creating a shxtty feel to your clutch pedal. What is the fluid level? Slave cylinder condition? etc etc. Clutch is pretty easy because aside from the clutch assembly there isn't a crazy spider of parts that it could be causing the issue.


----------



## asher

2006, 104k. I have no idea about the rest of the stuff, honestly, because I don't really know my way around under the hood, I just like driving them >.>


----------



## Konfyouzd

What car is it? Checking the clutch fluid level should be relatively easy to do. It's usually in a translucent recepticle near the firewall. If I knew what car you had I might be able to tell you a bit more accurately where it is. 

You'll know it's old if it's starting to turn that nasty yellowish/brownish color. 

If it's low it might just be because it's old. Some ppl flush it and refill and some just top it off. Just topping it off might restore some of the spring. Flushing and refilling or perhaps even just having it bled will probably feel much better assuming the master and slave cylinders are okay.

Being low on fluid may cause you to burn the clutch a tiny bit when driving and it will probably get worse if whatever is causing the mushiness isn't addressed and/or gets worse.


----------



## asher

2006 BMW 330i.

I took it in for general maintenance in June, which usually should include fluids checks/flushes, but the exact records are at home.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Bastard... I was considering a 325CI and every day I keep thinking about how I should have done it. That said, it's interesting you'd be experiencing this after they did all the fluids and what not. MemphisHawk may be right about the master and/or slave cylinders. I had to replace the master cylinder on my RSX @ ~88k miles.

Symptoms were as follows:

-When I first started the car I had to pump the clutch several time to get the pressure up enough to put it in gear.
-While driving it would sometimes require pumping to get into first gear leaving a stop light.
-I would sometimes have to pump it while moving to get it into the next gear and/or pull over and start from 1st again.

It started off with my clutch just feeling a little soft, though. Keep an eye on it. If it gets worse you may actually have a problem with the clutch hydraulics.

That said, I recently got a cheap little beater Honda Civic to learn how to do random things on and just for a fun fuel efficient car if I happen to have taken my GTI apart for something (and it's already come in handy a few times ). When I first got that, the clutch would make this ugly squeak noise when pressed and it felt kind of mushy... Almost like it didn't even come all the way back up. Turns out my problem was jsut that the clutch fluid was stupid low. I refilled it and kept an eye on it for the past few months and I don't appear to have lost any so I'm guessing there wasn't a leak, but that the previous owner simply didn't keep up with certain things.

Having driven it like that does seem to have put some wear on the clutch as well as I mentined before.


----------



## TheStig1214

New Gear Shift Knob Day! TWM Competition Series 7" stick.

Old Knob










Taking off Knob and Boot (You can see the top that came off the old knob.)





New Knob Install









The Monolith


----------



## Konfyouzd

Changed the valve cover and spark plug tube seals. The MIL turned itself off after 15 min of driVing. Checking in the AM for fouling on #4. Fingers crossed for good things. Maybe I can save my cat and O2 sensors for wjen it actually breaks (assuming the MIL going away means I'm done w this).


----------



## ddtonfire

Rode in a 2015 Z/28 during our autocross today.

Holy goodness... grip, torque, power. Honestly, I didn't even notice the weight, you could throw the car around like it was nothing and it would be like yeah, what else have you got? It always had torque to get out of the corners. You could whip the tail around at will to get pointed wherever you wanted. Definitely one of the more raw racers out on the market today. And it sounded amazing.


EDIT: I can't spel.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Managed to get the MIL to turn itself off. Dunno why it took so long to notice but I was leaking oil like whoa. Changed the valve cover gasket and spark plug seals (it was oil fouling my #4 plug not fuel ). Then I swapped out the PCV valve and also noticed the VTEC solenoid wasn't secured well. Tightened everything up, topped off the oil and went for a drive. MIL turned itself off within 10 min. Can severe oil leaks cause a p0420?

It also seems to have stopped shaking and jerking on cold starts. There's a little bit of shaking but it's extremery minimal at this point and I feel like I'm only noticing it now bc I'm actively waiting for it. 

It idles so smoothly it doesn't even feel like it's on some of the time now. Hopefully I got it... Then I can start tuning that GTI.


----------



## Joose

Throwback. All them Hemis!


----------



## vilk

Does anyone else keep two sets of car keys on them in the winter?

I just thought of it the other day. It makes so much sense, and I can't see any inherent problem in doing it... but if that were the case certainly there would be more people keeping two sets of car keys on them in the winter?

The reason why if you can't figure it out: to start the car and let it warm up but still be able to leave it locked since I'm gonna be waiting inside.


----------



## troyguitar

I used to do that all of the time, but I always left the second key in the car instead of carrying it around with me.


----------



## vilk

troyguitar said:


> I used to do that all of the time, but I always left the second key in the car instead of carrying it around with me.



Why'd you stop?


----------



## troyguitar

I only have 2 keys to my current car and prefer to always keep one at home in case I lose one. For my old cars I had 3 keys. Eventually I'll get a third made.

The other change is that my car is parked in a garage now 95% of the time, so there's less reason to bother with starting it early.


----------



## vilk

Some day I will own a garage...


----------



## Joose

I only have 2 keys; so, like Troy, one stays in the house. That said, I can still warm the car up while I'm inside because both of my keys are remotes and work from a pretty good distance.

I miss the remote start on my old Pontiac Grand Prix.


----------



## troyguitar

I'm thinking about rigging a remote start on my Vibe, but it's kind of a pain in the ass since it's a manual. I'd have to figure out how to trick the car into thinking the clutch pedal is down (and remember to leave it parked in neutral).


----------



## Chickenhawk

Guess what is still making the rounds?


----------



## Riffer

Took my 1972 Nova out over the weekend. Took a few photos as well. I like this one a lot.


----------



## TheStig1214

So apparently Tesla and BMW are in talks of partnering on electric car components. While I know electric cars are not 100% as green as everyone thinks, and outrageously expensive, there's no denying they can be fast. This excites me. Although it's a stretch, I'd like to believe a electric M3/4 or electric JCW Mini is in the near future.


----------



## Chickenhawk

TheStig1214 said:


> So apparently Tesla and BMW are in talks of partnering on electric car components. While I know electric cars are not 100% as green as everyone thinks, and outrageously expensive, there's no denying they can be fast. This excites me. Although it's a stretch, I'd like to believe a electric M3/4 or electric JCW Mini is in the near future.



Tesla needs to do SOMETHING, considering they can't sell their wares in a lot of places.

Maybe BMW can help them out, and offer dealerships*, or maybe we could get a Model S in 5 series clothes...

...yes please.

Regardless, I'd be happy with a Model S that I could actually buy, or an electric 5 series as quick as a Model S. Either one. Or just an older 5 series...that would be cool too 

EDIT:

* - I don't know the specifics, and sure as hell don't understand the laws pertaining to why Tesla can't sell their vehicles in some/most/certain states. Just putting that out there.


----------



## pylyo

der neue wagen in the house! 

this time diesel power (my first diesel ever)...


----------



## ddtonfire

Welcome to ss.org BMW club!


----------



## pylyo

hehe, that's my 5th bimmer


----------



## ddtonfire

Then you must be the president of ss.org BMW club!


----------



## pylyo

Hell no, that would be Bulb. 
He owns M3, not me.


----------



## wannabguitarist

We need to make a ss.org BMW club. Officer positions for M3 owners right? 






Installing Ground Control coilovers and camber plates on my M3 this weekend. Also bought new fog lights and a Motion Motorsports aluminum under tray to replace the shitty plastic skiplate/aero pieces and prevent further autocross induced damage


----------



## Forrest_H

Welp, I'm a standstill with cars again.

I'm stuck between a c5 vette, a GTO, and now a '10+ Camaro SS. The C5 will handle better, but it's harder to find one with less mileage, manual tranny, and ridiculous mods that I don't need for a daily driver. Plus, I don't want an older car. 

The GTO is way easier to find, but from what you've all told me, it's a pretty hefty car, and while going around a corner at 65mph isn't required, I don't want a car that will kill me if I'm speeding around a corner. 

The Camaro is on here because I've surprisingly grown to like them, and the one I test drove out of curiosity was actually really fun. It will likely be worse than the other two in terms of handling, but it's still an option.

I need to get a car really soon here. I've luckily got a dad with good credit who is willing to let me cosign with him (with interest, unfortunately), but I need to make a decision soon.

Opinions?


----------



## troyguitar

Corvette is significantly cheaper to insure (and not just because it's older) and obviously lighter/faster.

Camaro 1LE handles *very *well for how heavy it is, but it still manages to feel cramped inside despite being a big/heavy car.

GTO is the cheapest and probably the nicest inside with a truly usable back seat.

All 3 are actually really good cars, just different purposes. I bought a C5 because I use it primarily for race track work. For a street car I'd be looking at a GTO or 1st gen CTS-V.


----------



## Forrest_H

The Corvette is what I'm leaning more towards, since I'm young and I haven't yet been curs-... err... blessed with kids of my own , and after driving one around for a month as a loaner, I love them. But, and this might be an unfair opinion since it was the FRC and not the standard coupe, it was very loud. Not the exhaust, I couldn't care less if that was loud, but the road noise itself. Eish. But other than that, it was a great daily driver. I filled the bigger v8 up less at the pump than I did with my CLK and the 911. The GTO's comfort does look appealing, though... 

The CTS-V didn't even occur to me, duh. 

Thanks for the opinions man! 

I guess I should contribute to the photos once more, here's what I was driving for a little bit:


----------



## troyguitar

C5's are loud inside. The wind/road noise is significant. FRC is the quietest followed by the coupe (removable roof panel adds noise) and then the convertible. Mine is a modded Z06 so it's really loud, I don't think I could deal with it as my only car even if I didn't need to worry about snow/ice.

There are things you can do to quiet them down somewhat if you're willing to put some time/money into it, but they'll never be quiet cars.


----------



## Forrest_H

Huh, that's odd, I didn't realize the FRC was the quietest...

Maybe I'll look into the GTO and Camaro further now, thanks man!


----------



## Forrest_H

Huh, that's odd, I didn't realize the FRC was the quietest...

Maybe I'll look into the GTO and Camaro further now, thanks man!


----------



## Joose

GTO all the way, for me. I'd be very happy with any of them, but the GTO's are just so nice. A very nice, tight interior with *phenomenal* seats. If an '05 or '06, the 400bhp LS2; I know a lot of people prefer the LS1, but they all seem to be moderate-heavy modders. I'd have the LS2 because exhaust is about as far as I'd take my modding. 

I drove a black '06 GTO with the 6-speed for about a month (a friend and I decided to trade cars for a little while, now he owns a Charger cause he loved mine so much  ), I adored it. I never felt too unsafe in the corners; it gripped really well and if the rear did kick out, it could be corrected with a couple of fingers. I know the GTO's aren't QUITE as drift-ready as the Holden Monaro, but it's still pretty easy. 

Obviously nothing wrong with the C5's, wonderful cars, huge value for money these days.

The Camaro? Ehhh... they're fantastic cars, they sound and look great, but that interior kills me. Can't explain it, I just don't like it, despite the fact that it IS nice. But if looking for a big, heavy, 425+ bhp coupe in that price range, I'd have to go for a Challenger SRT8. Only a couple hundred lbs heavier, but I prefer everything else about it over the 'Maros.


----------



## shadscbr

Forrest_H -If I were single with a good job and had manual tranny car GAS, here is my short list of cars. First off, Troy is right on, the C5 and above Vette/ZO6 is one of the best lap time per dollar cars out there.

I'm not sure if you value performance over Lux, a little bit of everything here, various years and mileage should cover a large price range

ZO6
Viper (This is my personal pick for you, c'mon, a V10 in Texas?!!)
CTS-V
BMW M3/M5
Audi R8
Lotus Exige/Evora (Toyota Reliability)
Boss 302

Best of luck in your search!! 

Shad


----------



## Forrest_H

You guys are awesome. I heavily thought about getting a viper, but I'm terrified of something going wrong with it. The E46 M3 and E39 M5 have been in the back of my mind for awhile now, but after my experiences with German cars and their deaths, I'm slightly put off.

The Lotus has weighed in as well, but the last Lotus I sat in was super tiny. It might have just been the fact that was an Esprit, but I felt suffocated 

If I could afford an R8, I'd be on that sh-t like no other 

I'm tempted to look back into 911's, or even purchase a Turbo engine for the existing 996 shell I have, but reinforce everything so I don't have another "incident"... But I do want something to drive, not tinker with 

Thank you guys so much. I'm going to look deeper into GTO's and the CTS-V. I'll more than likely just end up with a C5 though, I loved the one I got to drive for awhile.


----------



## Joose

One of my dream cars is a 2000 Viper GTS ACR; saw one with 13k miles on CraigsList for $20k. What?! If I had the cash I would've picked that shit up instantly. 460bhp, 500 lb-ft, 3,284 lbs. So amazing.


----------



## Jake

Joose said:


> One of my dream cars is a 2000 Viper GTS ACR; saw one with 13k miles on CraigsList for $20k. What?! If I had the cash I would've picked that shit up instantly. 460bhp, 500 lb-ft, 3,284 lbs. So amazing.


I still really want a Viper. I'm probably gonna end up with a vette' though before that happens. Not to mention my manual tranny game needs some work first  

One day the Viper will be mine


----------



## ddtonfire

Joose said:


> One of my dream cars is a 2000 Viper GTS ACR; saw one with 13k miles on CraigsList for $20k. What?! If I had the cash I would've picked that shit up instantly. 460bhp, 500 lb-ft, 3,284 lbs. So amazing.



Where?! I want to see this listing....


----------



## Joose

ddtonfire said:


> Where?! I want to see this listing....



Oh it was gone within a couple of days. It was located in Hickory, NC; I see insane deals on great American cars in that city all the time. I need to drive up there soon, because it seems like it's just a town full of country folk with bad ass cars.

Regardless, I see 2nd gen Vipers for cheap all the time. ACR's are a rare find and usually more expensive though. However, I'd be plenty happy with a 2nd gen GTS; preferrably blue with white stripes. One of those will most likely be my first "weekend car" purchase here in the next year or two. I say weekend car, but I'll probably end up driving it to work a lot...

I have a friend, err, acquaintance, back in FL who has a red w/ white stripes '99 GTS. He got it for like $18k and then put about $6k into it; basically just replaced all of the old, often faulty parts with nice, reliable modern parts. What exactly those parts were, I don't know. But I do know he drives it about 500 miles per month and has not had a single issue. I'd probably end up the same way. Mmmm how I'd love to walk out to my garage and have to decide between my Hemi and a V10 every day.


----------



## troyguitar

Lotus insurance is off the charts even though they're reliable cars to maintain. I was quoted a few hundred dollars a month to insure an Elise a few years ago. Corvettes on the other hand are some of the cheapest vehicles to insure.

GTO is the way I would go on this one, LS1 or LS2 doesn't really matter much but more power is always more fun. For the price difference you can get headers and a tune on an LS1 and have the same power, so just get a nice one in your favorite color.


----------



## musicaldeath

Before I went with the R8 i tried a couple 911's, the new vette, and a GT-r. All great cars, but out of all of them, for something that was fun to drive, well rounded, could be a DD if you wanted and a bit of luxury, the 911 is a good choice. GT-R is fast. Stupid fast. But I find that interior too plastic like and lacking in any sort of luxury, and if I am going to buy a $100K + car, it better check off everything for me. 911 is fast (not as fast as the others I mentioned) but it handles nice, it's a fun car to drive, makes a good DD etc.

Personally not a fan of the N. American cars other than the Vette, that was fun, but again to me, like the GT-R... it's fast, looks cool but doesn't have that luxury feel to it at all. Albeit, the new one is a badass car, and if I had room in my garage I would definitely think about adding one to it.

This is all subjective and just mho. I say .... it and just save for an R8... but I am biased.


----------



## asher

^ all my down the road options for super fun cars are severely constrained by the need to be able to fit one of these :







110cm x 28cm x 30cm: 43"x11"x12".


----------



## musicaldeath

That may fit on the rear shelf of the R8 (non spyder). I had to buy a special suitcase thing to fit on that shelf back there for trips... lol.


----------



## asher

It's damn boxy because it's got a stiff frame. My old fencing bag only had a frame bit for the bottom and the wheels, so I could get it into the full width back part of my 330's trunk. This guy is just a bit too boxy to get in so I have to fold the 1/3 seat down.


----------



## troyguitar

asher said:


> ^ all my down the road options for super fun cars are severely constrained by the need to be able to fit one of these :
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 110cm x 28cm x 30cm: 43"x11"x12".


----------



## musicaldeath

Haha, I love the roof rack on there. Next year, I will only be able to use the front 'trunk' bags I have as I may be upgrading to a spyder... but we will see. Which also means no roof rack


----------



## asher




----------



## asher

That thing is all kinds of ridiculous 

I'm philosophically against needing a roof rack for something I'm doing four+ days a week


----------



## troyguitar

asher said:


> That thing is all kinds of ridiculous
> 
> I'm philosophically against needing a roof rack for something I'm doing four+ days a week



Use the passenger seat as storage space?

That's one thing about the Corvette, it has a massive trunk area.


----------



## TheStig1214

James Bond's got a new ride. The Aston Martin DB10 has now debuted. And... jus..... uuuuuunnnnnggghhhhhh

The Aston Martin DB10 Is James Bond&#39;s New Car In Spectre

There's only going to be 10 built.


----------



## musicaldeath

I love AM cars. Always have.


----------



## ddtonfire

They're some of the best-looking cars ever.


----------



## Joose

I almost bought a Viper today...

BUT, that money is for other things and I must remain dilligent!

Oh how difficult it was to walk away. Check it out... '01 GTS, blue w/white stripes, stock everything except the brutal Borla exhaust system. Being an '01, it had ABS, which was nice haha. But other than that, my test drive of it was exactly as I expected; FUN. I've been doing my research and 2nd gen Vipers for a long time, and what's shocking is how rare it seems to be for people to have any real mechanical issues. And even when they do, it's a simple car with simple repairs. The transmission was a bit difficult to get used to, but after I did, it was awesome. 

Just a totally analog car, minus the ABS, and I ....ing loved it. Everything I hoped it would be. At least I now know one of those needs to be my next car/2nd car. Oh, did I mention it had 41k miles and was only $28k? I say that's a bargain for such a great machine.


By the way, that 2nd gen ACR i saw on CraigsList for $20k that was gone the next day? It was back on this morning for $40k. Guess the 20 was a typo.


----------



## Forrest_H

Checking out a GTO this week, likely going to be mine  

Very excited. Thanks to all who gave me advice. The C5 is a great car, but the road noise is pretty brutal after 20 minutes of driving. 

Will post pics if I end up with it.


----------



## Joose

Forrest_H said:


> Checking out a GTO this week, likely going to be mine
> 
> Very excited. Thanks to all who gave me advice. The C5 is a great car, but the road noise is pretty brutal after 20 minutes of driving.
> 
> Will post pics if I end up with it.



I hope you get it, dude. They're so ....ing nice.


----------



## Chickenhawk

Forrest_H said:


> Checking out a GTO this week, likely going to be mine
> 
> Very excited. Thanks to all who gave me advice. The C5 is a great car, but the road noise is pretty brutal after 20 minutes of driving.
> 
> Will post pics if I end up with it.



I absolutely loved my '04 GTO. When the wife and I decided that we need to pick up a project/weekend car in the spring, the GTO was pretty high on the list.

...but, we're going to get a C5. Won't be a primary vehicle for either of us, so the road noise we can handle. Hell, I can handle just about anything as long as the car is fast


----------



## Joose

My (stock) 20" wheels and 245/40 tires are a nightmare where I currently live. The potholes... so. many. potholes. 

I'm glad my Dodge is from the the era where they got back on their quality game. My brother's '00 Stratus would probably have trim falling off inside driving through this place.


----------



## SkullCrusher

ordered a new audi s3 hatchback!!

roll on march!!!


----------



## PureImagination

I'll be turning 16 in a few days! I bought this a couple of months back. It's a '98 Jeep Wrangler 4.0












The picks are kinda old, the peeling on the diamond plate is fixed.


----------



## Forrest_H

PureImagination said:


> I'll be turning 16 in a few days! I bought this a couple of months back. It's a '98 Jeep Wrangler 4.0
> 
> *pics*
> 
> The picks are kinda old, the peeling on the diamond plate is fixed.



Me likey  Congrats!


----------



## wannabguitarist

That jeep is badass


----------



## Joose

*heavy breathing*

Reports: Supercharged V10's have been delivered to Chrysler, 770HP Viper coming (Update) - HorsepowerKings.com


----------



## wannabguitarist

Joose said:


> *heavy breathing*
> 
> Reports: Supercharged V10's have been delivered to Chrysler, 770HP Viper coming (Update) - HorsepowerKings.com





Other than the overheating issues the new Z06 seems to be the better car (outgoing ZR1 was just as quick or marginally slower than the Viper) but this really steps the game.

770hp in that gorgeous body with the Viper's handling prowess is guaranteed win. Sadly people still won't buy them


----------



## Joose

What makes you say that? Have you seen the new pricing list? Base starts at $84k, TA like 100k and GTS like 107k. I assume the ACR will be more like 120ish.

Also, if I recall correctly, the 4th gen Viper ACR was still faster than the ZR1. And I suspect the new ACR will go toe-to-toe with the Z06 no problem.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Joose said:


> What makes you say that? Have you seen the new pricing list? Base starts at $84k, TA like 100k and GTS like 107k. I assume the ACR will be more like 120ish.
> 
> Also, if I recall correctly, the 4th gen Viper ACR was still faster than the ZR1. And I suspect the new ACR will go toe-to-toe with the Z06 no problem.



They cut production for a few months? I was under the assumption the price cut was because of the slow sales.

The ACR was faster than the ZR1 but the ACR is pretty much a street legal track car . I expect the next ACR to be absurdly fast. Most comparisons I've seen have similar results to this one: 2013 SRT Viper GTS vs. 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Comparison Tests - Page 2 - Car and Driver and the incoming Z06 is quicker than the ZR1 .

At that level of performance it's almost irrelevant though since both cars are stupid fast. I'd take the Viper any day of the week


----------



## Joose

Eh, I mean the ACR is close to a street legal race car, but I have ridden in an '08 and it really wasn't all that much different than the SRT-10, honestly. Regular seatbelts, basically the same seats, the one I rode in still had a stereo and a/c, etc. The ACR-X, on the other hand... to my knowledge, CAN be made street legal, but doesn't come that way. 

But yes, they did slow (and even stop) production of the Vipers for a little while there. The problem, according to the owner of a Dodge dealership in Vegas that I met, was that places like his still had Vipers sitting around from the first run of 2013's; reason being, people didn't want to spend $120k+ for a car they didn't get to option out and whatnot. So they cut the prices, Vipers started flying off the shelves, so to speak. And I guess that made them decide to just keep the prices cut from now on. It's wise; I mean, wanna sell 2 cars for $125k or 10 for $90k? 

So, yeah, the base Z06 is still cheaper, but... give me the Viper.

I really hope they take note from Corvette and drop a really fast auto w/ paddles or DCT in the Vipers soon. As an option, of course. If the new ACR can shift as fast as the Z06, these current hypercar makers may wanna rethink some things. 

Edit: Also, the Viper TA beat the C6 ZR1, I believe.

And then there's this...


----------



## TMatt142

anyone receive their Hellcat yet? (Joose)


----------



## Joose

TMatt142 said:


> anyone receive their Hellcat yet? (Joose)



Oh how I wish I were in a position to order a Charger Hellcat. For once, I'm trying to be smart with the money I have saved up. We'll see what happens when they hit the Used market; I don't know how long I can hold off. 

I do want to get a 2nd gen Viper first though; and then a Charger Hellcat as my daily. Because that's what makes the Charger so much more special than the Challenger, practicality. I'd like to keep my Daytona as well, but when a Hellcat is in my possession, I will slowly restore the Daytona to its factory glory.

I'm working on becoming "that guy" who has nice cars instead of a nice house. I'm moving back to Florida, into a 1 bedroom house on the beach that has a 2 car garage and I will figure out where to store a 3rd car when the time comes.


----------



## TMatt142

Funny car guy! I'm building a house right now with a 40 x 60 detached garage. Enough room for both mine and my wife's Shelby...and maybe a '15 GT350....


----------



## ddtonfire

Joose said:


> *I'm working on becoming "that guy" who has nice cars instead of a nice house. *I'm moving back to Florida, into a 1 bedroom house on the beach that has a 2 car garage and I will figure out where to store a 3rd car when the time comes.



Ah yes, my aspirations exactly.


----------



## Chickenhawk

Joose said:


> I'm working on becoming "that guy".



I was going to try and do that, then I got married...

So, instead of nice cars and a crap house, we live in a modest house, with a modest car, and a badass car...that doesn't hold a candle to what we really want (Hellcat, Corvette, massively modified SHO opposed to our bone stone one...etc...)

We'll be that couple with crazy cars after the kids move out...Only 12 more years!


----------



## troyguitar

TMatt142 said:


> Funny car guy! I'm building a house right now with a 40 x 60 detached garage. Enough room for both mine and my wife's Shelby...and maybe a '15 GT350....





I'm jealous. Our garage is all of 21x23 feet, it's cramped with only 2 small cars in it.


----------



## Joose

I'm so glad y'all are real car guys and understood my "that guy" comment. 

I can't find a flaw in 3 cars I adore and a 1 bedroom beach house with my music gear.


----------



## asher

Aside from that house being in Florida, that sounds excellent


----------



## Joose

FL sucks, I know... lived there for 14 years. However, living on the beach makes all the difference in the world, despite the fact that I have no interest in leaving the land at all. Lol

All that heat and humidity is bearable when there's a nearly constant breeze.


----------



## Kobalt

Well, I don't know a 'vette or anything like that...so...I had to settle for this...






...after I blew the motor in this... 






Will be shopping for something similar in 2015, though.


----------



## Jake

I'm just about done with this college thing 

So once that happens I have to decide whether or not I want to be reasonable and get something practical or just wing it 

I really really want a first or second gen Viper even though everyone else seems to hate the first gens I love them  however with these PA roads and winters idk how practical it would actually be 

Then theres the 911 that's always creeping in the back of my mind but idk....life is tough 


Plus the constant vette temptation.


----------



## Joose

Digging all the Viper love in this thread the past couple days. 

I love all gens.



KingVee: Sucks about the Grand Prix. I had a '99 GTP Coupe and an '04 GTP Special Edition; loved them. Always wished they were RWD, but still great cars. My '99 had a Bose speaker system, that was glorious.


----------



## Chickenhawk

Joose said:


> Digging all the Viper love in this thread the past couple days.



Well, let me fix that:

Vipers suck...


----------



## Jake

Chickenhawk said:


> Well, let me fix that:
> 
> Vipers suck...




Nothing sucks more than my Cavalier


----------



## asher

Jake said:


> Nothing sucks more than my Cavalier



The Ford Pinto would like to disagree with you.


----------



## Chickenhawk

Jake said:


> Nothing sucks more than my Cavalier



I've got a 2006 Equinox. 15mpg if I'm lucky, AWD that doesn't really work, just as noisey as any sports car I've driven...

We call it the Sh*i*tBox


----------



## Jake

Chickenhawk said:


> I've got a 2006 Equinox. 15mpg if I'm lucky, AWD that doesn't really work, just as noisey as any sports car I've driven...
> 
> We call it the Sh*i*tBox


2002 base of the base model Cavalier no power anything, headlights don't like to work, turn signals don't like to work, it's an automatic that tends to stall at times  If I let it idle for more than 5 minutes it starts smoking and it's just not good and the steering wheel tends to not work at times 

can I join the shitbox club? 

Although at least my AC and heat work, it's something. But I'm getting rid of it right after I graduate in May.


----------



## Joose

Chickenhawk said:


> Well, let me fix that:
> 
> Vipers suck...


----------



## Kobalt

Joose said:


> KingVee: Sucks about the Grand Prix. I had a '99 GTP Coupe and an '04 GTP Special Edition; loved them. Always wished they were RWD, but still great cars. My '99 had a Bose speaker system, that was glorious.


I loved it, it was the first car I bought that I chose (not something I bought just because I needed a car). They are supposed to be reliable (see them reaching 250,000 miles all the time) but mine was a true lemon and my driving didn't help it in its last year of existence.

Spun a rod bearing on a flooring downshift two and a half hours north of where I live. It only had 100,000 miles. Here's its last breath. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rQVu-BSYKI


----------



## Joose

Ouch. Yeah, they certainly can be reliable. The 3800 Series II and III are good engines. My '99 had 204k when I sold it, still felt pretty strong.

I'm just a couple hundred miles away from 100k on the Daytona. It's been great to me, but with how unbelievably busy I've been since June, I've neglected a few minor issues that sound like they may be nearing major. Guess I should get on that, don't wanna screw up such a good engine. My last 5.7 Hemi was still plenty strong at 170k.


----------



## Kobalt

Joose said:


> Ouch. Yeah, they certainly can be reliable. The 3800 Series II and III are good engines. My '99 had 204k when I sold it, still felt pretty strong.


I bet you got a decent amount of money from it too. I used to hang out on W-body and Grand Prix forums and most people couldn't believe how much bad luck I had with mine. The amount spent in repairs over the entire ownership exceeded the price I paid for the car in the first place. Oh well...


----------



## Forrest_H

Test drove the GTO, and holy fawk. 

It made a beautiful noise, nicest stock exhaust on a Pontiac I've ever heard.

The suspension was definitely upgraded or I seriously underestimated the stock suspension, because the thing was damned flat through corners. It obviously wasn't as planted as the c5, but jesus, it surprised me.

The previous owner upgraded to a Hurst shifter, which I'm split on. It looks and feels great, but they didn't add insulation, so I can hear the transmission whine really clearly.

The only thing that set me back was there's a slow oil leak from what I believe to be the valve cover. It's dripping on to the Cat, so it smoked a tiny bit. The dealer claims to be able to fix it, so if he actually does fix it and call me on monday, it'll be mine.


----------



## Joose

Forrest_H said:


> Test drove the GTO, and holy fawk.
> 
> It made a beautiful noise, nicest stock exhaust on a Pontiac I've ever heard.
> 
> The suspension was definitely upgraded or I seriously underestimated the stock suspension, because the thing was damned flat through corners. It obviously wasn't as planted as the c5, but jesus, it surprised me.
> 
> The previous owner upgraded to a Hurst shifter, which I'm split on. It looks and feels great, but they didn't add insulation, so I can hear the transmission whine really clearly.
> 
> The only thing that set me back was there's a slow oil leak from what I believe to be the valve cover. It's dripping on to the Cat, so it smoked a tiny bit. The dealer claims to be able to fix it, so if he actually does fix it and call me on monday, it'll be mine.



Condition and tire dependent, of course, but I've always read that the LS2 Goats can pull at least .86 lateral G's. Not sure about the LS1, nor am I sure which one you're looking into, lol.

I know they're a little different from the Monaros, but the suspension is great in both. I'd be lying if I said I didn't bust some powerslides/drifts in Florida's rain when my friend and I swapped cars. Not something I had much experience with, but it was so easy.


----------



## Forrest_H

This one was the LS2. What's funny is how low the red-line was set from the factory, the first G8 my dad got was at something like 6500, whereas the GTO 6.0 was at like 6... 

It's definitely going to need new tires, as the current ones were having me slip this way and that on take-offs. However, everything else was perfect. I drove it (For the most part ) like a sane human being, and it was really, REALLY comfy. I felt like I was back in the CLK, save for the manual transmission. The only thing I'll really want to do to it for now is figure out how to insulate the transmission so I don't hear that whine.

I've been waiting for the call, I'm seriously hoping they fix the leak because I'm ready to dump my Axe-FX fund into this beautiful bastard 

EDIT: By the way, I meant to show you guys pics. DOI.





















SO MUCH HNGH

The fact that it's missing the gto bumper cover bugs me a bit, but oh well


----------



## troyguitar

GTO is baller.

I'm sort of investigating options for a fun AWD+manual car for winter/daily use, it's been a whole month and I'm already tired of not driving my Z06. The oddball front runner right now is a 1999 Porsche 996 Carrera 4.






For some reason they're the cheapest 911's on the planet, with high mileage examples available under $15k.

Other bizarro options include: 91-93 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4, 07-09 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec-B, 01-04 Audi A6 2.7T, 10-14 Acura TL SH-AWD, maybe an old Evo/STI, maybe 2015 WRX, or something else I haven't thought about yet.


----------



## Konfyouzd

I support that shit... 

Also, the Audi A6 sounds like a good idea.


----------



## Joose

Get, Forrest, get it! That Spice Red Metallic is gorgeous. Looks like it has the 17" wheels as well, which looks much better than the 16's.

And yes, they are shockingly comfortable, when you consider how capable they are in terms of handling.

Ugh, making me want an '06 Goat... they are ALWAYS on the list when I'm shopping for a daily, especially when in Florida. But I never seem to find one at the right price, or if it is the right price it's the wrong color or.... equipped with the 4-speed Auto... *shudders*

I'd want either Impulse Blue, Spice Red or Brazen Orange. :yes:


----------



## Forrest_H

troyguitar said:


> GTO is baller.
> 
> I'm sort of investigating options for a fun AWD+manual car for winter/daily use, it's been a whole month and I'm already tired of not driving my Z06. The oddball front runner right now is a 1999 Porsche 996 Carrera 4.
> 
> For some reason they're the cheapest 911's on the planet, with high mileage examples available under $15k.



Oi, please learn from my heartache with the 911 and skip over it  The way that that engine died is stupid. You can definitely reinforce those engines, but Jesus, a simple valve spring destroyed my dream car. Not only that, the IMS bearing is a ridiculous issue, Porsche I believe have not introduced a fix for that. 



Joose said:


> Get, Forrest, get it! That Spice Red Metallic is gorgeous. Looks like it has the 17" wheels as well, which looks much better than the 16's.
> 
> And yes, they are shockingly comfortable, when you consider how capable they are in terms of handling.
> 
> Ugh, making me want an '06 Goat... they are ALWAYS on the list when I'm shopping for a daily, especially when in Florida. But I never seem to find one at the right price, or if it is the right price it's the wrong color or.... equipped with the 4-speed Auto... *shudders*
> 
> I'd want either Impulse Blue, Spice Red or Brazen Orange. :yes:



I'm waiting for the call back, I'm like checking my phone every 5 seconds  PLEEEEAASSSEEE don't let there be something seriously wrong with the engine causing it to leak, PLEAAAAASSSEEEE


----------



## troyguitar

The 99's have a stronger ims bearing than the 00+ models and it's only like $1000 to fix it when it comes time to replace the clutch, I'm really not too worried about it. If it blows up I'll just put an LS motor in it and solve the reliability issue for good 

Who knows though, I'm just thinking about stuff to do 1-5 years from now depending on finances. In that time the 996's might go back up in value and no longer be an option.


----------



## shadscbr

Forrest_H said:


> I'm waiting for the call back, I'm like checking my phone every 5 seconds  PLEEEEAASSSEEE don't let there be something seriously wrong with the engine causing it to leak, PLEAAAAASSSEEEE




Forrest_H, I hope the dealership gets it fixed and gives you a bit of a warranty...good luck, hope you get it!! 

Shad


----------



## Forrest_H

troyguitar said:


> The 99's have a stronger ims bearing than the 00+ models and it's only like $1000 to fix it when it comes time to replace the clutch, I'm really not too worried about it. If it blows up I'll just put an LS motor in it and solve the reliability issue for good
> 
> Who knows though, I'm just thinking about stuff to do 1-5 years from now depending on finances. In that time the 996's might go back up in value and no longer be an option.



The LS swap was something I seriously thought about for awhile, until I realized that in order to do the actual change (because getting the engine out of a 911 is stupidly difficult) it would have cost me around the same for a new car  I'm sure that you already have the necessary parts to do it, but for me it was like completely out of the question.

I dunno, I'm seriously jaded towards Porsche because the whole reason mine died was because of one f-cking valve spring, each engine part is matched to that specific engine and won't fit any other motor (supposedly), and to get a rebuilt engine was almost as much as the damned car.

I will also be jealous because you will have a working 911 while mine collects dust in the garage 

However, there really was nothing like driving a 911. I was amazed to discover that mine didn't have any form of traction control, because it NEVER slid. It was a road-legal go kart. The way it sounded, felt, drove, and looked... I'll never get over the fact that I will likely never get to be in it again. 

Sorry, ramble, been in meetings most of today 



shadscbr said:


> Forrest_H, I hope the dealership gets it fixed and gives you a bit of a warranty...good luck, hope you get it!!
> 
> Shad



Thanks man! I do too. They likely won't give me a warranty, it's sort of a low-key dealership, just a band of guys in Austin who sell off sports car. However, a new LS2 is far less than what the car is worth, so I'm not too worried about it 

No call back yet, bit worrisome, but I'm trying to be optimistic. If there's not a deal, hopefully I can find an impulse blue one for sale


----------



## Joose

2016 Cadillac CTS-V To Debut In Detroit, May Pack 640 Horsepower

I can't wait to see it. Between it and the Charger Hellcat, why even buy a brand new Merc or Bimmer? The previous M5 and E63 gens, more difficult of a decision. But I imagine the new V is going to be a corner devourer; and the Hellcat is... well I mean c'mon, $65k for a 707bhp sedan, 'nuff said.


----------



## Joose

Also, I got to drive a Tesla Model S yesterday afternoon. 

Verdict? I want one. I thought I would hate the no sound, no gears thing... but I didn't. I fvcking loved it; what an incredible machine!

I'm ready for the day that electric cars recharge themselves through perpetual motion; then the billionaire oil guys will have to find something new, leaving (hopefully) cheap and abundant gasoline for the car enthusiasts and those who can't afford an electric car yet.

Or, ya know, make synthetic gasoline that works in the cars of today and yesterday. I mean seriously, para/quadriplegics are moving robotic limbs with their minds and we can't make synthetic petroleum? I don't buy it.


----------



## Joose

Edit: I swear I only clicked "post" once.


----------



## shadscbr

UPS just delivered a fresh set of Blizzak WS-80's from tirerack for my wife's hybrid. I just got new all seasons on my S60....i'm excited to see how fwd w Blizzaks compares to all seasons w awd. They were sold out of the cheap steel wheels, these were closest to factory, let it snow!! 





Shad


----------



## cwhitey2

Going to look at a BRZ this morning... The best part is I can now afford it... So i might just have to buy it!


----------



## Chickenhawk

cwhitey2 said:


> Going to look at a BRZ this morning... The best part is I can now afford it... So i might just have to buy it!



I want to play around in a BRZ. Saw one the other day while I was in the SHO. Had no clue what it was, and tried my damnedest to get their attention so I could see what it'd do, but they probably thought I was driving some 4banger family car. 


EDIT:
I've got a kid that'll need a car in 3 or 4 years...maybe a slightly used BRZ would be fun for her...and maybe fun for me after a turbo or something...

*goes to research BRZs...


----------



## cwhitey2

Chickenhawk said:


> I want to play around in a BRZ. Saw one the other day while I was in the SHO. Had no clue what it was, and tried my damnedest to get their attention so I could see what it'd do, but they probably thought I was driving some 4banger family car.
> 
> 
> EDIT:
> I've got a kid that'll need a car in 3 or 4 years...maybe a slightly used BRZ would be fun for her...and maybe fun for me after a turbo or something...
> 
> *goes to research BRZs...




So I get there and actually skipped over the brz for the new impreza... But when they appraised my car they were 1k short and wouldn't negotiate....no new car day.... Today


----------



## troyguitar

I decided yesterday that I really like the Challenger, it just looks fantastic.

A used 2009-2014 manual r/t Challenger is my current favorite for a daily driver upgrade in a year or two - preferably in plum crazy purple.


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> I decided yesterday that I really like the Challenger, it just looks fantastic.
> 
> A used 2009-2014 manual r/t Challenger is my current favorite for a daily driver upgrade in a year or two - preferably in plum crazy purple.



The 5.7 is a great engine. I'd gladly buy a car with one for a 3rd straight time. But... my daily upgrade has to be a Challenger 392 Scat Pack Shaker with a manual.


Here's what you need... 2014.


----------



## maliciousteve

^i came


----------



## Joose

Just playing around with a new editor app I downloaded called Snapseed. I usually don't edit the photos very much, if at all; but every now and then I get carried away and end up with something I think looks pretty rad.


----------



## cwhitey2

I'm just going to leave this here as a tease. NCD incoming this afternoon when I can take pics.


----------



## The Griffinator

cwhitey2 said:


> I'm just going to leave this here as a tease. NCD incoming this afternoon when I can take pics.



Dooooooood. This thread needs more Honda love. I have pics of my Si somewhere, I can't believe I haven't posted them here. I'm gonna get on that.


----------



## Joose

This thread just needs more car photos, period. I have yet to find a place where my car is more photogenic than it was in Rocky Mountain National Park. It just worked.


----------



## asher

I wanted to test drive a 4-door Si when I was car shopping in 09 and got my 330... was all ready to go and everything, but the one on the floor we were going to drive out had no shifter knob, so the rep said he was going to go get one.

*Forty-five minutes later* we left.

There was a good chance we were going to buy one, too.


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> The 5.7 is a great engine. I'd gladly buy a car with one for a 3rd straight time. But... my daily upgrade has to be a Challenger 392 Scat Pack Shaker with a manual.
> 
> 
> Here's what you need... 2014.



I'm a cheapass so I'd be looking for a 2010 r/t manual at the lowest price possible, not a 2014 



Joose said:


> This thread just needs more car photos, period. I have yet to find a place where my car is more photogenic than it was in Rocky Mountain National Park. It just worked.



I put winter performance tires on mine (Michelin PA4), they have a lot of grip in freezing temperatures. It's pretty impressive. I haven't actually taken it out in snow though and probably won't, just to stay away from the salt and the other idiotic drivers 











In the actual snow I've been sticking to this guy, although it has only really snowed twice so far this winter.


----------



## Joose

^I love that purple. It fits so well.


My one goal for 2015 is to get a new car. The New Year's resolutions would be everything it will take to justify a new daily. 

All I know, is that I want it to be an SRT of some sort. Or a 392 Scat Pack, since it's powered by an SRT engine. But yes, gotta be an SRT... whether it's a 2015 Chally or an '06 Magnum SRT-8. 

Speaking of the SRT Magnums, man are those things getting cheap. There's a silver one for sale about 30 miles from me with 32k miles for $18k. 18 grand for a 425bhp wagon. Yes please.


----------



## troyguitar

I kind of want to get a magnum and do a manual swap, that would be epic.

I'm all over the place though, I want a lot of things 

Things I've thought about lately:
challenger r/t manual
magnum w/ manual swap
80's camaro iroc-z w/ LSx+t56 swap
2010-2015 camaro ss manual
boss 302
2004-2007 cts-v
GTO manual
G8 GXP manual
2010-2014 acura TL SH-AWD manual (an actual reliable simple car)
1991-1993 mitsubishi 3000gt vr4 awd fauxrari
2001-2004 audi allroad 2.7T manual (did you know these can tow 5000 lbs?)


----------



## Joose

A Magnum SRT-8 with a manual swap would be beyond epic. 

I need one in my life.


----------



## troyguitar

I also want a 2002 Audi S6 w/ the 4.2 V8 and a manual swap, they actually are relatively common and available for around $12k.

It's tough to narrow down exactly what to buy. I kind of want something that can tow my Z06 on a trailer, which means 4000-4500 lbs towing capacity, but most sedans/wagons in 'murica are legally not rated to tow despite being totally capable of doing it and rated to tow a lot in the rest of the world. The Audi allroad 2.7T, for example, is rated to tow 5000 lbs in the rest of the world but only like 3000 lbs in the USA.

Is gravity stronger in 'murica?


----------



## Joose

Trailblazer SS would tow it with ease.

I don't think the old Grand Cherokee SRT-8's are rated to tow that much; even if they were, there are tail pipes in the center.... 


Also, as usual, LS2 Manual GTO's will be on my watch list.


----------



## Joose

I think I can already narrow it down to 3 cars...

'06-'07 Magnum SRT-8 (they made one with a better hood in '08, but I don't much care for the rest of the front end)
LS2 GTO
'06-'10 Charger SRT-8 Super Bee

The only downsides to the Dodges are:
1. More expensive than the Goats
2. No Manual option
3. I'd have the same interior for the 3rd consecutive time. 

Downsides to the Goat:
1. Only 2 doors, but a usable back seat.
2. Trunk space is a shoe box compared to the Dodges
3. Fewer luxuries

Main upsides to the Dodges:
1. Practicality
2. They're SRT-8s... so you get the Brembos and all of that good stuff.
3. More comfortable to drive around town, though not by much with the 245/45/ZR20's and moderately stiff suspension.
4. Appearance, I'm just such a sucker for them.

Main upsides to the Goat:
1. Manual
2. Better in the corners/Faster
3. Best seats ever, though not too far ahead of the SRT's (I have the same ones in my Daytona)
4. Cheaper to mod, should I take that route, not likely that I would though.


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> I think I can already narrow it down to 3 cars...
> 
> '06-'07 Magnum SRT-8 (they made one with a better hood in '08, but I don't much care for the rest of the front end)
> LS2 GTO
> '06-'10 Charger SRT-8 Super Bee
> 
> The only downsides to the Dodges are:
> 1. More expensive than the Goats
> 2. No Manual option
> 3. I'd have the same interior for the 3rd consecutive time.
> 
> Downsides to the Goat:
> 1. Only 2 doors, but a usable back seat.
> 2. Trunk space is a shoe box compared to the Dodges
> 3. Fewer luxuries
> 
> Main upsides to the Dodges:
> 1. Practicality
> 2. They're SRT-8s... so you get the Brembos and all of that good stuff.
> 3. More comfortable to drive around town, though not by much with the 245/45/ZR20's and moderately stiff suspension.
> 4. Appearance, I'm just such a sucker for them.
> 
> Main upsides to the Goat:
> 1. Manual
> 2. Better in the corners/Faster
> 3. Best seats ever, though not too far ahead of the SRT's (I have the same ones in my Daytona)
> 4. Cheaper to mod, should I take that route, not likely that I would though.



I found out that the G8/SS can tow 2100kg with the Holden towbar from Australia, so that is my current favorite. Audi C5 A6 2.7T and BMW E39 540i have similar towing options available in Germany but they're a lot less reliable cars so they're behind the holden stuff.

You should get one of these:


----------



## Joose

Hey now that's not a bad idea. I always forget about the first gen V's. An LS2 model with a 6 speed would be great. I recall reading about lots of reliability issues with them though... unless it was a different car I was looking at. The earlier LS6 models would be fine too I'm sure. Been awhile since I've researched them, but I think the LS2 models had a wider torque band, better diff, etc.


----------



## troyguitar

The LS2 models had the revised rear diff that's supposed to be stronger, but I don't know that the LS6 ones are actually that bad if you aren't drag racing the car or modding it heavily. I think the stories might be a little overblown but I've never actually owned one.


----------



## Forrest_H

Not to interrupt the current discussion, but would it be dumb to buy the goat with a messed up rear main seal? From what I can tell it's a cheap but difficult fix, and I know an LS guy who'll do it for me, but I'm mulling this over because I can't find any other GTO's like the one I showed you guys. 

GRRR.


----------



## The Griffinator

I did some digging, I found some decent pics of my whip. 2013 Honda Civic Si. I've got some cruise night pics to sort through as well. Got some stuff You guys will really dig I think.


----------



## troyguitar

Forrest_H said:


> Not to interrupt the current discussion, but would it be dumb to buy the goat with a messed up rear main seal? From what I can tell it's a cheap but difficult fix, and I know an LS guy who'll do it for me, but I'm mulling this over because I can't find any other GTO's like the one I showed you guys.
> 
> GRRR.



Cheap (parts wise) but difficult fix ($$ in labor) is pretty accurate. How much money can you save buying that one vs. one that doesn't have that problem?

I'm a cheapass so I would probably do it and replace the seal myself but it's a lot of work to pull the trans and clutch/flywheel (and I'd probably replace the clutch/flywheel while I'm in there, adding more cost). Don't forget to use new bolts when you put the clutch/flywheel back, AFAIK the factory bolts are 1-time use.

I'd guess it would be around 10 hours shop labor, and probably more like 24 hours to do it myself in my garage.


----------



## Joose

Forrest_H said:


> Not to interrupt the current discussion, but would it be dumb to buy the goat with a messed up rear main seal? From what I can tell it's a cheap but difficult fix, and I know an LS guy who'll do it for me, but I'm mulling this over because I can't find any other GTO's like the one I showed you guys.
> 
> GRRR.



For me, that would be entirely dependent on price. Chew that dealership down to the last cent and do the repair, I say. That color, dude... you have to get it. And who knows, I may not be far behind you with an '06 Impulse Blue. I'm finding them under $15k... so much want. I don't mind buying a relatively high mileage one either. It's an LS... _much_ cheaper parts than my Hemi.


----------



## Forrest_H

troyguitar said:


> Cheap (parts wise) but difficult fix ($$ in labor) is pretty accurate. How much money can you save buying that one vs. one that doesn't have that problem?
> 
> I'm a cheapass so I would probably do it and replace the seal myself but it's a lot of work to pull the trans and clutch/flywheel (and I'd probably replace the clutch/flywheel while I'm in there, adding more cost). Don't forget to use new bolts when you put the clutch/flywheel back, AFAIK the factory bolts are 1-time use.
> 
> I'd guess it would be around 10 hours shop labor, and probably more like 24 hours to do it myself in my garage.



The issue is quantity haha. This (So far) has been the only GTO without a crap ton of miles on it, 6 speed MT, and has the LS2.

I would honestly already say yes and do it myself, but my garage is completely full of sh-t so my workspace is my driveway.



Joose said:


> For me, that would be entirely dependent on price. Chew that dealership down to the last cent and do the repair, I say. That color, dude... you have to get it. And who knows, I may not be far behind you with an '06 Impulse Blue. I'm finding them under $15k... so much want. I don't mind buying a relatively high mileage one either. It's an LS... _much_ cheaper parts than my Hemi.



I want it beyond words, but after doing more digging, it's had really weird history. It was imported to Germany and then back after awhile by the first owner (Military reserves or something, who knows), but then the 2nd owner (Which I wasn't told about) only had it for around 3000 miles before trading it in and it was auctioned off. Even worse, the owner of the dealership the car is at now supposedly knew nothing about the oil leak I had previously asked one of the higher up salesman several times about.

There's just a lot of uncertainty around this car that is making even me go "bluhhhh?"


----------



## Joose

Oh, yeah all of that new information has me questioning it as well. I guess just wait for another to pop up? Never know what will be listed tomorrow.


----------



## Forrest_H

Well, weirdly enough, a Z06 popped up for sale for $15k, the dealer is going out of business. 67,xxx , Borla Exhaust (Hit or miss, I don't dig the single tips per side but I love the sound), and it's close. Might just go swing by there


----------



## Joose

Nice!

I decided to go test drive an '05 GTO this morning; dealership was only about 5 minutes away. Anyway, they're even better than I remember. This one had a Flowmaster American Thunder catback on it and it sounded so glorious. And it was so nice to clutch... I need that back in my life, stat. Ugh and those seats, man! They get me every time, they're so perfect. I believe Jeremy Clarkson can be quoted as saying, "they're the best seats in the world".

They really can take a corner nicely. It's been raining on and off for the past couple of days, and since the test drive was on back roads, I may have decided to kick the tail out a little bit. Sales guy wasn't happy, but my excuse in that situation is always, "hey man, this is how i drive, I need to know the suspension is good"  It takes no effort whatsoever in that car, both kicking the tail out AND recovering. Was also nice to have a smaller steering wheel again; that's one of my main gripes with my Charger, freakin' bus steering wheel.


----------



## Joose

Oh dear, something is not right with my car, guys...

Alright so, a few weeks ago, I made a drive down to Florida. During that drive, my engine temp shot up to like 260°F... pulled into one of those Love's truck stops, waited for it to cool down, noticed the coolant was pretty much gone. This stop did not have the coolant I need, so i just bought some distilled water, filled it up, made the rest of the drive with no issues whatsoever. Got coolant while in FL, made the drive back up to Charlotte, all fine. Now about a week ago, I was coming home from work at about 4am and noticed the temp climbing and some odd knocking type noises that almost sounded like they were seriously in my dash. Got home, popped the hood, lots of steam, fluid on the ground, coolant tank empty. 

I had just made all kinds of bill and past debt payments, so I was sitting pretty much broke. (In that process of rebuilding my life, after some very personal negatives went down these past couple of years) So I put distilled water in again, because I saw that the low temp for the day was like 45°, no worry of it freezing. However, those meteorologists were very, very wrong. It dropped down to about 18° and I'm assuming some of that water froze and because I drove, something went very wrong. 

Is it the t-stat? Water pump? Radiator? A hose? I have no idea, but this is bad. No white smoke coming from my exhaust, so not a head gasket, not yet at least... 

One step forward, ten steps back.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Do you always have to have white smoke for it to be a head gasket? I hear that sometimes head gasket issues can manifest themselves in other ways. It certainly does sound like a head gasket though. You can rent those tester kits from Advance Auto Parts for like $60 right? Might be worth it for the peace of mind. The only other situation that I've encountered where something like this went down was in my dad's Intrepid. The head cracked somewhere and was actually leaking coolant. Perhaps yours is a simple leak somewhere (a cracked head obviously isn't "simple" ), but you might be right about it just being a worn hose or something.

I'm sure you already said it, but what car is it again?

EDIT: I see... It's a Charger


----------



## Chickenhawk

Check your oil. If it's milky, then coolant is getting into your oil via a blown head gasket (probably). 

Check lower radiator hose, and along the head gaskets.

And get some anti-freeze. Seriously, you'll do more damage when that water freezes. I've seen blocks split wide open because of that. I understand money is tight, but anti-freeze is cheaper than a new short block.


----------



## Joose

Blah, still no idea where the hell it's leaking from. All coolant/antifreeze now, car SOUNDS much better because of it. Runs great when filled. But that coolant goes away in just a 10 minute drive guys. My oil looks okay, to my eyes.

I'm being flown out to Denver (first time in First Class!) at the end of the month to solidify a new job as a CAD Tech in the gas/oil industry. I've already told the company that I likely won't be able to fix the car beforehand, so I'd have to ship it. Luckily, they've offered to pay for that! And I get a company car (Volvo XC90, I believe) to drive, so I suppose the Daytona will just sit in the garage of my new place until I get a couple of paychecks. 

Until then, I guess I'll just keep spending money on coolant for necessary drives.


----------



## Joose

On another note, but somewhat related, with the money I'll soon be making, look for this guy to be buying a new car this year. If I were to be stuck with my current job, yes I'd be looking at the GTO's... but with the new job, I'm thinking Challenger R/T 392 Scat Pack Shaker with a manual. I'd say Charger Hellcat, because I wouldn't give a damn about not having a manual, in fact I'd rather have the auto/paddles even in a Challenger Hellcat; but I think I'd be wise to go for a nearly 500bhp (485, definitely 500 with a couple small mods) car for awhile before jumping up to 707bhp. 

Although, Hellcats can be turned down to 500 with the black key... hmmmm. I want a Scat Pack Shaker just as badly though, and they're considerably cheaper.


----------



## troyguitar

Buy a manual while you still can, they will be extinct soon.


----------



## StevenC

New Ford GT:






Beautiful!


----------



## Joose

Completely stole the show from the NSX, which I think is pretty underwhelming looking anyway. That rear is awful.

But the Ford looks spectacular!


----------



## asher

Yeah, my friend showed me the new GT.



Taking my 330 in tomorrow morning now that I have time. For the last couple weeks, a good amount of the times I drive it, I'll get a smell of gasoline that lasts for a couple minutes after I start it and then goes away...  plus the idle has sounded very clicky. I'm expecting to hear not great things, but we'll see.

Also considering maybe grabbing a set of 17" wheels and some snow tires for the winter.


----------



## wannabguitarist

What are some sports car recommendations for under 18k? My e36 M3 was totaled a few weeks ago so I'm back in the market. Here's what I'm looking at right now:

1. AP2 S2000
2. Another really clean E36 (I have about 2k in parts laying around so this is the smart choice )
3. BMW M Coupe (S52)
4. High mile E46 M3
5. Boxster S
6. Mazdaspeed Miata

I want something fairly small and toss-able. I've also considered looking at C5 Z06's but they always look so huge and I would never be able to use 400hp (not to keen on the E46 for the same reason). Car will be my daily and will have to endure about 2 autocrosses a month.


----------



## Furtive Glance

Mk IV Supra? (Assuming you can find one that isn't horribly molested/poorly modified)


----------



## Joose

Cayman S


----------



## wannabguitarist

Furtive Glance said:


> Mk IV Supra? (Assuming you can find one that isn't horribly molested/poorly modified)



I really don't like those 



Joose said:


> Cayman S



You can get a Cayman S for under 20K?! That would be the best option. I learned to drive in an old 911 and have wanted a Porsche since.


----------



## Joose

I've seen 2006's under $20k recently. Far and few, but still... never know when one may pop up nearby.


----------



## wannabguitarist

I'd travel for one those. Ticks all the boxes and I can continue sneering at everyone else not driving a Finely Tuned German Machine


----------



## Joose

I was just thinking that it'd be nice to travel to get it and drive it home.


----------



## Joose

I love how he said the only way it could be better is if it were a Magnum Hellcat.


----------



## asher

Dropped my car off this morning and BMW just called back.

Smell - leaking valve cover gasket - 800 for gasket/bolt/labor
Clicking - not detrimental, just annoying, apparently will get louder as time goes on - valve lifter on exhaust side - 1,600
Oil pan is developing a leak that's not a problem (yet) - 1000

Needs an alignment and general scope too...


----------



## troyguitar

If I were autocrossing and not tracking I'd get a smaller car. MR2 Spyder. 2200 lbs and has the engine in the right place = perfect for autox.

Otherwise just get a 1999 911, they are down to that price by now.

Cars for Sale: 1999 Porsche 911 Coupe in Cookeville, TN 38501: Coupe Details - 389379439 - AutoTrader.com

Cars for Sale: 1999 Porsche 911 Coupe in MOUNTAIN LAKES, NJ 07046: Coupe Details - 383690810 - AutoTrader.com

1999's don't have the IMS bearing issue that 2000+ have, but they still get lumped into the low pricing of the other 996 cars for some reason.


----------



## wannabguitarist

I briefly had (well borrowed) a NB Miata and it was a shit load of fun but I prefer having a bit more power. I imagine the MRS would be a slightly rawer experience so I'll keep an eye out but the absolute lack of storage space is kind of a drag for a daily.

No IMS on the 99s? Huh, I thought all 996s had that problem. My dad (air-cooled diehard) would flip if I picked up the bastard child of the 911 range. Almost worth it


----------



## asher

Speaking of air cooled, we're probably putting our '73 911E out to pasture finally... not only does it have considerable rust problems that require a lot of body work, but there were some more recent leaks that put a _lot_ of moisture into the interior. Rotten floorboards, cracking leather, fogged dials... ugh. It'd be really expensive to actually fix what needs fixing this time around.


----------



## wannabguitarist

That's rough  The E is electronic fuel injection right? Fun cars; I learned to auto-x in this 1970 911T (pictured with my old 80 quattro):


----------



## troyguitar

wannabguitarist said:


> I briefly had (well borrowed) a NB Miata and it was a shit load of fun but I prefer having a bit more power. I imagine the MRS would be a slightly rawer experience so I'll keep an eye out but the absolute lack of storage space is kind of a drag for a daily.
> 
> No IMS on the 99s? Huh, I thought all 996s had that problem. My dad (air-cooled diehard) would flip if I picked up the bastard child of the 911 range. Almost worth it



Yeah the MRS is tiny. You can get a hardtop and then take out the soft top stuff to give it more storage space but it's still tiny and slow without some kind of power upgrade (sc/turbo, 2zz/k20 swap being the main options) - but for autox you really don't need any more power.

I did some 996 research and in 2000 they switched from dual row to single row IMS bearing, the 1999 is like twice the strength. It's the best value in a 911 for sure. I've been thinking about a 99 C4 as a fun year round daily driver, the AWD is nice in rain/snow up here in the hills.


----------



## wannabguitarist

So what does everyone think about the new GT and Raptor running under the Eco-Boost moniker? Is Ford phasing out the V8? 



troyguitar said:


> Yeah the MRS is tiny. You can get a hardtop and then take out the soft top stuff to give it more storage space but it's still tiny and slow without some kind of power upgrade (sc/turbo, 2zz/k20 swap being the main options) - but *for autox you really don't need any more power*.
> 
> I did some 996 research and in 2000 they switched from dual row to single row IMS bearing, the 1999 is like twice the strength. It's the best value in a 911 for sure. I've been thinking about a 99 C4 as a fun year round daily driver, the AWD is nice in rain/snow up here in the hills.



You're totally right; the E36's limits were way higher than mine but god damn was it fun . I would love to eventually track the car too but that's currently out of my budget.

There's an abundance of 996s with relatively low miles up in LA so once I get my insurance money for the E36 I'm gonna start doing some test drives.


----------



## Joose

I kind of expected them to throw EcoBoosts in place of some V8s. I think they'll continue using them for Mustangs, but that may be it pretty soon.


----------



## troyguitar

Honestly my C5Z at 380 hp at the rear wheels and 3100 lbs is so overpowered for autox it's not even fun, I'm thinking about buying an MR2S myself and leaving it mostly stock for autox and daily driving so that I can make the C5Z a proper track car. Tires, shocks, alignment, and a beefy front sway bar are all that's allowed in the SCCA stock class so a competitive car could be built for like $8k - and get 30+ mpg all day long on regular gas. It's really tempting.


----------



## asher

wannabguitarist said:


> That's rough  The E is electronic fuel injection right? Fun cars; I learned to auto-x in this 1970 911T (pictured with my old 80 quattro):



Mechanical fuel injection. The E was the middle range between the 911T (carbureted) and the 911S. In its heydey it was pushing 165hp (compared to 140hp and 190hp). Ours is my grandfather's old daily driver, commuting from Marin into San Francisco, and then it became an office car (used by my dad) and then my dad's. It's got something completely absurd like 365,000 miles...

ed: why am I looking at STI limiteds? >>


----------



## Joose

I love STI's... always had a soft spot for them over the Evos. Better looks, better noise, more reliable. Almost everyone I know in Denver has either a Subie or a Jeep of some sort. Then there was me in the Daytona and another friend in her Golf GTI; we had a little more trouble than the other people haha.


----------



## asher

Got my car back - wound up costing $2,206 for the oil pan leak fix, valve head gasket replacement and alignment. At least it's all shiny now...


----------



## Joose

And at least it's fixed. Wish I could say the same about mine right now. 

Somebody made a good point to me this morning, since I'm moving back to Denver. If I'm going to drop a big down payment on a car or whatever the case is at the time, I should probably consider an all-season vehicle. Of course the alternative is a Spring-Fall vehicle and a cheap Winter car. But, may not be a terrible idea to look into a 2012+ Grand Cherokee SRT. A low mileage one is gonna be Hellcat money though. That said, when there's a Snow mode, lots of ground clearance and you still have 475bhp on tap, it makes sense that they're as much as 707bhp weather-permitting cars, right?

Just thinking really. I do have a friend back in Denver who has a 2013 with an intake, catback, heads, cam and tune who not only drives up the mountain roads in the Winter, but destroys plenty of cars at the drag strip and even takes it upon himself to rallycross it from time to time.


----------



## asher

Yeah, that sounds like a pretty sound idea tbh. We have a 2013 x5d at home (Oakland CA) replace our Acura MDX for sports, big haul, and winter use (aka getting through Tahoe in the snow for skiing)... it's easily the most enjoyable SUV I've ever driven. It honestly handles like a smaller car. I'm pretty preferential to as small as possible, but I could totally get used to that, so it seems like definitely a good avenue to pursue.


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> And at least it's fixed. Wish I could say the same about mine right now.
> 
> Somebody made a good point to me this morning, since I'm moving back to Denver. If I'm going to drop a big down payment on a car or whatever the case is at the time, I should probably consider an all-season vehicle. Of course the alternative is a Spring-Fall vehicle and a cheap Winter car. But, may not be a terrible idea to look into a 2012+ Grand Cherokee SRT. A low mileage one is gonna be Hellcat money though. That said, when there's a Snow mode, lots of ground clearance and you still have 475bhp on tap, it makes sense that they're as much as 707bhp weather-permitting cars, right?
> 
> Just thinking really. I do have a friend back in Denver who has a 2013 with an intake, catback, heads, cam and tune who not only drives up the mountain roads in the Winter, but destroys plenty of cars at the drag strip and even takes it upon himself to rallycross it from time to time.



2010-present Audi S4 with a pulley and a tune is the ultimate do-everything car.

AWD Charger R/T with a supercharger works too though


----------



## Joose

Asher: Yeah. The only snow driving I've done was in the Charger on "all-seasons"...  

There are always the '06-'10 GC SRT8's as well. They don't have a snow mode or anything, but I'm sure some winter tires would get one through just fine. I prefer the looks of the older ones; those centered exhaust tips are just lovely. I think their biggest issue in the snow would be the lower front end. But, they are substantially cheaper.


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> 2010-present Audi S4 with a pulley and a tune is the ultimate do-everything car.
> 
> AWD Charger R/T with a supercharger works too though



I love the S4's. But I have a few friends with them and they always seem to be in an endless pit of repair bills. Expensive repair bills. Then again, they could just be dumb or unlucky.


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> I love the S4's. But I have a few friends with them and they always seem to be in an endless pit of repair bills. Expensive repair bills. Then again, they could just be dumb or unlucky.



New 3.0T S4's or pre-2010 ones? The old ones are pretty bad for reliability.


----------



## Tj_saxon

90's model MR2 is the way to go. Looks like a Ferrari, has the 3sgte in it ( the n/a has a 5sfe and thats still a stout little motor). I've owned about 20 cars and my MR2 (sw20's) where by far my favorite when it came to just fun little cars.


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> New 3.0T S4's or pre-2010 ones? The old ones are pretty bad for reliability.



Just checked their FB's...

Two 2010's and a 2012.


----------



## Joose

Didn't have time to snag a photo, but I saw an Alfa Romeo 4C driving around today. 

Beauty of a car, but they look even better in Spider form.

Weird to see a car like that in the States, especially my part of Charlotte.


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> Just checked their FB's...
> 
> Two 2010's and a 2012.



oh weird, I've never heard anything bad about them except for some steering rack issues.


----------



## troyguitar

Tj_saxon said:


> 90's model MR2 is the way to go. Looks like a Ferrari, has the 3sgte in it ( the n/a has a 5sfe and thats still a stout little motor). I've owned about 20 cars and my MR2 (sw20's) where by far my favorite when it came to just fun little cars.



MR2 Turbo is one of the coolest cars ever, like a Porsche Cayman but cheaper and 15 years earlier. Speaking of 90's japanese cars that look like Ferrari's, a 3000GT VR4 would be a pretty awesome and fun all-weather car. 91-93 body style is the best looking but 94-99 have the better transmission.


----------



## Tj_saxon

Always wanted a 3000gt. Almost got one but it wasn't vr4 so I ended up walking away from it. Currently in the process of restoring a 76 Toyota celica. So that's the car that's got my attention.... For now.


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> oh weird, I've never heard anything bad about them except for some steering rack issues.



Yeah. Like I said, they could just be dumb or unlucky. 

Plenty of good, fun options for Winter or all-season.


----------



## slowro

Anyone else running a turbo diesel VW?

I have an 2005 passat with the 130 tdi I got 58.5mpg on a long run on country roads out it. I was going to tune it but I won't get any decent figures to make it worth it


----------



## Joose

slowro said:


> Anyone else running a turbo diesel VW?
> 
> I have an 2005 passat with the 130 tdi I got 58.5mpg on a long run on country roads out it. I was going to tune it but I won't get any decent figures to make it worth it



That's like, 1/5 of what I get out of my entire tank.


----------



## asher

I get 28-30 doing 80 on highway trips, but like, 15 in the city...

For kicks I went and tested getting that fencing bag of mine into a WRX. Actually fit fine and was even pretty easy to get in there, too... very comparable trunk space to the 3s with this version of the sedan.

Of course then I go home and figure out that I was fvcking retarded and can get the bag in mine without folding a seat after all


----------



## asher

So uh.

My dad just sold the '73 to a collector who refurbs and restores old Porsches.

For 40k 

With all the body rust, rotting floorboards, cracking and dying interior, fogged dials and all...


----------



## troyguitar

911's are insane. The 996 is the only one that is priced reasonably.


----------



## asher

I bet he could sell it for at least twice that after he restores it 

ed: things are afoot!


----------



## Joose

When I set car goals for myself, i try to test drive them wayyyy early.

Well, today I decided to go test drive the Challenger R/T 392 Scat Pack. Spent a good amount of time in both the manual and the auto.

*prepares for the hate* 

I enjoyed the auto more. Yeah, that's right, I said it. The manual was a blast; maybe if it had the Viper's manual (like the SRT does) things would be different, doubt it though. The Scat Pack _does_ get the same auto that the SRT and SRT Hellcat do, and it's goddamn good. Those 160 millisecond shifts are spectacular. And sitting in 8th gear at 70 mph on the highway, getting 25+ mpg, in almost total silence because it's hardly turning any RPMs was great. 

So I mean... the auto still allows plenty of involvement with the paddles, gets better gas mileage, won't irritate me in traffic (which I spent a lot of time in), shifts faster than a human can and allows me to be in full auto mode when I'm just feeling lazy. It would be my daily; if it were a weekend car, maybe I'd still go for the manual. 

So I guess the plan is to wait till the Shaker models are released and then hit the used market; because if things go well, by that point I should only be financing a small portion of it, if at all.

Edit: What I find odd, is that you can option out the Scat Packs to cost more than the SRT... that's ridiculous, because you won't have the adjustable Bilstein shocks, the SRT Performance Pages, the 6 piston Brembos up front, the Viper tranny (should you go manual), etc. I guess you'd just be doing that for the Bee badges and whatnot at that point. Me? I'd have the nice, heated cloth seats (not cooled, not where I'll be living), the standard Scat Pack wheels, Shaker and the 8.4" UConnect screen (mainly for the ease of switching between different transmission and traction modes, though it's also just nice looking and allows for more EQ on the stereo). No front and rear cameras, no leather, no SRT wheels, none of that.


----------



## troyguitar

Automatic? might as well get the v6 too nancy.

I'm also considering a chick car though... Now that my gf has a 5-door hatch instead of a little coupe, I'm thinking about downsizing my Vibe GT to a Celica GTS. Same engine and transmission, 300 lb lighter car that's smaller, lower, faster and better handling.







also considering mr2 spyder but they have zero storage space which kind of sucks for an every day car


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> Automatic? might as well get the v6 too nancy.





It was just better, I'm sorry. Especially for my daily driving life. At least it'll have 485bhp, and be faster than its manual equivalent...


----------



## wannabguitarist

Those Celica GTS's are so much fun to hoon around in. Great choice for a cheap, reliable daily 



asher said:


> So uh.
> 
> My dad just sold the '73 to a collector who refurbs and restores old Porsches.
> 
> For 40k
> 
> With all the body rust, rotting floorboards, cracking and dying interior, fogged dials and all...



Where did he find that guy? That's absurd. My dad has let his mint '70 911T sit for like a year now with all the rebuild parts sitting in a box next to it. I wonder if he knows what it's worth


----------



## asher

wannabguitarist said:


> Those Celica GTS's are so much fun to hoon around in. Great choice for a cheap, reliable daily
> 
> 
> 
> Where did he find that guy? That's absurd. My dad has let his mint '70 911T sit for like a year now with all the rebuild parts sitting in a box next to it. I wonder if he knows what it's worth



Through one of the Porsche shops he was getting repair quotes from. Tell your dad to go ask around, seriously.

It'd be worth like 30% _more_ if it were the original engine, but it's from its sister car.


----------



## asher

Do any of you all have experience buying vehicles online?


----------



## troyguitar

Like ebay or something?

I've worked out details online before but always done final transactions in person.


----------



## asher

Not Ebay, but looking at a few cars that dealers have posted online that are.. multiple states away and might be very difficult to see in person - one in NJ, one in MA. I expect short of taking two days to go up and back, I have to rely on pictures, or just not do it..?


----------



## troyguitar

Rely on pictures and do all of your communicating in email to have stuff in writing - and then do not be afraid to go home empty handed if the car/deal doesn't live up to your expectations.

I'm probably going to end up doing the same if I do get a celica since by now they're relatively rare (especially a manual gts). The one I like best right now is 8 hrs away.


----------



## shadscbr

wannabguitarist said:


> What are some sports car recommendations for under 18k? My e36 M3 was totaled a few weeks ago so I'm back in the market. Here's what I'm looking at right now:
> 
> 1. AP2 S2000
> 2. Another really clean E36 (I have about 2k in parts laying around so this is the smart choice )
> 3. BMW M Coupe (S52)
> 4. High mile E46 M3
> 5. Boxster S
> 6. Mazdaspeed Miata
> 
> I want something fairly small and toss-able. I've also considered looking at C5 Z06's but they always look so huge and I would never be able to use 400hp (not to keen on the E46 for the same reason). Car will be my daily and will have to endure about 2 autocrosses a month.



In addition to the other recommendations so far, i think the BRZ/FRS could fit. Its not super fast, but it seems like it could offer a low mileage, reliable option to pull double duty...i'm pretty sure you can fit a set of autox wheel/tires in the back, good luck 

Shad


----------



## asher

troyguitar said:


> Rely on pictures and do all of your communicating in email to have stuff in writing - and then do not be afraid to go home empty handed if the car/deal doesn't live up to your expectations.
> 
> I'm probably going to end up doing the same if I do get a celica since by now they're relatively rare (especially a manual gts). The one I like best right now is 8 hrs away.



Yeah. If it were day trippable I'd be so much happier, but Jersey is about six and a half each way, and the city in MA is like 9


----------



## Joose

Love this. I know a lot of people don't like Jonny for some reason, but he's my favorite C&D reviewer. I suppose maybe because he's moreso on the level of the average enthusiast... He has that "screw the technical stuff, do I love this car or not?" sort of mentality.


----------



## Joose

Suddenly, C7 Z06's losing to Hellcats doesn't look so bad...


----------



## BigBaldIan

Speaking of the Aventador.


----------



## Joose

About damn time. The SV should be an absolute beast!


----------



## Joose

Edit: Oops, wrong thread.


----------



## Kobalt

Joose said:


> When I set car goals for myself, i try to test drive them wayyyy early.
> 
> Well, today I decided to go test drive the Challenger R/T 392 Scat Pack. Spent a good amount of time in both the manual and the auto.
> 
> *prepares for the hate*
> 
> I enjoyed the auto more. Yeah, that's right, I said it. The manual was a blast; maybe if it had the Viper's manual (like the SRT does) things would be different, doubt it though. The Scat Pack _does_ get the same auto that the SRT and SRT Hellcat do, and it's goddamn good. Those 160 millisecond shifts are spectacular. And sitting in 8th gear at 70 mph on the highway, getting 25+ mpg, in almost total silence because it's hardly turning any RPMs was great.
> 
> So I mean... the auto still allows plenty of involvement with the paddles, gets better gas mileage, won't irritate me in traffic (which I spent a lot of time in), shifts faster than a human can and allows me to be in full auto mode when I'm just feeling lazy. It would be my daily; if it were a weekend car, maybe I'd still go for the manual.
> 
> So I guess the plan is to wait till the Shaker models are released and then hit the used market; because if things go well, by that point I should only be financing a small portion of it, if at all.


Right there with ya, dude, manual is fun...but not daily driving fun...


----------



## Joose

KingVee said:


> Right there with ya, dude, manual is fun...but not daily driving fun...





Glad someone agrees haha. Believe me, a part of me felt ashamed of myself when I realized the Auto would be the best (and _fastest_) decision.


----------



## asher

If I had a gnarly daily commute, I would give serious thought to an automatic (assuming it was actually, you know, good). It being faster is a bonus.


----------



## Joose

By the time I get it, I will have a 45-60 minute drive to work. Traffic should be minimal until leaving the tollway 30 mins in.

It really is a good transmission. I've heard a couple automotive journalists say it's the best "slushbox" you can get. I know one guy said he prefers it to the new Z06's 8 speed, which is slightly quicker, but isn't as diverse in its settings. The Chrysler one can go from "hardly felt the shift" to "I really shouldn't lean forward when I do that".


----------



## asher

That's pretty reasonable.

Good autos have gotten so much better too. I had a 320i loaner last month for a couple days, and the tranny combined with the drive /suspension setting was actually... really nice. Switching from super smooth eco mode to something that gets pretty close to my 330's steering and suspension and a super aggressive shift? Yes please. I didn't feel like I was fighting it at all, which is how I usually get with autos.


----------



## Joose

Yeah, automatics really have come a long way in recent years. 

The one thing I felt it needed... full paddles. They're basically just the top 1/3-1/2 of most paddles. But whatever, I think I'll live. 

The really tough decision will be color choice. Do I go Sublime with flat black decals again? Probably, just to be honest. I mean, combined with the Shaker, it's just an obnoxious fvcking car and I will love every mile.


----------



## Kobalt

I've got about...nine months until I've paid off the financing on this...purple micro-machine, and I've been planning ahead to see what kind of cars I would buy.

For one thing, I want to go back to something similar to the Grand Prix that I had, but with added options. Initially was very interested in looking into a 2007-2008 Nissan Maxima SE, but everyone has convinced me to stay the hell away from CVT's, which are a plague Nissan made standard in 2007... Have been eying 2004-2008 Grand Prix's, but the loaded and supercharged ones are MIA or too high mileage for me...

Don't know which direction to go, right now... 2008-2009 Subaru Legacy 3.0R could be an option, but haven't given it much research...


----------



## Joose

I loved my '04 Grand Prix GTP Special Edition. I loved my friend's '07 GXP more though. 

You can find those GXP's pretty cheap these days. They're surprisingly quick.


----------



## Kobalt

Joose said:


> I loved my '04 Grand Prix GTP Special Edition. I loved my friend's '07 GXP more though.
> 
> You can find those GXP's pretty cheap these days. They're surprisingly quick.


I wouldn't turn down the opportunity if there was a really sweet deal on one, but they aren't exactly cheap in my part of the world...or common, for that matter. Also, I find the idea of a FWD V8 to be RIDICULOUSLY stupid.


----------



## Joose

KingVee said:


> I wouldn't turn down the opportunity if there was a really sweet deal on one, but they aren't exactly cheap in my part of the world...or common, for that matter. Also, I find the idea of a FWD V8 to be RIDICULOUSLY stupid.



Because it IS stupid. But, with the wider tires up front, torque steer was pretty minimal. I wish they had never switched Grand Prixs to FWD. Imagine like a '00 GTP Coupe with RWD and even a manual, it would be great!



On another note, after testing those Challengers... does anyone else miss turning a key? Turning the engine over with a button is kind of cool, but I did miss the key. At least with the manual you still have to depress the clutch, so you're doing _something_...


----------



## troyguitar

On the automatics you have to hold the brake down to start them IIRC, but yeah I always go to take the key out of the ignition when I drive my gf's new mazda with that push button stuff.


----------



## Joose

Yes you do have to hold the brake down. Which is slightly odd, since most have remote starts.


----------



## asher

There is a kind of satisfying mechanical feedback to turning a key, but fobs are otherwise way easier to deal with IMO.


----------



## Forrest_H

So, after tons and tons of research, broken cars, and potential insurance policy doubles, I made the best decision ever.







My dad graciously let me borrow it while trying to find a new car, and then surprised me with the title, a payment plan, and a smile.

While I'm terrified of driving a 1 of 265 in the world, 345hp go-kart, I can not express how happy I am that I OWN A F-CKING CORVETTE ARE YOU SERIOUS WHAT EVEN I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO PAY OFF THAT MUCH HOLY SH-T


----------



## asher

Dude, AWESOME. Congrats and take good care of her


----------



## Forrest_H

asher said:


> Dude, AWESOME. Congrats and take good care of her



You know it!

*Does burnout and crashes into concrete wall because 18 year old with fast car*



Seriously though, thanks man.

It's really easy to drive with the flow of traffic thanks to the butter-esque clutch (Coming from what felt like a brick in the 911), and aside from the loudness of air whooshing by, it's so comfortable. Needs moar loud exhaust though.


----------



## troyguitar

used headers and z06 titanium exhaust = winning

I went with corsa on mine and it sounds great but the headers+ti setup is a better choice.


----------



## Forrest_H

troyguitar said:


> used headers and z06 titanium exhaust = winning
> 
> I went with corsa on mine and it sounds great but the headers+ti setup is a better choice.



Luckily it came with the C5Z exhaust when he bought it!  I've been playing around with the tuner software my dad got, seems when he tuned it he gave it some lifter rattle. I'm sending off the oil filter to see if it's something I need to tune out immediately or something I can wait for my dad to come home to deal with


----------



## shadscbr

Forrest_H said:


> So, after tons and tons of research, broken cars, and potential insurance policy doubles, I made the best decision ever.
> 
> My dad graciously let me borrow it while trying to find a new car, and then surprised me with the title, a payment plan, and a smile.
> 
> While I'm terrified of driving a 1 of 265 in the world, 345hp go-kart, I can not express how happy I am that I OWN A F-CKING CORVETTE ARE YOU SERIOUS WHAT EVEN I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO PAY OFF THAT MUCH HOLY SH-T



Congrats Forrest, that's awesome!! 

have some tail-out fun for me 

Shad


----------



## asher

Finally found that Virginia will issue temporary permits to move unregistered vehicles. So, if all goes according to plan, and it's as clean in person as it looks in the photos (and drives well, doesn't reek, doesn't hum, etc), I'll be driving something new down from Massachusetts Saturday!

*knocks on wood*


----------



## Thall My Circuits

I've been doing the car thing for a few years now. I drive a 2002 Mazda Protege5 (2.0L 5spd), my wife drives a 2004 Mazda3 Sedan (2.3L, 5spd), and we also own a 1966 Mustang Coupe (289 V8, auto, Factory A/C, 38k miles)

Here is my Protege5's build thread
JDM_Pro5's Build Thread


----------



## troyguitar

Those P5's look like awesome little hatches, it's a shame the speed version was sedan-only or I'd probably have one myself.

I'm going to finally test drive an 01 celica gts tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how it feels compared to my fatter car with the same drivetrain.


----------



## Thall My Circuits

troyguitar said:


> Those P5's look like awesome little hatches, it's a shame the speed version was sedan-only or I'd probably have one myself.



The p5 and speed have the same motor. All Mazda did was slap on a Garrett gt2554r and a shitty tune. I've converted mine over to a speed. It's not worth it


----------



## troyguitar

How's a turbo and an LSD not worth it?


----------



## Thall My Circuits

troyguitar said:


> How's a turbo and an LSD not worth it?



The Turbo is crap, you can't safely go over 10psi on the block without throwing a rod, building the motor with forged internals and running high boost (20-30psi) will only make 300-400hp (closer to 300). The stock LSD is crap too, you'll have to get a quaife lsd if you plan on making power. These cars or fun, cheap, and easy, but not worth building. Also, the turbo is okay for stock 6-8psi, but caps out soon. Not to mention, these things die around 85k miles and you cannot rebuild the core, you have to replace the turbo, or buy another core and swap your existing exhaust/compression housing on.

Let's not get started on the crappy transmission. I've rebuilt mine twice. They are crap. You can swap out the engine for a bp motor or even a kl v6 and get some decent power and reliability, but the trans is the weak point. Sorry to rant, but my car has given me some troubles over the years lol


----------



## troyguitar

ah yeah if you're trying to make any real power that makes sense, I was only thinking about stock power


----------



## Forrest_H

did anyone post this yet?


----------



## Joose

I have this rental until Thursday. Have been driving it for a few days now. 2015 GMC Acadia SLT-2 AWD, fully loaded. It's much nicer than I was expecting. But for like $48k, it damn well should be nice!

That said... I miss the Daytona. I miss power. 69 fewer bhp, in an SUV that weighs like 800lbs more is just terrible. "Okay, gotta pass this guy, but there's a car in the other lane like a mile down the road."


----------



## Forrest_H

^ I know that feel Joose. When my girlfriend and I stay at her home town and run errands for her mother, we usually take the Ford Explorer, and I always think I can make it around people since I'm used to the CLK and the Vette


----------



## Joose

I decided to test drive something else today, just because I saw it sitting on a lot. 2014 Charger SRT8 Super Bee in Header Orange. It may not be quite as high tech as the 2015's, but it's still a damn fine car. I think it just got added to the list next to the Challenger Scat Pack Shaker. 

I love the flat-bottom steering wheels on the modern SRT's. Also, that UConnect system is quite brilliant, it's no wonder it's won so many awards. 

Really, the only thing I wish that Super Bee had was the new 8 speed. The Mercedes 5 speed is great and all, but shifts definitely don't happen in 160 milliseconds . Oh, I do also wish that, if I were to own one, I could see the tail lights at night while driving. Seriously, they look bad ass at night.


----------



## Thall My Circuits

^Charlotte!


----------



## Joose

What's not to love? (Not the one I drove, just good photos)


----------



## Funky D

Here's my project. In the family since new.


----------



## ThePhilosopher

I have a soft spot for older Mercs. I will one day have a 1960s Mercedes.


----------



## Funky D

ThePhilosopher said:


> I have a soft spot for older Mercs. I will one day have a 1960s Mercedes.



This one is sentimental. Grandpas car he gave to me as a wedding gift. Grew up around this car. 60's round fender merc's are sexy too!


----------



## asher

That Merc is awesome.

I might hate everything they've done after, basically (sans some of the SLS AMGs), but that era and before are golden.

Hopefully the weather clears up some this weekend and I can grab some photos of my new ride...


----------



## ElysianGuitars

slowro said:


> Anyone else running a turbo diesel VW?
> 
> I have an 2005 passat with the 130 tdi I got 58.5mpg on a long run on country roads out it. I was going to tune it but I won't get any decent figures to make it worth it



I have an 04 Golf TDI with a PD100... Mine doesn't get better than 32mpg right now though, has a worn cam lobe on #1 cylinder that's messing with things. Got 45-50 when I first got it.


----------



## Thall My Circuits

My '02 Mazda Protege5


----------



## Furtive Glance

2009-2011 E92 M3 owner opinions anyone? (E90 is fine, too)

PM me; would be much appreciated. I'm interested in real-world costs for these. I've been reading every scrap of info I can find on them.


----------



## Joose

So... anyone else seen how low the prices of Pontiac G8 GT's have gone?

When I got my Daytona, I looked at G8 GT's, but they were still in the mid 20's, for low mileage at least. 

Well, that dealership with the 2014 Charger SRT Super Bee has an '09 G8 GT, silver, black/red interior, 21k miles with a sticker price of about $17k. The salesman called and asked if I would have any interest in it, since I like sports sedans and this is almost $18k cheaper. So yeah of course I took it for a test drive. I forgot how great they are!

I know in stock form, they won't beat my Daytona by much, in a straight line; but they're much better in the corners. I also know that my old buddy's GT with a CAI, Flowmaster cat-back and a tune whoops on '06-'10 SRT8's and LS2 GTO's. It's amazing what a tune does for the G8's; much more than one did for my Daytona, that's for sure. 

So, knowing they can be had for an average of like $16k, I could end up just buying one outright by the end of the year. Of course, in that price range, the LS2 Goats are my first choice, but not by much, and I'm not sure I'm ready to give up 2 doors and a huge trunk yet. 

I dunno, I expect to flip-flop a few more times before the real shopping begins, but damn those G8 GT's are special. Other than the option for a manual, I can't imagine why you'd spend twice the money on the GXP.

I miss Pontiac.


----------



## Labrie

Picked this up last weekend. It was a factory order so I had to wait a long two months to get it. 2015 Laramie Crew Cab 4x4 Hemi 3.92 gears w/LSD.


----------



## Joose

^Nice!


----------



## troyguitar

Joose said:


> So... anyone else seen how low the prices of Pontiac G8 GT's have gone?
> 
> When I got my Daytona, I looked at G8 GT's, but they were still in the mid 20's, for low mileage at least.
> 
> Well, that dealership with the 2014 Charger SRT Super Bee has an '09 G8 GT, silver, black/red interior, 21k miles with a sticker price of about $17k. The salesman called and asked if I would have any interest in it, since I like sports sedans and this is almost $18k cheaper. So yeah of course I took it for a test drive. I forgot how great they are!
> 
> I know in stock form, they won't beat my Daytona by much, in a straight line; but they're much better in the corners. I also know that my old buddy's GT with a CAI, Flowmaster cat-back and a tune whoops on '06-'10 SRT8's and LS2 GTO's. It's amazing what a tune does for the G8's; much more than one did for my Daytona, that's for sure.
> 
> So, knowing they can be had for an average of like $16k, I could end up just buying one outright by the end of the year. Of course, in that price range, the LS2 Goats are my first choice, but not by much, and I'm not sure I'm ready to give up 2 doors and a huge trunk yet.
> 
> I dunno, I expect to flip-flop a few more times before the real shopping begins, but damn those G8 GT's are special. Other than the option for a manual, I can't imagine why you'd spend twice the money on the GXP.
> 
> I miss Pontiac.



If you like slushboxes, a G8 GT with headers+tune and a Camaro 3.70 or 3.91 rear diff swap is a BEAST for $20k or less. Faster than hell, handles great, looks awesome, and is bulletproof in reliability and build quality.

You buy a GXP to get a manual.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do for myself in the next year or two and have GTO's and G8's on my list. The current list is something like this from least to most expensive:

E39 540i
RX8 R3
LS2 GTO
LS2 CTS-V
Acura TL SH-AWD
G8 GXP
Focus RS
Aston DB7
E90 M3
LSA CTS-V
Chevy SS
Aston V8 Vantage

basically a bunch of manual trans RWD sporty but softer grand touring cars to complement my track-prepped Z06, with the oddball exception of the AWD Acura/Focus if I decide to wimp out (but both still with a manual)


----------



## DslDwg

The new ride - M4 Vert.


----------



## asher

Love love love.


----------



## ddtonfire

Welcome to the ///M family!


----------



## Joose

troyguitar said:


> If you like slushboxes, a G8 GT with headers+tune and a Camaro 3.70 or 3.91 rear diff swap is a BEAST for $20k or less. Faster than hell, handles great, looks awesome, and is bulletproof in reliability and build quality.
> 
> You buy a GXP to get a manual.



I wish it had paddles, instead of just the autostick. But at least it's forward and backward, I don't like how the one in my Charger is left to right.

I wonder how difficult it would be to throw some GTO front seats in there? Just a random thought.

I'd be real happy with one, and for a pretty small amount of money, all things considered.


----------



## Forrest_H

Joose said:


> I wish it had paddles, instead of just the autostick. But at least it's forward and backward, I don't like how the one in my Charger is left to right.
> 
> I wonder how difficult it would be to throw some GTO front seats in there? Just a random thought.
> 
> I'd be real happy with one, and for a pretty small amount of money, all things considered.



There was actually a mod someone did (can't find the thread online anymore) where someone wired up paddles from the Camaro SS into the steering wheel... I nearly did the same thing to the CLK's tiptronic until the coolant system decided it wanted to be a stove 

The seats in the GTO I drove were about the same (To me) as both the G8's at my dad's, but I don't know if they weigh less.

One thing to note about the G8's seats, jesus are they annoying. To move the seat back you have to twist a knob and it feels like the direction always changes  

It is a really badass car, though. I'll post up some clips of my dad's if I can find them again, he had Kooks headers, some weird down-pipe that I'm fairly sure was decatted, and Corsa mufflers. Sounds like a demon coming down the road.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Considering trading in my Civic (EM2) for a Mk4 Jetta / Jetta Wagon 1.8T. Thoughts? Suggestions for a different car? I want something turbocharged that'll do fairly well in snow. I plan to go nuts w my GTI and I don't think it'll end up being a car I wanna drive in the winter.


----------



## Joose

So. Much. Want.







Actually, I believe the company who does the conversions is in Denver, where I'm about to move back to. I'd totally try to have them replicate the HSV GTS...

Edit: This dude's a hero. Not really conversions, necessarily.

http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/how-australias-coolest-little-truckets-are-showing-up-1557594577


----------



## Taylord

NGD: 2013 VW Passat! Love it!


----------



## asher

....ing first come first serve state inspection. Bah.want to get my stupid plates on already.

I was thinking about washing it for some NCD photos today, but there's snowmelt everywhere and seems like a huge waste.


----------



## pink freud

Wtf BBC, give me back my Top Gear: BBC News - Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear host, suspended by BBC after 'fracas'


----------



## asher

pink freud said:


> Wtf BBC, give me back my Top Gear: BBC News - Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear host, suspended by BBC after 'fracas'



Oy.

He's really entertaining, but he (can be/is actually) an incredible asshole as well, so I kinda figured this would happen sooner or later...


----------



## Joose

My guess is that it won't be very long before it's all fine. BBC can't afford to lose TG and Clarkson.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Got a black 2007 S2000 2 weeks ago-it's awesome. I've been working too much recently to detail it and take some proper pictures but here's a quick comparison to my old E36 M3:

Performance: The S2000 feels a lot faster when I really beat on it (and probably is), but in day to day city driving the M3 is the quicker car. Below 4,000rpm the Honda doesn't really move at all. I miss torque. Being able to rev up to 8,000rpm is pretty fantastic though. Screaming to redline in the first 2 gears with the top down in the morning is a better pick-me-up than a cup of coffee.

The M3 had much slower steering and was a far more neutral car. The S2000 is actually a little scary on the edge-not at all confidence inspiring at 9/10's, but when you're driving around 6/10's it's way more fun than the BMW. Steering is a little numb but extremely direct and you can really "feel" the car through the seat. I can't wait to get a nice set of tires on the S2000 and start auto crossing again.

Being a car: The M3 is a better "car" no matter which way you put it. You can carry 4 people in relative comfort, it has a large trunk, the radio works, the interior has plenty of storage space, it's quiet inside, cruises on the freeway around 3,000rpm, doesn't attract cops, and my girl friend didn't bitch about being loud, bouncy, and cramped . The S2000 is more of a toy than a car.

Despite all the above I would happily pick the S2000 every time if I could only have one car. It's a horrible daily driver but way more exciting than any other vehicle I've owned. I love how selfish and single-purposed it is. Yeah, you can (somewhat) comfortably cruise along the coast with the top down but it feels like is just ever so slightly egging you on. "Why are you 5th? Downshift to 3rd-you have another 3,000rpms to play with!"


----------



## Joose

Congrats man! I love the S2000's. I have done extended driving in one before and you're absolutely right, if you're just cruising, it's like the car is just pulling on its leash a little; just waiting for you to let it do what it wants to do. I'd buy one.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Joose said:


> Congrats man! I love the S2000's. I have done extended driving in one before and you're absolutely right, if you're just cruising, it's like the car is just pulling on its leash a little; just waiting for you to let it do what it wants to do. I'd buy one.



I've averaged about 18mpg which is absurd for a little 4-cylinder


----------



## Joose

Yes, yes it is.

But, as a car/driving enthusiast, I think it's a little high in that car honestly. I mean, do you even drift?


----------



## asher

I wanted an S2000 so bad in high school. I'd love to have one as a toy car but that's not something I can afford to do for a while


----------



## Joose

So... how about that Koenigsegg Regera?

Gonna quote a piece from a Jalopnik article here and try to comprehend how the hell this gearboxless, 1500bhp hybrid (but not a hybrid? You'll see) works. 

Here's the article, if you want to read the whole thing: How The 1,500 HP Koenigsegg Regera Hits 248 MPH Without A Gearbox



> Ok, get a snack and be ready to concentrate. You'll need to read this a few times, because you might just go crosseyed. I did.
> 
> Koenigsegg does not want to call this car a hybrid, because the traditional thinking is that a hybrid is a car that is compromised by weight and other shortcomings in order to make it work. Koenigsegg wanted to get rid of the compromises and make a car that is actually better because it's a hybrid, not worse.
> 
> What Koenigsegg has created is a new system that they call Koenigsegg Direct Drive, or KDD for short. Instead of transmitting power through a transmission like a CVT or a dual clutch, the KDD uses one ratio in order to achieve its performance goals. The advantage is that the normal losses from powering a transmission with multiple ratios are cut in half. The weight of that transmission is also cut out of the car, meaning there isn't a weight compromise for the hybrid system.
> 
> At speeds less than 30 MPH, the Regera will run on electric power alone. At speeds above 30 MPH, the internal combustion engine comes into play thanks to a hydraulic coupling that acts like a clutch, but only slips a tiny bit. Most of the time it is locked. This sounds similar in concept to a torque converter.
> 
> When you keep accelerating, the engine is locked into the geared rear-end and works with the electric power to accelerate to the Regera's 8,250 RPM redline, at which point it's doing 249 MPH.
> 
> The electric motors work in conjunction with the engine to provide torque fill, torque vectoring, and help provide power in the gaps where the engine might long for a gear. In theory, the electric motors have replaced the gearbox.
> 
> Under heavy acceleration, the Regera will use all 670 horsepower of the electric motors in conjunction with the at least 800 horsepower of the engine. Under heavy braking or when the engine is acting as a generator, the Regera can take up to 200 horsepower to use for regeneration.
> 
> Indeed. It's an entire new way of thinking, though that shouldn't be surprising. Koenigsegg is unburdened by the same restraints us mortals have. Just ask him how he thinks gravity works.


----------



## Eliguy666

Definitely an interesting system. I'd be worried about the gearlessness of the petrol engine, but if Koenigsegg's claims are accurate, all is well there.


----------



## ddtonfire

wannabguitarist said:


> Got a black 2007 S2000 2 weeks ago-it's awesome.



Do you plan on autocrossing it? That's a place it can really shine. It definitely has one of the best-sounding 4-cyls I've heard and that rush at 5500 RPM is pretty invigorating, at least in the one I've rode in.


----------



## asher

Cram a Miata body kit on it, show up at a Miata event and own everyone!


----------



## Joose

The Daytona is ready for its 1,600 mile journey tomorrow. New water pump, radiator and radiator hoses. 

I wish there was a more interesting route to Denver that didn't add too much additional time. Kansas and Missouri are just so... boring to drive through.


----------



## asher

*Missouri, Kansas, and Western Kansas (aka everything east of Denver).

70 is still better than the other cross-country routes though.

At least Kansas City has the best bbq in existence to make that stop better.

Also, finally put up a new car post, gave it its own thread!


----------



## Joose

asher said:


> *Missouri, Kansas, and Western Kansas (aka everything east of Denver).
> 
> 70 is still better than the other cross-country routes though.
> 
> At least Kansas City has the best bbq in existence to make that stop better.
> 
> Also, finally put up a new car post, gave it its own thread!



I like going through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona... if I had someone going with me, I'd make a road trip out of it and take a long route like that. 

I don't yet know where I'll be stopping for a hotel.


----------



## asher

Haven't used the southern route, going Oakland to Charlottesville means that taking 70-64 brings me right into town.


----------



## Joose

Ah, gotcha. The Southern route is pretty rad. NM and AZ are awesome looking places.


----------



## wannabguitarist

The Regera sounds pretty awesome, if Koenigsegg's turn out to be believable. Right now they just look like one of those supercar manufactures that hypes big numbers but doesn't have any independent testing to back it up. Great looking cars though.



ddtonfire said:


> Do you plan on autocrossing it? That's a place it can really shine. It definitely has one of the best-sounding 4-cyls I've heard and that rush at 5500 RPM is pretty invigorating, at least in the one I've rode in.



Yep! Taking care some neglected maintenance right now (all the valves were loose, never adjsuted ) and my next paycheck is going into a set of Star Specs to replace the cheapass tires the previous owner used.

Finally got it detailed:


----------



## Joose

Koenigsegg certainly doesn't go to the lengths that say, Bugatti does to verify their numbers. 

That said, yes, they look spectacular. They sound even better. And, correct me if this isn't true anymore, none of their cars have been badly wrecked. And that's due to the ridiculous technology that goes into their cars.

I'll have to find the article, but it would seem they're aiming for ultra-high performance, camshaft-less engines now.


----------



## Millul

That Honda is really nice!

Good to see I'm not the only one spending each and every cent either on guitars or cars...I currently own a lame-by-american-standards 2005 Mercedes SLK200.

It's a rather enjoyable car, but I'd like to make it a bit...saltier? Sadly, the laws here forbid pretty much any mod, and more powerful cars are prohibitely expensive to own, due to absurd taxation.


----------



## MikeH

I know this isn't a "car" discussion, per se, but I think in the next year or two, I'm going to pick up a Toyota Tacoma. Going from a Silverado to a Jetta to a Cruze has made me want to get back in a truck. And as much as I love the golden bowtie and really REALLY want a new Colorado Z71, I don't know if I can stomach the tag on it. Plus the Storm Trooper look is badass.


----------



## Thall My Circuits

I'm digging the Toyota. The storm trooper look IS badass. Just lower it and put a 2JZ in it hahahaha


----------



## Konfyouzd

2.8L VR6...

Turbo? Supercharge? or 3.6L swap?

I feel like asking turbo or supercharger is a lot like asking "AxeFX or Kemper?"

But the idea of a 3.6 swap sounds kinda cool too. I've seen vids online where folks have done them in MK4 Jettas and I imagine I could probably slide one in a MK4 GTI as well.

Also... Why do MK4 Jettas smell like crayons and seem to have smaller back seats than the Golf? What up w/ THAT?


----------



## Thall My Circuits

I guess it really depends on how serious your build is and how much power you want to make. Superchargers have no lag time but have a parasitic power loss similar to a/c compressors. Turbos are common, have lots of aftermarket support, and may give you just the thing you need. I'm not sure how involved the 3.6 swap is. I would look at the reliability of the 3.6 vs the VR6, also aftermarket availability, prices, support, etc. 

My friend has a pretty sweet setup you might want to copy. He used an Eaton M62 Electric Clutch supercharger. The electric clutch is activated by a 12V source on a switch. The clutch engages just like a a/c compressor; this gives you the option to run boost, or N/A, at the flip of a switch.


----------



## ddtonfire

Konfyouzd said:


> 2.8L VR6...
> 
> Also... Why do MK4 Jettas smell like crayons and seem to have smaller back seats than the Golf? What up w/ THAT?



Apparently it is the sound-deadening stuff which uses a certain wax.

I used to have a VR6 Jetta... fun car!


----------



## Konfyouzd

Wax eh? Thats interesting. Wasn't able to find that elsewhere on the interwebz somehow.

I think I'm looking for somewhere around 350whp. I believe after that traction becomes a problem without some suspension work and tires.

Thall - How quick was your friends ride w the SC?


----------



## Konfyouzd

One more thing I'm considering...

If I'm going to be taking the GTI apart periodically I want another fun to drive car that I'll be less tempted to mod. I'm looking at trading my EM2 Civic for a 97 BMW 528i. Talk me out of it?


----------



## Forrest_H

Hey troy (or anyone else who might have done this), you ever swapped the stereo on your 'vette?


----------



## ddtonfire

Konfyouzd said:


> Wax eh? Thats interesting. Wasn't able to find that elsewhere on the interwebz somehow.



I read it somewhere in the deepest annals of the internets, so I could be wrong. My dad's Saab and my mom's Mk III Jetta had the exact same issue.


----------



## Joose

Here's how things have gone for my car in the past 2 weeks...

Had that coolant leak; so I replaced the radiator, a radiator hose, thermostat and some sort of gasket.

Then, drove from Charlotte, NC to Denver, CO... 1,600 miles.

As I entered Colorado, my front passenger brake started squealing, but only when not applying the brakes. THEN, a grinding noise.

So now I'm sitting here waiting on the front pads and calipers to be replaced.

Trying to stay positive though... 103k miles, I bought it with like 46k miles in January of 2013, and this is all that's wrong? I suppose that's pretty good, considering how much I drive.


----------



## asher

Wowwww.

That's really close to the mileage counts on my 330 - bought at 44k, now at 106.5.

Except I did it in three to four times as many years!


----------



## Forrest_H

Joose said:


> Here's how things have gone for my car in the past 2 weeks...
> 
> Had that coolant leak; so I replaced the radiator, a radiator hose, thermostat and some sort of gasket.
> 
> Then, drove from Charlotte, NC to Denver, CO... 1,600 miles.
> 
> As I entered Colorado, my front passenger brake started squealing, but only when not applying the brakes. THEN, a grinding noise.
> 
> So now I'm sitting here waiting on the front pads and calipers to be replaced.
> 
> Trying to stay positive though... 103k miles, I bought it with like 46k miles in January of 2013, and this is all that's wrong? I suppose that's pretty good, considering how much I drive.



At least it's brakes, man. Seems like you've done a great job taking care of it. You could have gotten an old euro box like I did and be heartbroken that so much sh-t was wrong with it


----------



## Mendez

So, a friend of my dad's offered me a good deal on a manual e46 BMW 330CI with 97k miles....







Needless to say, I put my lil MK4 GTI for sale and ended up selling it in 2 days! The car is completely stock and I'm pretty happy with my change, loving the RWD and that inline 6. The only problem I can say it has is the passenger side window regulator going out and although it's a common problem on the coupe, it's still annoying. Luckily it's an easy fix which I can do myself no problem. Overall it's a really fun car to drive, especially with that rev happy engine.


----------



## Konfyouzd

^ Jealous... I just got a MK4 GTI not long ago... I like it, but I kinda want an e46 too...


----------



## asher

Konfyouzd said:


> ^ Jealous... I just got a MK4 GTI not long ago... I like it, but I kinda want an e46 too...



Come down to cville and buy my E90


----------



## ddtonfire

Welcome to the ss.org BMW club!


----------



## Mendez

Hell yeah, BMW club! 

The e46 is definitely really nice. I will miss the quick torque that the turbo provided on the MK4, but then the sound of a NA inline 6 is intoxicating. 
Both are fun lil cars for sure man and I'd recommend both when looking for a fun daily driver.


----------



## TheStig1214

Figured it was best to post here rather than the tv subforum. 

Jeremy Clarkson has officially been canned by the BBC and wont return to Top gear.


----------



## asher

Time to find an entirely new crew, then.


----------



## Defi

TheStig1214 said:


> Figured it was best to post here rather than the tv subforum.
> 
> Jeremy Clarkson has officially been canned by the BBC and wont return to Top gear.


Hm. Wasn't expecting that. Although I did appreciate him more or less, the guy was an asshole plain as day but didn't think enough of one to cost BBC money.


----------



## asher

Defi said:


> Hm. Wasn't expecting that. Although I did appreciate him more or less, the guy was an asshole plain as day but didn't think enough of one to cost BBC money.



He's quite an asshole, at least off-camera, and has repeatedly been scolded by the BBC in the past. Seems like they finally drew their sand-line.

I've heard that May and Hammond won't film without him, so who knows what's next.


----------



## Jake

Got my eyes on a certain Subaru with a 2.5L Turbocharged motor 





It's the automatic though shhh (don't hate me)


----------



## Eliguy666

I expect that any show Clarkson, Hammond, and May go into will be Top Gear, whether the name is the same or no.
And while Clarkson is certainly abrasive, I understand what led to his explosion. The producers have been at his throat for a long time, and I feel like the actual "issue" of food service was just the catalyst for multiple years of tension.


----------



## asher

Only a little hate. 

Is the CVT actually supposed to be any good?


----------



## Jake

asher said:


> Only a little hate.
> 
> Is the CVT actually supposed to be any good?


Probably not 

The car I'm specifically looking at actually isn't a WRX its an 09 Impreza GT which from what I gather is just the old WRX Auto renamed, but this one is only $8k which is why I'm planning on going and trying it out. 

If not there are plenty of actual WRX's around here right now too but this is my after graduation buy since I need a car


----------



## asher

Definitely worth a look. Good luck!


----------



## Genome

This needs to happen.

Even if the rest of the world would be utterly perplexed.


----------



## Mendez

So either top gear dies or gets a new cast? They do have that mud, sweat and gears or w/e its called...


----------



## TheStig1214

Assuming Hammond and May won't film without Clarkson (in which case good on them sticking it to the man for a friend), and they replace the whole cast, it will likely be a huge money hole for the BBC. They have to find 3 hosts with the same chemistry which may be damn near impossible. At best true fans will give them an episode or two and if it flops, it will flop _hard._ And even if it works, it will be nowhere near as successful as it was.

The same sort of situation will happen if Hammond and May stay, but probably to less of a degree.


----------



## Joose

I look forward to what the Top Gear Trio does next. 

I've watched TG religiously since Series 2, so this is a very sad day for me. But yes, I am optimistic they will do something else great together. It seems Hammond and May have both expressed that Jezza is irreplaceable. And I cannot think of a single person they could hire that would make me continue watching.


----------



## acrcmb

TheStig1214 said:


> Assuming Hammond and May won't film without Clarkson (in which case good on them sticking it to the man for a friend), and they replace the whole cast, it will likely be a huge money hole for the BBC. They have to find 3 hosts with the same chemistry which may be damn near impossible. At best true fans will give them an episode or two and if it flops, it will flop _hard._ And even if it works, it will be nowhere near as successful as it was.
> 
> The same sort of situation will happen if Hammond and May stay, but probably to less of a degree.



Yeah I think it's best they just abandon it all together, all they can do now is sink money trying to get back what they had which is impossible, look at all the attempts to make foreign top gears that showed it's not the format but the chemistry of the hosts that determine a success or failure.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Mendez said:


> Hell yeah, BMW club!
> 
> The e46 is definitely really nice. I will miss the quick torque that the turbo provided on the MK4, but then the sound of a NA inline 6 is intoxicating.
> Both are fun lil cars for sure man and I'd recommend both when looking for a fun daily driver.



Go over the rear subframe mount points extremely carefully. The early E46's are notorious for these failing, and sometimes badly enough they total the car, like my 01 330ci. BMW is supposed to fix them because of the class action settlement. You can get an inspection done free at the dealership if you think you have any tearing.


----------



## Mendez

ElysianGuitars said:


> Go over the rear subframe mount points extremely carefully. The early E46's are notorious for these failing, and sometimes badly enough they total the car, like my 01 330ci. BMW is supposed to fix them because of the class action settlement. You can get an inspection done free at the dealership if you think you have any tearing.



I did hear about it being an issue with e46's, but I didn't know I could get a free inspection. So I will take your advice on that and go get it checked out for sure. Appreciate the info 

As for TG. I agree, the chemistry they have feels genuine compared to the american version which just seemed forced and too 'try hard'.


----------



## asher

The American version is effing terrible 

Even with chemistry the guys reek of dudebro.


----------



## Konfyouzd

ElysianGuitars said:


> Go over the rear subframe mount points extremely carefully. The early E46's are notorious for these failing, and sometimes badly enough they total the car, like my 01 330ci. BMW is supposed to fix them because of the class action settlement. You can get an inspection done free at the dealership if you think you have any tearing.



Elysian actually said exactly that a few pages back... 

I didn't know it was that bad. I'm somewhat glad I didn't get one. 

In other news... I'll be attempting to pull my first motor this weekend... Wish me luck!


----------



## Mendez

Konfyouzd said:


> Elysian actually said exactly that a few pages back...
> 
> I didn't know it was that bad. I'm somewhat glad I didn't get one.
> 
> In other news... I'll be attempting to pull my first motor this weekend... Wish me luck!



Looked it up mang, he posted that in your NCD thread 

I've read it can get bad on them, but it doesn't affect ALL e46's. Just gotta be lucky I guess. Good Luck on your engine swap man! 



asher said:


> The American version is effing terrible
> 
> Even with chemistry the guys reek of dudebro.



Seriously, I could barely go through one episode


----------



## TheStig1214

I was hesitant to bring up the other incarnations of Top Gear because from what I understand the German and Australian versions do pretty well for themselves.


----------



## pink freud

Just took a ride in a workmate's new Tesla P85D.

Yeah, it's a bit quick. A bit.


----------



## asher

Just a wee bit.


----------



## Joose

asher said:


> The American version is effing terrible
> 
> Even with chemistry the guys reek of dudebro.



I disagree. 

1. The past 2 seasons have been great.
2. I like all 3 hosts.
3. Rutledge bought me a beer and we talked cars for a good hour or so in Vegas at a bar on Fremont Street. Dude is exactly the same as he is on the show; just a goofy car nerd with some really odd favorite cars. This was right before season 4 aired, 
5. They no longer just try to imitate the UK one; I love how it's all road trips in mostly awesome cars. The episode with the Saleen S7, Lucra LC470 and Rossion Q1? What a lineup!
6. Many other reasons.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Mendez said:


> Looked it up mang, he posted that in your NCD thread
> 
> I've read it can get bad on them, but it doesn't affect ALL e46's. Just gotta be lucky I guess. Good Luck on your engine swap man!
> 
> 
> 
> Seriously, I could barely go through one episode



It is a pretty serious issue, and the pre-facelift E46's like yours are the most prone to it. They supposedly started filling the rear rails with foam after they found the issue, so it's not as likely to happen on newer vehicles. Every 01 and older E46 is at risk for it, stock or otherwise modded.

Here was mine:


----------



## Thall My Circuits

Thinking about selling my Protege5 and Getting a Sonic Yellow WRX sedan. My friend has one in great shape and and even better price. Only 1,500 WRX's made in that color


----------



## Konfyouzd

Mendez said:


> Looked it up mang, he posted that in your NCD thread
> 
> I've read it can get bad on them, but it doesn't affect ALL e46's. Just gotta be lucky I guess. Good Luck on your engine swap man!
> 
> 
> 
> Seriously, I could barely go through one episode





My bad! It all runs together. 

Thanks man!


----------



## Konfyouzd

Thall My Circuits said:


> Thinking about selling my Protege5 and Getting a Sonic Yellow WRX sedan. My friend has one in great shape and and even better price. Only 1,500 WRX's made in that color



Do. It.


----------



## asher

Thall My Circuits said:


> Thinking about selling my Protege5 and Getting a Sonic Yellow WRX sedan. My friend has one in great shape and and even better price. Only 1,500 WRX's made in that color



Doitdoitdoitdoit


----------



## Mendez

^do it do it




ElysianGuitars said:


> It is a pretty serious issue, and the pre-facelift E46's like yours are the most prone to it. They supposedly started filling the rear rails with foam after they found the issue, so it's not as likely to happen on newer vehicles. Every 01 and older E46 is at risk for it, stock or otherwise modded.
> 
> Here was mine:



Yeah man, I know more now, thanks a lot for the heads up


----------



## Thall My Circuits

I'm pretty sure I'm getting the car next week. Car is stupid clean, tastefully modded, dad-owned, and has 140k miles. He's dropping the price down to $4k. I'm making off like a bandit!!!!!

just replaced the valve cover gaskets and sent pictures of the insides. Cleanest motor I've seen. I'm super excited. Already have a lead on a CF hood too. Guy says he'll give me the CF hood if I trade him my stock hood plus $150. He's a friend of a friend. Sounds like a pretty good deal. We'll see


----------



## Seanthesheep

Hey guys, anyone have experience with bad head gaskets?

for some reason it's never occurred to me until now, but Im starting to think my car may have some head gasket issues for a couple reasons.

In the morning when I start up my car after it's been sitting all night it almost always spits out some white exhaust for the first couple seconds after ignition, and the second reason is that the car has always had a small issue with the coolant, a few times Ive had it where Ive gotten the overheat warning light and the thermostat was at a normal temp, I pull over and theres almost no coolant, I fill it up and then don't have any more issues. This is something that has only happened a couple times in the time ive owned the car but even when it doesn't go down to empty I still occasionally find it down from where I last left it.

Cars a 03 VW Golf TDI for reference


----------



## asher

I had a valve head gasket leak in my 06 330i a few months ago (106k), but all I ever noticed was the smell of gasoline in the cabin.


----------



## Joose

Seanthesheep said:


> Hey guys, anyone have experience with bad head gaskets?
> 
> for some reason it's never occurred to me until now, but Im starting to think my car may have some head gasket issues for a couple reasons.
> 
> In the morning when I start up my car after it's been sitting all night it almost always spits out some white exhaust for the first couple seconds after ignition, and the second reason is that the car has always had a small issue with the coolant, a few times Ive had it where Ive gotten the overheat warning light and the thermostat was at a normal temp, I pull over and theres almost no coolant, I fill it up and then don't have any more issues. This is something that has only happened a couple times in the time ive owned the car but even when it doesn't go down to empty I still occasionally find it down from where I last left it.
> 
> Cars a 03 VW Golf TDI for reference



Wondering the same about my Charger.

At 100k miles I started having overheating issues and loss of coolant. A couple of weeks ago (at 101k-ish miles) I had the radiator, a radiator fan, hoses and thermostat replaced. 

I've noticed, even though temp and coolant is fine now, that I still get that maple syrup-y smell. 

I also need new front calipers. And tires... and an alignment... And all new fluids...

Damn you, 100k mile maintenance!


----------



## Seanthesheep

asher said:


> I had a valve head gasket leak in my 06 330i a few months ago (106k), but all I ever noticed was the smell of gasoline in the cabin.



Ok then, well hopefully me not smelling diesel is a good thing



Joose said:


> Wondering the same about my Charger.
> At 100k miles I started having overheating issues and loss of coolant. A couple of weeks ago (at 101k-ish miles) I had the radiator, a radiator fan, hoses and thermostat replaced.
> I've noticed, even though temp and coolant is fine now, that I still get that maple syrup-y smell.
> I also need new front calipers. And tires... and an alignment... And all new fluids...
> Damn you, 100k mile maintenance!



Yea, I haven't touched the radiator or any other part of the coolant system yet, and lol I know the feeling, Ive put way too much money into my car to keep it running instead of replacing it. It just past 300,000km at the end of last year (185k miles) and I got already a few big things coming up that will need to be repaired/replaced


----------



## Forrest_H

Swapped my stereo today for some Soundstream single din w/ usb, bluetooth, and an SD Card slot

All I can say is:

never again

The wiring was the easiest part. Jesus was the bezel brittle. I'll throw pics up later on tonight


----------



## Forrest_H

Managed to snag some pics. I need to go to sleep 












Soundstream SDR-342B. Found it for cheap as hell on Crutchfield. Planning to put black vinyl/small corvette sticker over the dumb spider logo.

Considering I've not done a stereo install for about 3 years, I think I did alright  It's about what I expected for a $90 head-unit in some regards, but in others, it's actually quite good. I haven't tested the bluetooth mic it came with yet, but it pairs up with my phone pretty well. The SD card function is awesome, just wish it showed album art. I'm also going to try to throw some videos on there just to see how well it can handle it. Seems to use some bizarre 3rd party codec for AVI's, not too psyched on installing that sh-t. 

It doesn't play CD's, which I didn't really care about too much, but still kinda sucks. One thing I miss about the Delco Stereo was the generic EQ it had, seemed to make everything sound decent. This one takes some fiddling depending on what genre, but whatever. I also miss the Sylosis CD I forgot to take out before I removed the stereo 

The last complaint I have is the brightness of the buttons. I didn't care about how sh-tty they felt, but Jesus, it's almost blinding if I'm wearing my glasses while driving (bad glare). Oh well. I got off as well as I expected 

Next on my list is belt overhauling, different shift knob, and some exhaust/intake work. So far, everything I want to do is relatively cheap surprisingly.

/end car upgrade excitement.


----------



## HighGain510

I'm excited for 2016!!! I love my Focus ST to death, but add intelligent AWD and even more power/better braking on top for the Focus RS?! YES PLEASE! 





























































I really dig hot hatches personally, so when I saw Honda announced the Civic Type R I got excited thinking it would be similar to the UK version shown last year. Sadly, the Euro version was much cooler looking than the one coming to the US (as usual  ) and they made some major changes including changing the tail lights and spoiler which kinda ruin it for me.  It also looks smaller than my Focus ST which is already a fairly compact car to begin with, so while I might give one a test drive I don't think I'll end up bringing one home. I still like the overall design but wish they had stuck with the original concept for the car they debuted last year:

US version:













This was the tail end of the US version:






Vs the Euro version:







Profile comparison of the two:












Still a neat car with cool specs for a Honda so I'm interested in trying one out, just wish they left the styling the same as the Euro version they debuted last year.


----------



## asher

I actually think the wing brakes look kittening terrible.

Which is weird. It's something I "should" like 

I've been kinda bummed with where Honda's been going. The last year of Civics have saved some really awful transition years, but there's still a cheapness to everything.

Though this looks kind of like a Civic, a WRX, and a Hyundai Veloster had a love child...

That Focus looks hot though, wow! My ex had a '12 or a '13 Focus 4-door I got to drive a bunch. They're damn solid cars.

ed: oh, oy, I really need to start looking at stereo systems...


----------



## bhakan

Seanthesheep said:


> Hey guys, anyone have experience with bad head gaskets?
> 
> for some reason it's never occurred to me until now, but Im starting to think my car may have some head gasket issues for a couple reasons.
> 
> In the morning when I start up my car after it's been sitting all night it almost always spits out some white exhaust for the first couple seconds after ignition, and the second reason is that the car has always had a small issue with the coolant, a few times Ive had it where Ive gotten the overheat warning light and the thermostat was at a normal temp, I pull over and theres almost no coolant, I fill it up and then don't have any more issues. This is something that has only happened a couple times in the time ive owned the car but even when it doesn't go down to empty I still occasionally find it down from where I last left it.
> 
> Cars a 03 VW Golf TDI for reference


I had to replace my head gasket a couple years back. Mine was actually leaking some oil (blueish smoke instead of white), not coolant though. Replacing the head gasket would make sense for a coolant leak though if you've got white smoke, and it's a relatively cheap and easy fix. Granted, my car is 30 years older than yours, so there's a lot more room under the hood to rip things apart. It definitely makes most jobs easier, so I'm not sure what it is like on a newer car. Either way, I'd say its a good place to start because it shouldn't cost you too much.


----------



## StevenC

Are you sure the Euro Civic isn't actually just a concept? In the UK we're getting the same Type R as you guys, and I can't find it on any of the other european Honda websites.


----------



## Jake

In full on car shopping mode more or less as college is winding down quick. (Which is also why I havent been so active here lately )

Pretty dead set on a WRX and I have 3 or 4 to go look at. #1 on my list right now is a white bugeye


----------



## Forrest_H

Finally got my damned Gatorback belt for my C5, no more soap covering the bay for me  Just about to put it on.

Update on the new stereo, I really did get what I paid for. I need to f-ck with the adapter's speaker controls for sure, as it's clipping from low speaker volume and high receiver volume, but even then the EQ is just 2 bands. Upping the treble helps, but it's still muddy. Argh.

Found an SLP Loudmouth exhaust near me, might go pick it up. Clips soon if I do


----------



## wannabguitarist

Are we even getting the Civic Type-R? That white one is actually the production Euro model and the blue one is a concept . Ugly car either way. The Focus RS looks amazing though-I love that blue.

Took a road trip up the CA coast to SLO with my girlfriend to celebrate the car's last days as a convertible. Hwy-23, muholland, and the related canyon roads in Malibu are spectacular and a little scary at times. If you're in SoCal you have to drive these roads. There are also a bunch of really cool back roads around SLO and the sections of Hwy-154 through the Los Padres National Forest is pretty fun too if you don't get stuck behind anyone.









And the new hard top (carbon fiber ):


----------



## asher




----------



## wannabguitarist

Also, any stereo recommendations? Brands to avoid? I really only need an aux input but bluetooth would be nice as well. I've never upgraded any audio components in any of my cars before so I'm a little overwhelmed by the choices right now


----------



## asher

Seconded!

Though totally different setups


----------



## Forrest_H

wannabguitarist said:


> Also, any stereo recommendations? Brands to avoid? I really only need an aux input but bluetooth would be nice as well. I've never upgraded any audio components in any of my cars before so I'm a little overwhelmed by the choices right now



Kenwood or Pioneer are usually my first choices. I went with a sh-tty no name brand because I didn't feel like spending all that much. I really got what I paid for. You can easily find a decent single din stereo that will handle USB, SD, bluetooth, and aux in the $150 range. I stayed in the $90 range  

Also, MAKE SURE YOU DON'T NEED AN ADAPTER OR FACEPLATE KIT. Since my stock stereo wasn't a typical DIN sized unit, and had separate amplifiers for each speaker (Bose system), I had to buy a new faceplate to hold the stereo, and an adapter so I wouldn't blow my speakers up (or something like that.)

Based off of your needs, I'd check out something like the Pioneer DEH-X4700BT. Has pretty much everything you'd ever want for $110.

Remember to factor in the steering wheel controls as well. It looks like you'd be paying around $157 for everything (adapter and control kit), excluding labor.

Hope that helps buddy 

EDIT: Update on my head unit. Had some speaker distortion until I ripped the dash off again and fiddled with the AXXIS speaker controls. Sounds much clearer with no distortion, but way less... Chutzpah... on the low end. Definitely need to fiddle with it some more, somewhere different than my office's dark ass parking lot. 

Also grounded the parking brake wire, can now put videos on for my girlfriend to watch on roadtrips. Fweet.


----------



## asher




----------



## Forrest_H

How do you guys feel about black wheels on the Nassau blue? I feel like it puts more attention on the body itself, but part of me isn't into it. 

For reference - 

Nassau Blue with black wheels:






My car now (pardon the awful cellphone pic):






I wouldn't be doing anything like smoking the taillights or side markers, but I am kinda stuck. I don't normally like chrome, but the stock wheels look good on that color scheme.


----------



## Thall My Circuits

Forrest_H said:


> How do you guys feel about black wheels on the Nassau blue? I feel like it puts more attention on the body itself, but part of me isn't into it.
> 
> For reference -
> 
> Nassau Blue with black wheels:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My car now (pardon the awful cellphone pic):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I wouldn't be doing anything like smoking the taillights or side markers, but I am kinda stuck. I don't normally like chrome, but the stock wheels look good on that color scheme.



I like it, but feel there are some things you can do to improve the overall appearance. If money allows, I would paint the roof gloss black, and also paint the wheels black, with a blue flake and a pearl clear. 

Plain black is boring and diverts your eyes. I think you can tie your wheels and car together like this.


----------



## Forrest_H

Plain black is kinda boring, I agree. I was gonna do gloss, but that pearl actually looks good. Might need to do some photoshopping to see how it'd look. 

I probably won't do the roof, as I've no idea how good/bad it'll look (On the targa top it kinda resembles a 240sx, which is bad ass) on the hardtop. I do want to paint/wrap (probably wrap since I already know how, and it'd be cheaper) the rear diffuser and gas cap black, as those are more subtle. This car already draws enough attention, both from onlookers and authorities 

Thanks for the ideas man


----------



## Thall My Circuits

Black top....just sayin'


----------



## asher

That black looks much better than I expected it would.

Honestly, I find black wheels have to catch light more or be REALLY sharp looking to not look really clunky or distracting. For your 'vette, I would probably just think about changing to rims that aren't brightass silver and fat  (those are really not my style)


----------



## Andrew_s197

Here's my 2014 5.0


----------



## Konfyouzd

I think the black wheels would look better with a silver/chrome lip. I like that it does seem to put more focus on the body, but I don't like the "lack of definition"--for lack of a better description. The black top is SICK... It makes the body lines look a little sexier.

Oh... And that S2000 

I've always loved those.


----------



## Forrest_H

I would honestly black the roof out if I had the hatch back, but I dunno how it'd look on the FRC  SOMEONE FIND ME PICZ

Thanks for the opinions guis


----------



## Thall My Circuits

I looked and I don't think it's been done. Try it out with vinyl


----------



## Forrest_H

asher said:


> That black looks much better than I expected it would.
> 
> Honestly, I find black wheels have to catch light more or be REALLY sharp looking to not look really clunky or distracting. For your 'vette, I would probably just think about changing to rims that aren't brightass silver and fat  (those are really not my style)



These were what I was thinking of putting on:







...just black. I have a bonus and a tax refund coming my way, so it'd go towards that and some exhaust stuff.



Thall My Circuits said:


> I looked and I don't think it's been done. Try it out with vinyl



I'm debating it. I still have tons left over from when I did the interior of my CLK.


----------



## wannabguitarist

^I think that gunmetal color would look pretty kickass with Nassau blue. Can you get them with a glossier finish?

And don't go blacktop on the coupe (Z06?). I personally feel like it would look too much like a convertible C5 with the roof up.



Andrew_s197 said:


> Here's my 2014 5.0



That is a mean looking car man  What wheels are those?


----------



## Forrest_H

wannabguitarist said:


> ^I think that gunmetal color would look pretty kickass with Nassau blue. Can you get them with a glossier finish?



That was another idea, gun metal. I'm not sure, I did make friends with a guy who powder coats recently, so perhaps some beer money could be in order 



wannabguitarist said:


> And don't go blacktop on the coupe (Z06?). I personally feel like it would look too much like a convertible C5 with the roof up.



That was what my hesitation was. The hatchback looks really cool with a black top, but I don't know about the hard top.

I really f-cking love this car. I never had this much fun finding stuff to do on the 911 or the CLK. It's not a targa, so it already draws vette owners in, but the color makes everyone go "wow". It's so awesome to wake up and drive this knowing I'm paying for it and it's in my name.

Now if only the damned pulleys would stop squeaking


----------



## asher

Those are pretty sweet rims dude. I'd definitely agree with wannabe.


----------



## wannabguitarist

I personally think all wheels should be this color  The wheels on that black Z06 would look even better than these


----------



## Thall My Circuits

I was afraid you were stuck on the black option. Gunmetal is a great look for blue. I rocked gunmetal on my blue car before switching to gold. I personally feel like wheels look best when in jewelry colors (silver, gunmetal, bronze, gold)

I like the wheels too. I would say, go with gloss gunmetal.

In regards to a black roof on an FRC, it might be a bad idea. With such a short rear glass, it may separate the body lines and look like you're driving a boat


----------



## ej207t

Jake said:


> In full on car shopping mode more or less as college is winding down quick. (Which is also why I havent been so active here lately )
> 
> Pretty dead set on a WRX and I have 3 or 4 to go look at. #1 on my list right now is a white bugeye



Only just noticed this thread so sorry if im late to the party here Jake.

If i were you i'd go for a blobeye (04-05), that is unless you find someone who loved their bugeye pretty well. The gearboxes on the 04 are meant to be night and day in comparison.

I also think the 01 crank had a weird journal design so cyl 2 and 3 have the chance to starve and results in bearing failure, though i'm led to believe this happens due to negligence and idiots in used car lots that know fk all about these things.

At the same time i'm a bit biased, coz i drive this..


----------



## Jake

The bugeye I was looking at sold already so that's out of the question 

guess that's part of the struggle of being 100 miles away from home with no transportation to go look at cars until after college ends in two weeks ha

I am now looking at two 2005 WRX's and one 2004, oh and a 2009 

As a replacement for my chevy cavalier I think I'm gonna be pretty happy with it xD


----------



## Forrest_H

wannabguitarist said:


> I personally think all wheels should be this color  The wheels on that black Z06 would look even better than these



GAT DAMN I SAID GAT DAMN

Okay gunmetal it is


----------



## Thall My Circuits

Jake said:


> The bugeye I was looking at sold already so that's out of the question
> 
> guess that's part of the struggle of being 100 miles away from home with no transportation to go look at cars until after college ends in two weeks ha
> 
> I am now looking at two 2005 WRX's and one 2004, oh and a 2009
> 
> As a replacement for my chevy cavalier I think I'm gonna be pretty happy with it xD



I feel your struggle. I was about to buy a WRX as soon as I got back from the beach. It was set, the price was a damn steal, and the guy gave me his word. The day before I got came home, he sold it from under me. I'm still not over it


----------



## troyguitar

I'm not a fan of the whole black/gray/matte fad for wheels and really everything on cars these days. Colors and brightness and gloss are all good. It's a crap photo but here's my car earlier today (first sunny and 75 day we've had since October was today!)






Here's a closeup of the rear wheel (Cray Brickyard) when it was actually clean:






We also had our first autox of the year last weekend and I finished halfway decently for once, within a second or so of the really fast guys.


----------



## bhakan

I'm with you with bright colors. Old muscle cars in obnoxious colors are my personal favorite.

My dad has recently been working on restoring his dream car, which is a 1970 Roadrunner. It's something that he has wanted since he was 16 so it's been really cool to see come together. There's been some more progress and is sitting on it's own four wheels now, but this is the most recent picture I have.





Added bonus picture of my car:




This one was actually my dad's first car, then to become my first car. I'm not sure if you can tell but my family has a thing for Roadrunner's.


----------



## Joose

^I love them both!

Speaking of bright colored cars... Mine finally has a garage!


----------



## bhakan

^The Mopar Sublime/Limelight is probably my favorite color for a car. Just so beautifully obnoxious .


----------



## asher

Those are awesome rims troy. I just have personal beef with the really shiny chrome looking stuff. It's always looked really cheap to me.


----------



## Forrest_H

5 verbal warnings later, I finally have reverse lights! LEDs no less! (apologies for the sh-t cam)






I also filled in the lettering on the rear bumper because: 

A) The decals helped me get free shipping
B) I didn't like the blank-ness going on






It's pretty obvious in person I did it in a dimly lit parking garage. ANDDDD a part of the First "E" came off. Redo is in order


----------



## Thall My Circuits

Although the Sonic Yellow WRX sedan fell through, I didn't give up looking. Trying to find an upgrade to my Protege5. I just came across a 2002 World Rally Blue WRX Wagon. I know the Master Tech who has done all the work on it over the past 5 years. I'm feeling pretty confident about this car


----------



## Forrest_H

Thall My Circuits said:


> Although the Sonic Yellow WRX sedan fell through, I didn't give up looking. Trying to find an upgrade to my Protege5. I just came across a 2002 World Rally Blue WRX Wagon. I know the Master Tech who has done all the work on it over the past 5 years. I'm feeling pretty confident about this car



Got any pics?

Unrelated, does anyone here have any experience with Callaway parts? I'm looking at getting their "Honker" intake. From what I gather, they're kind of pretentious, but that's about all for the negative.

Also, figured out my never-ending squeak problem (I think). After replacing the belt, squeaking ceased for a few days, then came right back. Almost positive it's the harmonic balancer's wobble. I don't want to put an OEM pulley in it's place, but since I don't want to f-ck with having to move the steering rack, I think that's about my only option (labor quote was like $430 IF I provide the pulley)

OH HOW I LOVE CARS


----------



## Thall My Circuits

Well, tricky thing is, the wagon is very modified, but the owner is returning it to stock before selling it to me. The only aftermarket parts we agreed to keeping on it are the struts and lowering springs. So, short of being a little lower, it will look like a stock, blue, wrx wagon.


----------



## Forrest_H

Thall My Circuits said:


> Well, tricky thing is, the wagon is very modified, but the owner is returning it to stock before selling it to me. The only aftermarket parts we agreed to keeping on it are the struts and lowering springs. So, short of being a little lower, it will look like a stock, blue, wrx wagon.



Gotcha. 

SO turns out that a harmonic balancer replacement isn't an option, it's actually a necessity. 

There's a shop that my dad has been going to for years with his various toys, and Ashton, head of the shop, builds and races 911's, but really loves LS engines (He's got a Camaro SS making 1100hp at the wheels ). I swung by his shop one day on the way to work and asked him about it, turns out if the balancer is wobbling, it can destroy the crankshaft bearings. So, new pulley is in order. 

He was talking about how an underdrive would be perfect, but I'm not convinced. Considering I've got no idea how much life the water pump or the alternator have left, I don't really want either of those messed with. ATI makes a few different pulleys for my needs, with a stock size, a 10%er, and a 25%er. I'm thinking stock size, since it's the cheapest anyways (at $355 on JEGS). Even worse, it's going to be a hell of a job, since you've got to move the steering rack completely out of the way to get the OEM pulley out. I'm thinking about just getting Ashton to do it, since he's got access to pretty much everything I don't have for this job. Going off of the quotes from different shops around Austin, I'll be paying around $850 out of the door.

So, this means no cool exhausts, wheels, or bolt ons for me for awhile  Or that damned Axe FX I've worked my ass off for.

I need a raise.


----------



## Thall My Circuits

^ That blows!!!

I can relate a bit. I saved this money up to order a Skervesen, only to buy a car instead. Damn hobbies


----------



## Forrest_H

Thall My Circuits said:


> ^ That blows!!!
> 
> I can relate a bit. I saved this money up to order a Skervesen, only to buy a car instead. Damn hobbies



That sucks man 

I'm starting to hear more lifter rattle now as well, definitely going to have to tune that out whenever my dad isn't being a pr-ck and I can go borrow the laptop he put the software on. So much sh-t I need to do. I think I'm also going to go ahead and replace the sway-bar links and bushings all around the car as well (Something I could do one saturday morning or something). There's a weird clunk coming from the rear end, and I've more or less ruled out muffler brackets and transmission mounts. Plus, I don't think they've ever been touched, and the car is 16 years old  Luckily, I've been having to work more hours at work, and I just finished this stupid internal process that needed to be fixed years ago (but didn't have the chutzpah to write the program back when I was 16) which is bringing me a pretty nice bonus, so most of this stuff will be paid off without a huge dent to my existing funds. Still sucks though, I really want those gun metal wheels.

Also, replaced almost all of the lights with LEDs today:






(stock bulb color on left in this pic)












Not shown is the trunk (which was messy) and the underhood (which fell into the abyss that is my engine bay while attempting to install). The mirror was a royal pain in the ass. The bulbs were way too small, and I had to keep disconnecting the frail, old cable and bring the entire assembly back inside because they just wouldn't light up and I couldn't mess with them while it was still hooked up. On top of that, the copper cradles on the drivers side came loose to no end. Oh well. I now (hopefully) shouldn't have to worry about visibility and changing bulbs for awhile.


----------



## asher

Nice man


----------



## Jake

Alright, since I'm not home my father has agreed to test drive cars for me until I can get home 

Really nice white 2006 WRX is the first one up and it looks really clean in the pictures I was sent, option 2 is a silver 2004 one and option 3 is a black 2005 auto...leaning well towards the manual at this point but the price on the auto is really really good.

Then theres a wild card 2005 STI that's also conveniently in my price range but idk

Things are looking pretty good though haha


----------



## Qweklain

Forrest_H said:


> That sucks man
> 
> I'm starting to hear more lifter rattle now as well, definitely going to have to tune that out whenever my dad isn't being a pr-ck and I can go borrow the laptop he put the software on. So much sh-t I need to do. I think I'm also going to go ahead and replace the sway-bar links and bushings all around the car as well (Something I could do one saturday morning or something). There's a weird clunk coming from the rear end, and I've more or less ruled out muffler brackets and transmission mounts. Plus, I don't think they've ever been touched, and the car is 16 years old  Luckily, I've been having to work more hours at work, and I just finished this stupid internal process that needed to be fixed years ago (but didn't have the chutzpah to write the program back when I was 16) which is bringing me a pretty nice bonus, so most of this stuff will be paid off without a huge dent to my existing funds. Still sucks though, I really want those gun metal wheels.


(removed pics for space courtesy)

The clunk in the rear is actually normal, believe it or not. I had n 02' Z and an 01' with 500rwhp. The clunk can be taken care of, but you will want to get new (stiffer) motor mounts and trans mount. I would also add a trans-brace; DTE or ECS.

In my stock 02'Z I could wheel-hop without much trouble on hard throttle in 1st and sometimes 2nd. In my 02 I could only hop it if I just hammered it in first on a ....ty road, but the suspension was done too.

If you do get new engine and trans mounts, go with Hinson if you do any daily driving. The solids from Pfadt are superior performance wise (not by leaps and bounds or anything), but they will make it noisier than you will probably like.


----------



## Forrest_H

Qweklain said:


> (removed pics for space courtesy)
> 
> The clunk in the rear is actually normal, believe it or not. I had n 02' Z and an 01' with 500rwhp. The clunk can be taken care of, but you will want to get new (stiffer) motor mounts and trans mount. I would also add a trans-brace; DTE or ECS.
> 
> In my stock 02'Z I could wheel-hop without much trouble on hard throttle in 1st and sometimes 2nd. In my 02 I could only hop it if I just hammered it in first on a ....ty road, but the suspension was done too.
> 
> If you do get new engine and trans mounts, go with Hinson if you do any daily driving. The solids from Pfadt are superior performance wise (not by leaps and bounds or anything), but they will make it noisier than you will probably like.



Huh, so it is actually tranny/motor mounts?

Crap  In all honesty it's not that bad, but whenever I'm driving over speed bumps it drives me nuts. More stuff to buy. 

Thanks for the tips man, I'll look into Hinson and DTE stuff


----------



## Jake

In light of all ....ty happenings in my life this week, tomorrow might actually be a new car day. Which actually might be a bit of a surprise with what I've been saying in this thread, kinda 

saabaru most likely incoming


----------



## Qweklain

Forrest_H said:


> Huh, so it is actually tranny/motor mounts?
> 
> Crap  In all honesty it's not that bad, but whenever I'm driving over speed bumps it drives me nuts. More stuff to buy.
> 
> Thanks for the tips man, I'll look into Hinson and DTE stuff


Yep, it is more the motor mounts than the tranny ones, but both of them create the slop and the trans/rear diff are not braced enough (hence why braces were created).

The engine mounts in I think all vehicles these days are fluid filled and they always crack (heat + rubber = hard, brittle rubber) so they do not do anything other than hold the engine to the frame. The trans mount is (if I remember right) just a soft rubber piece with a bell thingy to absorb NVH. Trust me, if you upgrade the mounts and add a brace, it really will seem like a new car and have you going "How did I not do this sooner!?"

Everything will hook up better, chassis feels stiffer, rear-end is way more controllable and predictable, steering response (even throttle response) is much more responsive, and even shifting feels more precise, especially the clutch.

I also would recommend a Tick master cylinder. Made the clutch 5x better. Even though it stiffened it up, it was easier to shift and more direct since the slop was gone in the driveline. Hard launches were easier to get off without spin and powering through the gears was much more controlled.

I've been involved with vettes since I bought my 02'Z around seven years ago (I miss that one) and I know a pretty good amount about the C5 gen and a healthy amount of the C6 and most LSx engines (not the LSX though). I can talk all day about cars in general, but Vette's and GM is where most of my knowledge is. I currently drive Audi now (08' S5 and a 13' S8), but I will add a C7Z I am sure in a couple years. I am learning a good amount about Audi and it helps that the local Audi indy shop is awesome and the owner has taken a liking to me so I can bother him and waste his time with questions. 

I still think the C5 gen is the best looking. Their lines are just so perfect and the silhouette looks spot on from every angle. The Audi S5 fits this category too in my opinion which is why I own one and it is just as fun to drive as the 02Z, although a bit too slow for me.


----------



## Forrest_H

Qweklain said:


> *very helpful comments*



The motor mounts are definitely in my radar, as well as the tranny mounts and brace (that sounds so weird ). Hopefully I can pick all of it up before I really need to go to the shop and have my balancer replaced, most of it is within my price range.

I'm also looking into the Tick master as well, I haven't really heard anything negative about it. Maybe that will also go into my ever growing list of "sh-t I wanna do to my car".

I completely hear you on the Corvette thing. My Dad and I have a really special connection with Corvettes due to my late grandfather's involvement with GM. I've always loved the way they look, and I still just go out to my garage and stare at it, just like I did when my dad brought home his first coupe 

Actually, on that topic, there's a video somewhere on my dad's home machine of little tiny me pretending it was a space ship, which he completely went over the top with. He was super into video stuff at the time, and used a green screen to make it look like I was in space. Err, as well as you could back in the 90's with a Corvette  Whenever I brought over a girl to his house (back when I still went there), he would IMMEDIATELY put it on the TV and just bring my to full cringe capacity  

Thanks for all the tips man! Definitely helpful for a dumb 18 year old like me


----------



## Konfyouzd

Got lazy and decided to put all the hoses/electrical connections back the way they were on my Civic and ride it til the motor blows. I have the other motor still anyway. Well... After putting all the fluids back in it was acting kinda finicky for a few days and now it seems to behave better and better the more I drive it... I feel like it's just fooling me and going to explode like tomorrow... Or maybe the person that had it before me didn't put something back properly and I managed to somehow correct that in taking it apart and putting it back together. It's amazing how many things in life I seem to magically fix just by doing that. It seems to be the "Did you try restarting it?" of the mechanical world... 

I still don't trust it, though. That was too easy... Something tells me I didn't buy that engine crane for no reason.


----------



## Jake

So this is mine.... Saabaru 9-2wrxaeromashup






Test drove it today, tons of fun, heated leather seats, power sunroof, roof racks and only 75k miles for $9k!

So yeah that's my new daily driver, unfortunately I was only home for the day so I have to wait a week until graduation to actually get to enjoy it but its mine!


----------



## Thall My Circuits

HNCD!!!


----------



## Forrest_H

Jake said:


> *beautiful saabaru*



I DEMAND MORE PICS


----------



## Jake

Forrest_H said:


> I DEMAND MORE PICS



I will absolutely get more pics once I graduate from college next weekend. The car is at my house I'm just not


----------



## BornToLooze

One of the guys I work with just got some kind of turbo Kia or Hyundai or something, and keeps going on about well my car can go 0-60 in blah and do the quarter in blah-blah and it has a turbo and sport mode, blah blah blah, my car is faster blah blah.

Well there is an autocross race coming up, so I figured we both go to that, I get a better time, he shuts up that his car is faster because it isn't, he gets a better time he shuts up because his car is faster.

Only problem I've noticed recently with my car is the tires in the back aren't that great (couple 32nds over the wear marks), fronts are still good, but when I try to give it gas going around corners at lower speeds the back end tries to break loose. So if I do end up racing, should I put the good tires in the front or back? It's a FWD.


----------



## Konfyouzd

He may not be able to drive it on an autocross course, though. Most people have no clue how fast their far is in a straight line much less on an actual course. The seat of your pants feeling can be quite deceptive.

I meet a lot of people on the road that hear my exhaust, see a Golf, and immediately think they can just speed off on me or keep me from merging. You should see how mad they seem to get when I burn them. 

So I imagine on an autocross course--unless he's done it before (but I figure he'd be able to prove how fast he is with some sort of time print out or something...?)--you'll probably kick his ass. 

On another note, I was going to try and trade in my Civic for something more interesting and someone tried to sell me some sort of hatchback-ish turbo Hyundai I do believe. I don't remember what it was, but that's probably what this guy has unless he has a Genesis. They seem kind of slow un-modded. I saw one on the road the other day racing a 240SX. I kept up with both of them very easily in a lightly modded GTI VR6. Maybe they just weren't pulling hard or something...


----------



## Konfyouzd

Troy - That purple is HOT


----------



## asher

Poked into Crutchfield to check out stereo options.

I'm going to have a really really hard time not grabbing the top end Pioneer head with GPS. It's like the only UI out there that is actually decent...

Do I do that upgrade, and then see how much a better head will boost the crappy stock speakers, or should I go after it all at once? Any suggestions? I'm totally in over my... head.


----------



## Forrest_H

asher said:


> Poked into Crutchfield to check out stereo options.
> 
> I'm going to have a really really hard time not grabbing the top end Pioneer head with GPS. It's like the only UI out there that is actually decent...
> 
> Do I do that upgrade, and then see how much a better head will boost the crappy stock speakers, or should I go after it all at once? Any suggestions? I'm totally in over my... head.



I would see how well the head does with your current speakers. Right now, the only thing I'd want to do to my setup is add a sub somewhere, which is funny because I thought I hated the speakers (turns out I just didn't like the CD's I had in my car ). From there, you can decide what you want to do.


----------



## Jake

Konfyouzd said:


> Troy - That purple is HOT


I second this


----------



## BornToLooze

Konfyouzd said:


> you'll probably kick his ass.



That's pretty much the idea.


----------



## wannabguitarist

BornToLooze said:


> One of the guys I work with just got some kind of turbo Kia or Hyundai or something, and keeps going on about well my car can go 0-60 in blah and do the quarter in blah-blah and it has a turbo and sport mode, blah blah blah, my car is faster blah blah.
> 
> Well there is an autocross race coming up, so I figured we both go to that, I get a better time, he shuts up that his car is faster because it isn't, he gets a better time he shuts up because his car is faster.
> 
> Only problem I've noticed recently with my car is the tires in the back aren't that great (couple 32nds over the wear marks), fronts are still good, but when I try to give it gas going around corners at lower speeds the back end tries to break loose. So if I do end up racing, should I put the good tires in the front or back? It's a FWD.



Some of those new turbo Kia/Hyundai's are pretty quick in a straight line . What do you drive?

Keep the good tires in the front.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Autocross isn't a straight line.


----------



## Forrest_H

Konfyouzd said:


> Autocross isn't a straight line.



Jet Fuel can't melt dank memes

Got a new shift knob in. Bought it because I didn't like the bulk of the stock shiftknob, and was greeted by a giant baseball 












To my surprise, it actually does feel way nicer, so I'm keeping it in. Now I really have to focus on fixing the balancer


----------



## wannabguitarist

Konfyouzd said:


> Autocross isn't a straight line.



I know, I do it pretty frequently; just saying his annoying friend might be right about the Hyundai being faster . Autocross is super driver dependent. I used to spank my friend in his 2015 STI in my E36 but there was no question whether or not the STI is faster than a 20 year old M3.

Funny thing is, he's faster than me now. Apparently I used to drive in a fairly ham-fisted manner and the S2000 punishes that instead of gently transitioning between understeer and oversteer


----------



## asher

wannabguitarist said:


> I know, I do it pretty frequently; just saying his annoying friend might be right about the Hyundai being faster . Autocross is super driver dependent. I used to spank my friend in his 2015 STI in my E36 but there was no question whether or not the STI is faster than a 20 year old M3.
> 
> Funny thing is, he's faster than me now. Apparently I used to drive in a fairly ham-fisted manner and the S2000 punishes that instead of gently transitioning between understeer and oversteer





I got to do autocross once in my 330. Suuuuuuuuuper fun. The smooth and nearly flat torque curve on that engine meant staying in second the whole time was perfect.


----------



## BornToLooze

wannabguitarist said:


> Some of those new turbo Kia/Hyundai's are pretty quick in a straight line . What do you drive?
> 
> Keep the good tires in the front.



Tuned 08 Cobalt.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Installed Hondata Flashpro last night, dropped VTEC switchover to 5,500 rpm and raised my fuel cutoff to 8,500 rpm. No more dropping out of VTEC during 2-3rd up shifts. Once I get my high flow cat on and learn how to take advantage of the tool I'm hoping I can safely lower the changeover another 1,000 rpm. Torque is cool 



BornToLooze said:


> Tuned 08 Cobalt.



SS? Because if it's an SS I take back everything I said earlier. You're gonna stomp him in straight line and in the twisty bits


----------



## Konfyouzd

Yea the Cobalt SS is no joke.


----------



## Forrest_H

The shop that offered to do my harmonic balancer replacement told me they're holed up for about a month because it's race season.

f-ck.

So my options are:

1). Find another shop that will assume I'm an idiot and do nothing (like corvette world)
2.) Remove the steering rack myself and do the replacement one weekend
3.) Whine about it on a forum until they call me back

3 seems like my best bet.

On another negative note, my blinker died on the way to get my car inspected. Have decided to replace those lights with LEDs as well.


----------



## Forrest_H

EVEN MOAR UPDATES:

I've been having electrical problems since I replace the interior lights with LEDs. I tested each and every light I've replaced, and they draw far less than the regular bulbs (Forgot the exact resistance). Tested the alternator last night, and it's doing fine. Which means I'm either a total f-cking moron and didn't screw the battery terminals on tight enough after I replaced my radio, or the battery is dying. I get these jumps from 10.2v to 14v. 11.7v usually means "replace it you idiot," but since I haven't had access to the right wrench to mess with the terminals, I don't want to rule that as the absolute issue. Going to mess with it tonight.

Also, got my window switch LEDs in. I think I'm going a bit overboard, but after replacing everything else, the controls on my car look seriously dated. Thankfully, I've no desire to add neon to my car , so riceyness is kept to a minimum.


----------



## BornToLooze

wannabguitarist said:


> SS? Because if it's an SS I take back everything I said earlier. You're gonna stomp him in straight line and in the twisty bits



No, it's an LS, but my wife has a stock 06 Cobalt LS, and I can tell from going straight from driving mine to driving hers it's like night and day.


----------



## Forrest_H

Good updates time!!!

So, the clunking from the rear end ended up being a f-cked up sway-bar end link. I wish I took some pictures before I tightened it, the thing was a mess. Definitely swapping to aluminium links very soon.

Also, I FOUND MY KEYFOB AND MADE IT WORK 

I had tossed it before because I couldn't get it to reprogram, only to find it much later on. Took it apart, and saw that the battery was in upside down 

Today were good.


----------



## Thall My Circuits

Alright duders. Found a deal. This saturday, I'm picking up a 2003 WRX wagon. 160k miles, 1 owner, no accidents, $3k. I'm stealing this car. Very minor paint damage in two areas. STI seats and STI exhaust. I'm also picking up a front end to convert this bugeye to a blobeye. Hopefully I'll make a NCD post next week!


----------



## asher

YEEEEEEEEEE


----------



## soliloquy

debating on getting a mini cooper. 
after trying out SEVERAL 'hot hatches' or sedans our coupés, i've realized there is nothing really in the market that is even close to a mini in terms of its design and its quirky-ness. every other car, more or less, is instantly familiar as they all follow the same basic guidelines. and then there is a cooper. 

seeing as my parents own a used car business, they just got a mini cooper clubman (the one that is about a few inches bigger than mini cooper S). its an incredible car that just screams 'fun'. 

the only issue i'm having is that its a manual stickshift car. i've driven automatic for the last 12 years, and ONLY driven automatics. i took it out for a test drive yesterday, and though fun to learn a new skillset, i'm debating as how practical a manual can be in city driving, or up/down hill situations. 

automatic minis (or just about any mini for that matter) aren't known for reliability. plus they are expensive. manuals usually are much easier to find used, plus they are far more affordable, and repairs are much easier to do on them. 

i'm loving its attention to details inside and out. i'm loving how well kept it is. and though a 2008, it still looks brand new with about 90k on its ODO. 

its this, for anyone wondering






the other alternative is that i can shop around some more, and get an automatic, and get its extended warranty for a bit. and doesn't matter what year mini it is, they always tend to be on the more expensive side when comparing to other cars. even cars like hondas and toyotas that are known to be reliable, and are generally more expensive than other cars new/used...minis still tend to be more expensive. finding parts for minis locally (canada) is not all that easy either. 

i've tried ford fiesta, mazda 3, kia rio, hyundai accent, hyundai veloster, honda fit, (have yet to try WV's hatch. was debating on one, but they look more or less like other cars...). the fiat 500, to me, just looks wrong. its drive was okay. i've tried a few SUVs as well. but i still keep coming back to a mini. 

humm...


----------



## asher

Stick is seriously not a problem in those conditions you described. Maybe if you did stop and go traffic for an hour plus every day for a commute, or you've got a car with a boat anchor for a clutch (read: nothing modern except maybe for VERY high performance cars). There's a good chance the Mini would have hill assist too, which holds the brakes on for you when pointed uphill so you can engage without rolling back.


----------



## Forrest_H

As asher is saying, stick really isn't that bad to deal with.

Even without hill assist (which I also think your mini would have), I have no problem starting on a steep ass hill without hitting the douche in the massive SUV behind me riding too close  Shifting and starting seem super terrifying at first when you're in traffic, but after a very short time it will become second nature.


----------



## asher

And if you really need it, there's always the hand brake!


----------



## soliloquy

the other thing i was VERY surprised about the mini was its fuel consumption. sure, the car is small, and it was a normal thing to expect it to be good on gas. but when i first got the car to test drive it, i drove it for maybe about an hour. so add maybe 40 km city on it. my dad drove about 380 km highway on it the day before. the needle only went down 2 notches of gas on a full tank. 

i know my civic, though decent on gas, can NOT come close to that. that mileage and i'm at about half a tank. 

impressive


----------



## Jake

Driving stick is not a hard skill to pick up, I figured it out pretty quickly. Even though I opted not to get a stick car as my DD because of all my city driving I still would like to pick one up at some point to really get good at it.

My friend just got a Subaru Forester XT in manual and I drove it a little the other day and that thing has a heavier clutch than his 2002 mustang did! It's actually crazy but I think he'll be handling that soon 

In other news I'm very much enjoying my little turbo wagon


----------



## asher

moarpics!


----------



## Jake

asher said:


> moarpics!


Will have more once I get these roof racks off tomorrow and give her a wash to get all the damn pollen off. That is if I'm off the vicodin for my wisdom teeth tomorrow 

if not whenever I'm able to drive again haha


----------



## Forrest_H

MOAR UPDATES BECAUSE YOU ALL CLEARLY CARE 

So, after selling off some of my toob amps and pedals, I have enough to go ahead and order the ATI harmonic balancer for my car. I'm not going to be going underdrive, as my car already has some charging issues. I'm still undecided if I want to go ahead and just do it myself, or wait for race season to be over. The squeak is usually easy to get rid of now, after some Prestone Belt Dressing and warming up, but it's only masking the problem. If I do end up doing it on my own, I'm seriously terrified I will f-ck up the steering rack or install it wrong. But, I'm very reluctant to pay CorvetteWorld $800 for me to provide the pulley and the belt. At least at Elite Motorsports, I know the guy is very familiar with LS engines and isn't going to screw me over since he and my dad have been doing car stuff for awhile. Oi.


----------



## JEngelking

Forrest_H said:


> As asher is saying, stick really isn't that bad to deal with.
> 
> Even without hill assist (which I also think your mini would have), I have no problem starting on a steep ass hill without hitting the douche in the massive SUV behind me riding too close  Shifting and starting seem super terrifying at first when you're in traffic, but after a very short time it will become second nature.





asher said:


> And if you really need it, there's always the hand brake!



Going up hills is actually the one thing I still struggle with a little bit when driving stick. Not as badly as when I first started, mind you, but luckily I live in the Midwest and I don't have to deal with extreme hills.  I just haven't mastered any tricks to not rolling back when starting off from an incline, luckily no one has ever been driving close enough behind me that I bumped in to or nearly bumped in to them.

I will also agree that manuals aren't too bad in stop/start traffic, albeit a little bit of pain IMO. The main thing that pisses me off about them is just when traffic starts moving and right as you get to being able to be in second traffic stops again, or traffic's rolling at a speed where I'm right between gears.


In other news, I never thought I'd be saying this but I really want a Hyundai lately.  I really like the looks of the Veloster, and they seem to be pretty affordable at dealers around me, and the new Genesis coupes are sharp looking and had me double taking that it was really a Hyundai that was parked in a lot at my university. Prices for those also seem to be around on par with the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S. Ideally, if I'm able to pick up a second job in the next year or so, I'd like to get a new (or close to it, I'm tired of somewhat-expensive troubles that have developed with the past couple used cars I've gotten within just a few months of getting them) car and make payments on it, but until then I at least have some pondering to do on what I'd like to get.


----------



## asher

The Genesis coupes were pretty damn mean when they came out, I assume they're still the same performers as then.


----------



## JEngelking

asher said:


> The Genesis coupes were pretty damn mean when they came out, I assume they're still the same performers as then.



Huh, somehow it's flown under my radar for the past few years that there was a sports coupé variation on the Genesis. The new ones look exceptionally nice IMO. Although as far as an affordable sports car goes, I think I might sliiightly prefer the Subaru BRZ. Of course I do still badly want a WRX (especially one the 02-06 models) so that might be a bias speaking.


----------



## ddtonfire

I still don't understand why they didn't put the Genesis sedan's 5.0 in the coupe Genesis.


----------



## Thall My Circuits

Picked up a 2003 WRX wagon saturday. 160k miles on the body, around 100k on the motor. Got this beauty for $3k. Had to drive 5hrs from NC to D.C. to get it.

STI seats, STI exhaust. K&N Typhoon Intake. I got it home saturday night and ordered a bunch of parts. Picked everything up sunday morning and got working. New front axles, rotors, brake pads, ball joins, a/c accessory belt, flushed trans, and flushed rear diff. I didn't have time to replace valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, and fog light bulbs.


----------



## asher




----------



## Thall My Circuits

The white has grown on me


----------



## Forrest_H

Redid my blinkers and DRL's with switchback LEDs (go from amber to white depending on if the blinkers are on or not), and encountered the inevitable hyper flash. Hoping to God that the harness bypass comes soon, because it's not going to be fun driving on a highway for 3 hours with blinkers that look broken to a cop this weekend


----------



## troyguitar

Forrest_H said:


> Redid my blinkers and DRL's with switchback LEDs (go from amber to white depending on if the blinkers are on or not), and encountered the inevitable hyper flash. Hoping to God that the harness bypass comes soon, because it's not going to be fun driving on a highway for 3 hours with blinkers that look broken to a cop this weekend



I did all that crap on mine, took awhile to get everything working right but I have LED's all around inside and out and 55w HID headlights. MAJOR upgrade and worth the hassle. In hindsight I might have gone with the slightly more expensive high quality option from radioflyer innovations - I bought the cheapo corvettemods stuff.

We moved from PA to KY a few weeks ago and life has been a mess recently, still living in a sea of boxes at the moment. I finally got my PC out of its box last night and set it up today so I can see the forum and stuff (dafuq is there still no mobile option for this place?). Tiny new garage is tiny, 20x20 for 2 cars and work+storage space is proving a challenge.






Bought a bunch of cabinets and stuff though and things are slowly falling into place, here it is as of today:






I still need to build some tire racks and find homes for the rest of the crap to clear space for the 2nd car again but it's getting there.


----------



## Millul

Just got the SLK remapped...it has a little more punch, and revs up a bit more happily, but still no revolution...but I was expecting it!


----------



## asher




----------



## Joose

Alllllllrighty then...

-New calipers up front
-New fluids
-New Tires all around
-Alignment

I forgot what a difference new fluids can make. I have a happy transmission!

I went with the Goodyear Eagle RSA-2's for tires. I wanted to go with Hankooks again, but this place didn't sell them, I was in a hurry, and judging by the tread pattern these should be better in the rain anyway... Which is good, because it won't stop raining for some reason.

Kinda funny when they did the alignment... took them forever to come inside and say, "Hey man, we've got it as good as we can get it, but there's still a little negative camber we can't seem to get rid of"... why funny? I don't know this for a fact, but every LX Charger I've seen that's more than a basic R/T has a little negative camber. So I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be that way.

Anyway, shocks and springs are next. I was going to get the SRT-8 ones, since they're the same as mine, just an inch lower. Buuuuut, I'm thinking coilovers.


----------



## BornToLooze

Speaking of camber, when I was in college for automotive classes, I took a suspension class so I could try and fix my alignment. My camber is bad enough you can tell I need an alignment when you're following me. Got it up on the rack and hook the sensors up. It was actually bad enough the teacher said, "Holy ...., I've never seen camber this bad!"  I think it's out -8 degrees or something. We got to looking at it and apparently on Cobalts there's no way to adjust camber without buying some special bolts and tearing the front suspension apart again. 

I looked up how much the kit to be able to adjust it costs, and honestly, it doesn't wear tires that bad.


----------



## Forrest_H

asher said:


> *Glorious Stereo Install*



Atta boy! How hard was it?




ALSO UPDATE TIME:

Fixed my hyper flashing DRL/Blinker problem with the harness, looks great now:

https://instagram.com/p/3K-J4PGM9B

Have my Radar Detector mirror power cable and a dumb little steering wheel decal on the way, too. Much excite.

I finally ordered the ATI Damper as well, the thing was so much money. The raise helped a lot, but jesus, all the money I saved for bolt ons is pretty much gone.  Oh well.


----------



## asher

Super easy, because I said kitten it and paid Crutchfield for it!


----------



## CrushingAnvil

bulb said:


> I have an '09 E90 M3 with DCT, should be good for the track as is, but I wouldn't want to ruin the PS2's I have on the car as those have about 90% tread currently, and I have heard some people say they have gone through their brake pads from a day at the track.
> 
> I have no experience whatsoever, so I would probably be after some advanced driving courses before I even touch the track, but I assume those would put similar strain on my car. Just trying to figure out what the ACTUAL cost of all of this would be. Don't want to get back from the track and realize that I have to replace a ton of .... haha.



How did you afford that?


----------



## CrushingAnvil

bulb said:


> Nice Boxster!
> 
> Haha sadly no money to be made in metal, but plenty in production work hehe!



That answers my question. That's pretty cool


----------



## MikeH

Car shopping will be the death of me. My wife is dead set on a 2015 Ford Escape. Drove it yesterday, and it was just okay. To me, it felt like a cheap car with expensive features. They want $19,150 for it, which I feel is a bit too much, not to mention I haven't heard very stellar reviews on the Escape, aside from the obvious sales sites that are pushing for people to buy them from them. I've really been pushing to get a Toyota Highlander, but she refuses to get anything with more than 75,000 miles or older than 2011. We also drove a 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i, which was nice, but just outside of the top end of our budget. I'll be leaving for basic training in about a week and a half, so it needs to be something we decide fast. My issue is that with both of our incomes, we'll absolutely be able to afford it, and then I'll be able to buy myself an '05-'07 truck when we get settled. But on the contrary, we're planning to start a family (hence getting a bigger vehicle) in the next 1.5-2 years, in which case she won't be working. We'll still be able to afford both vehicles, if I can keep my truck in the $10-12,000 range, but that cuts into our budget fairly heavily. I keep trying to tell her we need to lower our budget to the $15-17,000 range, but she loves the Escape because it's "cute and new".


----------



## shadscbr

MikeH said:


> Car shopping will be the death of me. My wife is dead set on a 2015 Ford Escape. Drove it yesterday, and it was just okay. To me, it felt like a cheap car with expensive features. They want $19,150 for it, which I feel is a bit too much, not to mention I haven't heard very stellar reviews on the Escape, aside from the obvious sales sites that are pushing for people to buy them from them. I've really been pushing to get a Toyota Highlander, but she refuses to get anything with more than 75,000 miles or older than 2011. We also drove a 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i, which was nice, but just outside of the top end of our budget. I'll be leaving for basic training in about a week and a half, so it needs to be something we decide fast. My issue is that with both of our incomes, we'll absolutely be able to afford it, and then I'll be able to buy myself an '05-'07 truck when we get settled. But on the contrary, we're planning to start a family (hence getting a bigger vehicle) in the next 1.5-2 years, in which case she won't be working. We'll still be able to afford both vehicles, if I can keep my truck in the $10-12,000 range, but that cuts into our budget fairly heavily. I keep trying to tell her we need to lower our budget to the $15-17,000 range, but she loves the Escape because it's "cute and new".



MikeH, I would also check out the Subaru Forester (nice big sunroof, reclining rear seats, avail turbo), and the Mazda CX 5 (fun to drive, good mpg). Honda also just came out with a Fit based little suv, the HR-V, they start at $19,100 msrp.

good luck, let us know how you make out.

I'm in the market for a new car myself, so i've been test driving and suffering in sales cubicles too 

Shad


----------



## Konfyouzd

Pause... What the F*CK is hill assist? I heard in Germany they just use the parking brake...?

Aside from that, check this noise out... Put your foot on your brake. Lift you clutch slowly...

Feel the car shaking a bit? That's the point at which you should be hitting your gas. 

BAM


----------



## troyguitar

FWIW an Escape is no bigger than a Fusion, it's just taller. The back seat has less space actually if I remember correctly.

There are tons of deals to be had on the 2010-2012 Fusion because it doesn't have a turbo or look like an Aston Martin - and they are *really *good cars. That or a 2009-2013 Mazda6 is an even slightly bigger version of the same platform is also very cheap now and is an even better car. 

2009-2013 Mazda6 sGT trim is probably the best family car bargain right now in the $10-20k price bracket.


----------



## troyguitar

Konfyouzd said:


> Pause... What the F*CK is hill assist? I heard in Germany they just use the parking brake...?
> 
> Aside from that, check this noise out... Put your foot on your brake. Lift you clutch slowly...
> 
> Feel the car shaking a bit? That's the point at which you should be hitting your gas.
> 
> BAM



The computer holds the brakes for you for a second when you are taking off on an incline and switching from the brake to gas pedals. It worked really well in my old GTI, keeps you from having to use the hand brake to keep from rolling backward on takeoff.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Given that it seems like you can drive... Do you really feel like you needed it?

The only reason I ask is because I was crazy nervous in my GTI the first time I took off on a steep hill bc I'd only previously done it in my RSX. All I did was the trick I mentioned in that post you quoted to double check the catch point before the light changed.

I don't really mean to cast aspersions on anyone that finds it useful, I just didn't think it was altogether necessary if you knew how to figure it out otherwise. Now I'm kinda wondering if *my* GTI can do that.


----------



## asher

It's not strictly speaking necessary, but man is it nice!


----------



## troyguitar

asher said:


> It's not strictly speaking necessary, but man is it nice!



this. It's nice to be able to just casually take off without rolling back at all, especially when there's a jackass in a lifted F350 2 inches behind you.

It also really depends on where you drive. I was in a hilly area of PA and had to take off on pretty steep hills frequently. Back when I lived in the Detroit area there was no such thing as a hill so it was useless.


----------



## Konfyouzd

That makes sense... Here you'll occasionally come up on a REALLY steep hill but most of the time it's manageable. But I've also been driving a manual for the past 10 years that didn't have that option so maybe I just never knew the difference. I'd probably think it was nice too if I had a car that did it but who knows... 

In the hands of good drivers I don't have a problem with most features that assist you in driving. My real problem is all the horrible drivers that technology enables... 

I'm guessing I'm not talking to those ppl currently, though.


----------



## asher

This technology would save those horrible drivers from rolling back into your front bumper on a steep hill


----------



## maliciousteve

I have hill assist on my little Punto. Honestly it's not that great. I find it annoying at times as it can slow you down if you're trying to pull out of a junction with some speed. I can see it being more beneficial for those who drive a Automatic car but not a Manual. 

There's only been a couple of times where I thought it's helped.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Oh! That's what my car was doing while my ESP was malfunctioning now that I think ab it. If I took off quickly it felt like the car would brake briefly. Then I look up ESP and find out it includes "hill assist".

No, sir. I don't like it


----------



## Konfyouzd

Just swapped out my motor mounts... Holy hell what a difference. And it looks like my ESP light has turned itself off for good. Found some loose bolts on the driver's side trail arm. Since tightening them I've had pretty much no issues with my ESP "malfunctioning".

Now to start saving for forced induction. :-D


----------



## asher

Meanwhile, the only mods I'm thinking about are whether I want to put my USFencing Association sticker on a window, if I want a nice sizable Rebel Alliance logo for the rear left passenger non-opening window, and what I might want on a plate


----------



## wannabguitarist

asher said:


> Meanwhile, the only mods I'm thinking about are whether I want to put my USFencing Association sticker on a window, if I want a nice sizable Rebel Alliance logo for the rear left passenger non-opening window, and what I might want on a plate



You got a WRX right? If that's your mod list you are exercising some serious restraint


----------



## asher

STi


----------



## TheStig1214

Had some fun with dip today. Blacked out most of the chrome trim on the Mini. She's now a deathmobile.


----------



## troyguitar

asher said:


> STi



Those shouldn't really need mods IMO. Keep good tires on it and maintain it and it should be fast and reliable forever. Way too many people mod the crap out of those and blow them up.


----------



## asher

troyguitar said:


> Those shouldn't really need mods IMO. Keep good tires on it and maintain it and it should be fast and reliable forever. Way too many people mod the crap out of those and blow them up.



It's more than enough to get me into trouble stock


----------



## Thall My Circuits

Still digging my WRX wagon. I've almost fixed everything on this beast (getting parts left and right to undo things left by the previous owner)
I've painted the scoop, mirrors, spoiler, and sideskirts white to match the body, pulled a replacement trans from the junkuyard, bought a jdm turbo off my friend's imported engine with only 40k miles on it, replaced the whole shifter/bushing assembly with a full kartboy kit, got a SPT heat shield, yellow fog overlays, and more. Going to gut the cats on this STI exhaust to help the turbo breathe, probably get a downpipe too, and get a nice tune to top it all off.

Thall Wheel Drive


----------



## Thanatopsis

Konfyouzd said:


> Pause... What the F*CK is hill assist? I heard in Germany they just use the parking brake...?
> 
> Aside from that, check this noise out... Put your foot on your brake. Lift you clutch slowly...
> 
> Feel the car shaking a bit? That's the point at which you should be hitting your gas.
> 
> BAM


When you've been driving a stick every day for 15 years, you don't need a damn thing. Unless you just suck at it. I used the e brake for hill starts a little when I first learned, but that wasn't needed for long.


----------



## Thanatopsis

Thall My Circuits said:


> Still digging my WRX wagon. I've almost fixed everything on this beast (getting parts left and right to undo things left by the previous owner)
> I've painted the scoop, mirrors, spoiler, and sideskirts white to match the body, pulled a replacement trans from the junkuyard, bought a jdm turbo off my friend's imported engine with only 40k miles on it, replaced the whole shifter/bushing assembly with a full kartboy kit, got a SPT heat shield, yellow fog overlays, and more. Going to gut the cats on this STI exhaust to help the turbo breathe, probably get a downpipe too, and get a nice tune to top it all off.
> 
> Thall Wheel Drive


Don't you just love having a turbo? I was just thinking the other day that I will never stop loving the sound of that little whine from it spooling up.


----------



## BucketheadRules

Finally got my driving test coming up, only taken me three years of legally being able to drive 

I've been looking around to see what sort of car I'd like to start out with. Lots of people start out with what I think Americans call subcompacts (Mini or Ford Fiesta-size) but I want something with a little more space for gear and people... so I think I want the next size up, sort of VW Golf/Ford Focus size. The 2006-shape Honda Civic stands out in particular...






In other news... my dad's looking at buying a two-seater convertible, there's a car dealer just up the road from us which we're going to check out in a little while. They have a 2006 Mercedes SLK 280, which appeals to my dad because he's a Mercedes guy, but I also quite like the look of the Porsche Boxster they have for roughly similar money...


----------



## Thall My Circuits

Thanatopsis said:


> Don't you just love having a turbo? I was just thinking the other day that I will never stop loving the sound of that little whine from it spooling up.



It's the best. I went through all the trouble to turbo the Protege5. It's nice buying a car where everything is done. We took my wife's Mazda3 to the beach the past week and I missed the WRX every single day.

Me Boosta


----------



## asher

Pretty sure the Boxster would drive circles around an SLK. Not to mention look 10x better.


----------



## BucketheadRules

asher said:


> Pretty sure the Boxster would drive circles around an SLK. Not to mention look 10x better.



That's what I've told him... I think I may even have convinced him 

There was a really lovely 2011 BMW 335i convertible there as well, but it was the thick end of 20 grand which is far too expensive.


----------



## maliciousteve

Go for a 1.4 petrol Civic. Loads of space in the Civics and the 1.4 engine will help with lowering the cost of insurance as you're a first time driver


----------



## Joose

Wellllll, as some may know, Denver has pretty fvcking terrible roads.

Pothole after pothole after pothole. On-ramps that transition to the freeway via a 2-3 inch raise in the road, which is AWFUL with a sport suspension. Etc...

It finally took its toll on the Charger. I was getting on one of the freeways, hit one of those raised bits and suddenly, i have no power to the rear wheels. Gears still showing on my dash, but it made a loud, mechanical, spinning noise when going into Park. I think we all know what that means.

So I get a tow to my buddy's house, who has a lift; we get it up in the air and it would appear that these rough ass roads had caused the nut that holds the yoke to the spline to loosen, resulting in the driveshaft disconnecting from the transmission. Which also damaged the driveshaft.

Failing water pump as well, so I just went ahead and had that replaced as well. It's back on the road now. My front suspension sounds like shît (c'mon SSO, get rid of the censorship, it's ridiculous) though... well, not like those old Crown Vics you hear creaking with every movement, but enough to annoy me. 

I suppose I knew this was all coming. Sitting around 107k miles now and it's been a workhorse since the day I got it.


----------



## BucketheadRules

asher said:


> Pretty sure the Boxster would drive circles around an SLK. Not to mention look 10x better.



Update on this... he's not going for a Boxster.

He's not going for an SLK either.

Assuming all goes to plan, what he's going for - for around the same money - is a 2005 Merc SL350


----------



## BucketheadRules

maliciousteve said:


> Go for a 1.4 petrol Civic. Loads of space in the Civics and the 1.4 engine will help with lowering the cost of insurance as you're a first time driver



Sorry, only just seen this - cheers Steve.

I think that's my best option - I like that style of Civic a lot and I hear they have a lot of space in the back, and in the boot as well. 1.4 would seem to be the way to go too - it'll be slower than glacial drift but that's probably not such a bad thing (I'm not a crazy exuberant driver though). And it's a Honda, so it'll be reliable. Only problem is they're still quite expensive compared to a lot of other cars that size from that period - they seem to start at about £3k.

Annoyingly, I'll be sharing whatever I end up going for with my sister, who's 17 and also learning to drive... and she wants a Mini. Our driving instructor has one, it's a nice car to drive but I'm dead against owning one because I need space for carrying gear and possibly people, and Minis have adequate space for precisely neither of those two things. I can see arguments breaking out about this.


----------



## maliciousteve

The good thing with Honda with regards to price is, yeah they cost a bit more than similar cars but they hold their value better. So when you decide to sell it on you'll still be able to get a good chunk of money towards your next.

With Mini, my brother just bought a 2006 Mini Cooper S. The earlier model with a supercharger 

It's a lovely looking car inside and out however, it really is tiny. I'm 6 ft 2 and I just about got into the drivers seat. The boot is no bigger than a shoe box and I hear a lot of things about Mini engines being quite unreliable. Great to drive but I don't think they're that great to own unless you find one that's been well looked after.


----------



## FRETPICK

Some shots I took in Driveclub.


----------



## asher

Dayum.


----------



## Thall My Circuits

For you boosted subaru owners, replacing the turbo inlet suuuuucks. The difficulty is rated 4/5, not to mention the heat soak of a turbo engine turns most rubber vac lines into brittle plastic. I replaced my inlet, rebuilt the evap system, and replaced most vac lines. Car runs like a damn champ!


----------



## TauSigmaNova

Mmm... That Evantra...


----------



## BornToLooze

I need some advice, I just started a new job where I'm going to be getting payed a lot better. So should I put about $10-15k into my Cobalt and make it a Cobalt that's powered by Satan, or just buy a new car that's fast?


----------



## troyguitar

BornToLooze said:


> I need some advice, I just started a new job where I'm going to be getting payed a lot better. So should I put about $10-15k into my Cobalt and make it a Cobalt that's powered by Satan, or just buy a new car that's fast?



Only put money in a cobalt if it's a turbo SS model and even then more like $5k max: good tires and a stereo plus intake/exhaust/tune and a full maintenance update. Going full retard on power mods for anything short of a dedicated drag racing car is generally a waste.


----------



## shadscbr

imho, that $10-15K would be thrown away, and not add actual value to the car if you were to trade it in. If you want a fast Cobalt, get an SS, otherwise, put your money into something you really like. Too much power in a fwd car is a recipe for major torque-steer issues. 

best of luck!

Shad


----------



## wannabguitarist

BornToLooze said:


> I need some advice, I just started a new job where I'm going to be getting payed a lot better. So should I put about $10-15k into my Cobalt and make it a Cobalt that's powered by Satan, or just buy a new car that's fast?



For 10k you could get a car that's way faster than the Cobalt. E36 M3, Ap1 S2000, Mustangs, C4 Corvette's. You could even keep the Cobalt as daily so you have something to drive once you decide to try to make you sports car satan powered


----------



## BucketheadRules

My dad's picking up his Mercedes SL tomorrow, so excited


----------



## BornToLooze

wannabguitarist said:


> For 10k you could get a car that's way faster than the Cobalt. E36 M3, Ap1 S2000, Mustangs, C4 Corvette's. You could even keep the Cobalt as daily so you have something to drive once you decide to try to make you sports car satan powered



Ya, but there aren't really that many cars that I'm interested in and the ones I am are way over 10k. I'd be building the engine and putting a turbo on it, redoing the suspension again, retuning it and probably putting some TE37s and good tires on it. And building a dedicated drag car is a waste of money, real cars can go around corners.


----------



## ftr

hey guys. i am trying to decide which car i should buy. my last car was a 1993 honda accord ex and it is totaled now. i thought that car was freaking awesome i liked almost everything about it. i drove it with pride. it may be funny to some of you but i kind of want to get another 4th gen honda accord but i think it is time to move on and get something else. i have been researching cars the past week trying to find something cool but i am not much of a car guy so its been kind of weird. i am looking for something just as reliable.


----------



## Forrest_H

ftr said:


> hey guys. i am trying to decide which car i should buy. my last car was a 1993 honda accord ex and it is totaled now. i thought that car was freaking awesome i liked almost everything about it. i drove it with pride. it may be funny to some of you but i kind of want to get another 4th gen honda accord but i think it is time to move on and get something else. i have been researching cars the past week trying to find something cool but i am not much of a car guy so its been kind of weird. i am looking for something just as reliable.



You're probably better off just getting another Honda, man. What's your budget?





Unrelated, I need some general advice on intakes because I've been scratching my f-cking head over this too long today. I want to swap out my current air box for a different one because the current oem box is just broken. Latches keep coming off, thing won't stay aligned, that sort of sh-t. However, the system I planned on moving to is not only expensive as hell, it requires me to cut into the radiator shroud. No bueno. A cheaper, open air, drop in filter seems to be my best bet, but I'm worried about water getting in. Is something like this:







going to f-ck me over if I drive through a puddle? My knowledge is exclusively limited to cars that don't sit as low as the C5 does.

TL;DR: OPEN AIR FILTER = BAD(?)


----------



## troyguitar

BornToLooze said:


> Ya, but there aren't really that many cars that I'm interested in and the ones I am are way over 10k. I'd be building the engine and putting a turbo on it, redoing the suspension again, retuning it and probably putting some TE37s and good tires on it. And building a dedicated drag car is a waste of money, real cars can go around corners.



The problem with that is the Cobalt SS/tc already exists and is awesome. To simply match one in performance you'll end up spending as much money as buying one in the first place and it will actually cost significantly more in the end when you take resale into account. That's perhaps the best FWD car ever sold in this country and they are super cheap for their performance level these days.



ftr said:


> hey guys. i am trying to decide which car i should buy. my last car was a 1993 honda accord ex and it is totaled now. i thought that car was freaking awesome i liked almost everything about it. i drove it with pride. it may be funny to some of you but i kind of want to get another 4th gen honda accord but i think it is time to move on and get something else. i have been researching cars the past week trying to find something cool but i am not much of a car guy so its been kind of weird. i am looking for something just as reliable.



I'm actually thinking about getting a 7th gen accord coupe (03-07) as a semi-fun daily driver that I won't have to worry about. I like the 7th gen as it is the first gen to have decent power and luxury while being the last gen to not be really huge with barge-like handling. It strikes a great balance.


----------



## BucketheadRules

BucketheadRules said:


> My dad's picking up his Mercedes SL tomorrow, so excited



He's got it now, just been for a spin in it.

IT'S SO GOOD.

Looks great, you get the wind in your hair, it makes a lovely noise and it goes like sh*t off a shovel as well.

EDIT: Now with pic:


----------



## soliloquy

i just got a mini cooper. its a 2011. in white silver with black top. i am LOVING this car. this has to be the best fuel consumption i've ever seen in any car i've driven so far. i'm sort of an aggressive driver that pushes the car, and break at last minute. with that being said, even with my previous 2009 honda civic, i was struggling to push it for about 550-600km on a full tank. the mini cooper, on a full tank, i can easily do at least 850km. maybe more, but i didn't want to risk a hike to the closest gas station, as i filled it up at about 830 and still didn't have the low gas light on. i know if i'm driving conservatively, i can easily do 900 on it. 

sure, its not the biggest car. but i didn't get it to put sofas in it. 
sure, it takes premium gas. but if i'm only filling it once every other week, i dont really care.
sure, it costs a bit for get oil change. but dont care
sure, its a car that is known to have mechanical issues. but dont care for the time being.

the only thing that is a lil concerning is that its exhaust in the back is VERY black. the oil change and gas in it are burning black. i looked it up online and people are saying that thats normal. dont think my other cars i had before had that. i'll keep a close eye on it to see what happens.

also, this is more tedious than anything else. i dont like dealer info on the licence plate covers. so i'm trying to change it. lo-and behold, the screws dont fit. normally cars like hondas, mazdas, toyotas, kias, fords, etc all use the '10' sized bolts, or the m4 or m6 variations. but because mini's are BMW cars, they use an m5 screw, or some other screw that isn't easily found at hardware stores, nor at car part sources. gotta look online as no way in hell am i paying $30 for 2 screws at dealers. though apparently volkswagen also uses the same sized bolts...humm...

and i got the automatic version. so i gotta look out for its transmission more closely. gotta get that changed in another about 2k kilometers. 



btw, in terms of washing the car, how harmful dishwashing detergent is? the place i got it from uses that, but the cars dont seem any cleaner than usual. and they still leave water marks or rain marks. 

i also want to put two black strips on the hood and put a shield on the front to prevent any paint chips while on the highway


----------



## youngthrasher9

I'm thinking ahead of time about what car I want to buy next.

I'm looking to spend $8k or less. Maybe $9k depending on how much money I actually have to dump into it to get where I want it (stereo, intake, exhaust, etc...).

I want to have something fairly quick in the end. Reliability is a priority.

My gut tells me toyota or honda, but the demand for them here is hilarious. Thus, high prices for less car.


----------



## maliciousteve

soliloquy said:


> btw, in terms of washing the car, how harmful dishwashing detergent is? the place i got it from uses that, but the cars dont seem any cleaner than usual. and they still leave water marks or rain marks.



Don't use detergent. It slowly affects the clear coat.

Use a car wash/wax mixture. Make sure you pre-wash the car using a pressure washer to get off the worst of the dirt/grit as you don't want to rub that into the paint (causes tiny scratches). Always use a clean microfibre wash mit using a bucket of clean water to rinse the mixture out and a bucket of water with mixture in when moving onto the next area. Rinse whole car with pressure washer again.

Finish off by using a dry microfibre towel when the car is a little bit damp. This will get rid of water marks/streaks. You could also use a squeegee.


----------



## youngthrasher9

After a quick google session, I'm leaning heavily toward a Mazda RX-8.

I'm just so ready to drive a car. My 2004 F150 has it's perks, notably the $800 price tag.

It may have a cracked exhaust, and a welded on door, but all I've had to do is change the oil and a pinion seal that wore out. I got it for $800 out the door, from my dad's workplace, with 104k miles on it.

Hell, even my mom's 2004 Toyota Avalon was fun to test drive. Driving a car is just more satifying on the open road.


----------



## TheStig1214

_*Vent Warning *_

Damn, N18 engined Mini Cooper S ECUs are damn near impossible to find tunes for. So far I have found exactly 2 companies that are well received to do that job. Problem is one is in SoCal (NM Engineering) and the other is in Europe (Evolve Tuning). The tunes themselves are $500 a piece, with the European on giving more gains (~20hp vs ~30hp), however I'd have to buy a $200 flash tool along with the Evolve one to do it. The NM on I'd have to send off my ECU to them and have it shipped back, giving me 3-4 days of no car.

Anyone have experience with ECU flashes that can tell me if either of these are worth it? I'm probably looking to put in a cold air intake first which will take me from 181hp stock to about 190hp.



soliloquy said:


> i just got a mini cooper. its a 2011. in white silver with black top. i am LOVING this car. this has to be the best fuel consumption i've ever seen in any car i've driven so far. i'm sort of an aggressive driver that pushes the car, and break at last minute. with that being said, even with my previous 2009 honda civic, i was struggling to push it for about 550-600km on a full tank. the mini cooper, on a full tank, i can easily do at least 850km. maybe more, but i didn't want to risk a hike to the closest gas station, as i filled it up at about 830 and still didn't have the low gas light on. i know if i'm driving conservatively, i can easily do 900 on it.
> 
> sure, its not the biggest car. but i didn't get it to put sofas in it.
> sure, it takes premium gas. but if i'm only filling it once every other week, i dont really care.
> sure, it costs a bit for get oil change. but dont care
> sure, its a car that is known to have mechanical issues. but dont care for the time being.
> 
> the only thing that is a lil concerning is that its exhaust in the back is VERY black. the oil change and gas in it are burning black. i looked it up online and people are saying that thats normal. dont think my other cars i had before had that. i'll keep a close eye on it to see what happens.
> 
> also, this is more tedious than anything else. i dont like dealer info on the licence plate covers. so i'm trying to change it. lo-and behold, the screws dont fit. normally cars like hondas, mazdas, toyotas, kias, fords, etc all use the '10' sized bolts, or the m4 or m6 variations. but because mini's are BMW cars, they use an m5 screw, or some other screw that isn't easily found at hardware stores, nor at car part sources. gotta look online as no way in hell am i paying $30 for 2 screws at dealers. though apparently volkswagen also uses the same sized bolts...humm...
> 
> and i got the automatic version. so i gotta look out for its transmission more closely. gotta get that changed in another about 2k kilometers.
> 
> 
> 
> btw, in terms of washing the car, how harmful dishwashing detergent is? the place i got it from uses that, but the cars dont seem any cleaner than usual. and they still leave water marks or rain marks.
> 
> i also want to put two black strips on the hood and put a shield on the front to prevent any paint chips while on the highway



Woo! Mini bretheren! Yeah, mine burns a bit of oil. The black exhaust is normal. Is at a regular mini or an MCS? Also good that you got a 2011, the pre 2011 Minis with the N14 engines are kinda hit and miss with reliability, the timing chain usually being the issue. The N18 in your car actually hasn't had any major issues reported as of yet.


----------



## troyguitar

youngthrasher9 said:


> After a quick google session, I'm leaning heavily toward a Mazda RX-8.
> 
> I'm just so ready to drive a car. My 2004 F150 has it's perks, notably the $800 price tag.
> 
> It may have a cracked exhaust, and a welded on door, but all I've had to do is change the oil and a pinion seal that wore out. I got it for $800 out the door, from my dad's workplace, with 104k miles on it.
> 
> Hell, even my mom's 2004 Toyota Avalon was fun to test drive. Driving a car is just more satifying on the open road.



RX8's are notoriously unreliable but are fantastic to drive. It's unfortunate as I really like them but am unwilling to take the risk of owning one.


----------



## BucketheadRules

troyguitar said:


> RX8's are notoriously unreliable but are fantastic to drive. It's unfortunate as I really like them but am unwilling to take the risk of owning one.



My manager at work is trying to sell his, he says it's great to drive but he hates living with it. The rotary engine means TERRIBLE fuel economy too.


----------



## Kobalt

Rotaries are devilishly unreliable, it's a terrible design. Yeah sure, they can make absurd amounts of power at absurdly small displacements but they require rebuilds upon rebuilds.

I'd look into an FR-S/BRZ instead, if you're looking for something in that category.


----------



## BornToLooze

troyguitar said:


> RX8's are notoriously unreliable but are fantastic to drive. It's unfortunate as I really like them but am unwilling to take the risk of owning one.



The problem with them is rotary engines need a turbo to be really reliable, but Mazda couldn't find a way to turbo the Renesis and it still pass emissions. So I would think if you were to put an aftermarket turbo kit on it, it should be fine.

And TheStig, I don't know if you can get one for a Mini, but instead of getting a tune for my car, I bought a tuning program for my computer so instead of just getting a tune and then later on down the road if you do any other mods you have to buy another tune, I can tune it myself, and tweak stuff as needed. Just the only thing is it's going to take a long time to get it right and you'll have to do a .... load of reading.


----------



## youngthrasher9

KingVee said:


> Rotaries are devilishly unreliable, it's a terrible design. Yeah sure, they can make absurd amounts of power at absurdly small displacements but they require rebuilds upon rebuilds.
> 
> I'd look into an FR-S/BRZ instead, if you're looking for something in that category.



I'd get an FRS in a heartbeat if I could ever justify that kind of money spent on a car. Maybe I'll just stick to my original plan of picking up a Mazda3 and putting some money into it.


----------



## Forrest_H

Getting my balancer replaced (finally) today. Anxiously waiting for a call that it's finished since I need to leave my office at around 5:00 for dinner with my mom


----------



## Kobalt

youngthrasher9 said:


> I'd get an FRS in a heartbeat if I could ever justify that kind of money spent on a car. Maybe I'll just stick to my original plan of picking up a Mazda3 and putting some money into it.


How about a Speed3 or a Speed6?


----------



## youngthrasher9

The speed3 is fairly rare apparently. If I can find one in my price range when the time comes, I'd definitely do that.


----------



## Kobalt

youngthrasher9 said:


> The speed3 is fairly rare apparently. If I can find one in my price range when the time comes, I'd definitely do that.


S... ...come over here, they're aplenty.


----------



## Mr Violence

Got a hold of a new car, guys. After about a year of searching, I settled on a 2015 Honda Accord Sport with manual transmission.

Thing is a blast to drive, pretty underrated engine. I missed driving stick and I wanted to get rid of the gas guzzler tank I was driving. This guy checks all the boxes. Looked at Mazda, Fords, Chevys, Toyotas. I wanted a mid size sedan for being responsible and practical but still wanted to have a little fun.

Every other midsize I tried had no life or zip to it by comparison.

Here she is only 60 miles old.


----------



## TheStig1214

New intake day. NM Engineering cold air intake (high flow air filter and silicone elbow). Couldn't spring for the full carbon fiber tube, so the stock tube will have to do for now. I didn't even know my turbo could make the noises it's making now


----------



## Forrest_H

No more squeak 

Now my clutch is starting to stick, gonna "ranger" it and try to clear it all out. If all else fails, I'll slap in a new slave cylinder (Which is more than likely what's failing). Will provide gross clutch fluid pictures


----------



## BornToLooze

Well one of the guys I work with is going to help me take a torch to the brake drums on my Mustangs to see if I can finally get the damn things unlocked. Then one needs a gas tank and a trunk floor, and the usual stuff (plugs & wires, probably rebuild the carb, and a battery) on both of them and I should have them somewhat drivable. Then I get to decide if I want to order 14" tires online, or switch to 15" wheels to make getting tires a lot easier.


----------



## Forrest_H

BornToLooze said:


> Well one of the guys I work with is going to help me take a torch to the brake drums on my Mustangs to see if I can finally get the damn things unlocked. Then one needs a gas tank and a trunk floor, and the usual stuff (plugs & wires, probably rebuild the carb, and a battery) on both of them and I should have them somewhat drivable. Then I get to decide if I want to order 14" tires online, or switch to 15" wheels to make getting tires a lot easier.



If it were me, I'd go with 15's, but I don't know what wheels you have right now. Got any pics?


----------



## BornToLooze

I won't have any more until this weekend. The one I have the picture of is a 65, and I have a 66 convertible too. They both have 14" steelies on them, and I'd have to special order tires for them.


----------



## BornToLooze

Couldn't get the brakes unlocked on the 66, but we were going to see if we could at least the the motor to turn over. The inlet on the water pump was broken off, and there was a bunch of chalky stuff in it, the radiator and the radiator hose, and we started pulling plugs to see if we could turn the crank, but the first couple had rust on the bottom of them, so I'm leaning to the motor being shot.











Had a lot better luck with the 65.






Got the brakes unlocked, now I just have to work on getting them off. And we went ahead and pulled the carb off the 66 since it won't need it anytime soon, so after I get some tires that hold air and a gas tank it will at least be movable. And we jumped it with a screwdriver and got the motor to turn over, so hopefully it won't be too much work to get it to run.











And the best part, I found a coupon in the glovebox for a $4 tuneup at Firestone, maybe they'll still take it.


----------



## wannabguitarist

My car has developed a very minor buzz from the passenger side that I can't track down. Sounds like a rub but nothing's rubbing, all the under body panels are secure, and it's not the dreaded timing chain tensioner. I've gone as far as removing the hardtop and related hardware and I still haven't found it. 

Runs fine of course 



BornToLooze said:


> Ya, but there aren't really that many cars that I'm interested in and the ones I am are way over 10k. I'd be building the engine and putting a turbo on it, redoing the suspension again, retuning it and probably putting some TE37s and good tires on it. And building a dedicated drag car is a waste of money, real cars can go around corners.



Right, but after spending all that money any one of those cars I listed would still probably eat the Cobalt on a track . A set of Volks alone will run you upwards of $3k without tires.

What sort of cars are you interested in? If you really love the Cobalt the turbo SS is the way to go. Or just keep saving up until you can get something you really love 



youngthrasher9 said:


> After a quick google session, I'm leaning heavily toward a Mazda RX-8.



If you can deal with a convertible and no back seats you should go test drive a S2000


----------



## asher

Those S2000s that haven't been made in years and are probably really hard to find because enthusiasts love them? >>


----------



## cwhitey2

Never got a chance to post pics of the Si I picked up in January!



Start with a blurry pic of my spotless engine


----------



## BornToLooze

wannabguitarist said:


> What sort of cars are you interested in? If you really love the Cobalt the turbo SS is the way to go. Or just keep saving up until you can get something you really love



Coyote or Terminator Mustang, Supra, R32 Skyline, and muscle cars.

And now that I decided to get my Mustangs running, that's going to be a pretty big chunk of change to build them how I want them, so no new car anytime soon.

And I ordered a 160 mph speedo for my Cobalt, it looks cooler and it's cheaper than getting new sensors to turn the tpms light off.


----------



## Forrest_H

asher said:


> Those S2000s that haven't been made in years and are probably really hard to find because enthusiasts love them? >>



They aren't super hard to find, it's just hard to find one that hasn't been slammed or setup for Auto-X (At least in Austin, when I looked a few months ago) 


Unrelated, I'm still chuckling at the difference between GM owner forums and Euro Car owner forums.

My passenger window wouldn't roll down, so checked forums. Everyone either says "punch door" or "hit motor with hammer". When I was fixing my girlfriend's BMW, people were talking about how delicate you have to be with the regulator and how it was usually better to take it to a shop 

I fixed it by punching my door panel in rage


----------



## troyguitar

Went to tail of the dragon last weekend and it was wet the whole time which meant no traffic and lots of fun, I was happy to see it rain.






Even in the rain I was hitting the rev limiter in 2nd in between corners which is 77 mph on a 30 mph road, if it was dry the speeds would have been ludicrous. If you have a chance to go, it's worth the time. Lots of fun.


----------



## BucketheadRules

Should be getting my first car next month. Looking like a 2004-5 Honda Civic 1.6, which is the best option I've come up with after extensive research. Pretty excited! Me and my sister (who will also be driving it once she passes her test) have decided we want a nice blue one, like this.






In other news, having been given lifts from a couple of people around my age while doing a show last week, I now know exactly why insurance premiums are so high for males my age... because so many of them drive like absolute psychos.


----------



## BornToLooze

Forrest_H said:


> Everyone either says "punch door" or "hit motor with hammer".
> 
> I fixed it by punching my door panel in rage



You should have seen the hammer I used to get my brakes unlocked.


----------



## Carver

i drive a lesbian car, its a 2006 subaru outback. I love that damn thing


----------



## asher

The "Lesbaru" thing is so stupid. And I've thought that since it started in the mid aughts, well before I'd been inside one at all.


----------



## Carver

asher said:


> The "Lesbaru" thing is so stupid. And I've thought that since it started in the mid aughts, well before I'd been inside one at all.


 meh i think its funny.


----------



## Forrest_H

SETTLE DOWN BOYS

Many things came today.







New GM Performance Clutch Slave Cylinder, Trunk Pop Spring (basically just pops the trunk up further so you don't have to dig a pinky in on one corner to get the damned thing open), and Cupholders!






Trunk spring looks cheesy as hell, but whatever. Makes my life easier. Ironically, it actually makes the trunk harder to close... 






Look almost stock! Definitely helps me grandpa-ing my car out  The single cup holder you get in the center console is garbage (Barely holds anything, and whatever you put in there BETTER have a lid), so this is a much welcomed ugly mod


----------



## asher

Cup holders are srs bsns mang


----------



## Forrest_H

asher said:


> Cup holders are srs bsns mang


----------



## BornToLooze




----------



## asher

that's ghetto, son


----------



## TheStig1214

Carver said:


> i drive a lesbian car, its a 2006 subaru outback. I love that damn thing



I just know the Outback as "The Official Car of New England"


----------



## BornToLooze

Went to try and pull the drums off and turns out the damn Haynes Manual was wrong about how to take them off was wrong, so I'm going to go try again tomorrow. On the plus side, I found a bracket that makes it where I can put front discs off a newer mustang on it, so now I'm looking at $300-400 instead of $1k.


----------



## ftr

hey guys, i am seeking some buying advice on a new car. i am trying to spend less than 5k on a new car (3k preferably). i have been looking for a while now but now it's time to make a decision. i am thinking about a good honda accord or civic manual with low miles and in good condition. but i found a really good condition garage-kept 95 acura legend ls black on black for 4k. i love the way it looks. newer honda that may be more reliable and good on gas or badass acura that is fast and luxurious.


----------



## Forrest_H

ftr said:


> hey guys, i am seeking some buying advice on a new car. i am trying to spend less than 5k on a new car (3k preferably). i have been looking for a while now but now it's time to make a decision. i am thinking about a good honda accord or civic manual with low miles and in good condition. but i found a really good condition garage-kept 95 acura legend ls black on black for 4k. i love the way it looks. newer honda that may be more reliable and good on gas or badass acura that is fast and luxurious.



Sort of depends on how much you want to go fast, and how much you want to pay for gas  I've not got much experience in the Japanese Import department, but Legend's are pretty dope looking. FWIW, though, my friend's 95 civic (bought almost 4 years ago with 125,000 on the clock) is still running like a champ.


----------



## BornToLooze

Forrest_H said:


> my friend's 95 civic (bought almost 4 years ago with 125,000 on the clock) is still running like a champ.



From what I've seen, with Hondas and Toyotas you have to try to kill them. I've seen some with over 300k that still run fine.

And my advice on buying a used car, get one from either an Asian or old person. They tend to take car of them the best.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Forrest_H said:


> SETTLE DOWN BOYS
> 
> Many things came today.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> New GM Performance Clutch Slave Cylinder, Trunk Pop Spring (basically just pops the trunk up further so you don't have to dig a pinky in on one corner to get the damned thing open), and Cupholders!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Trunk spring looks cheesy as hell, but whatever. Makes my life easier. Ironically, it actually makes the trunk harder to close...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Look almost stock! Definitely helps me grandpa-ing my car out  The single cup holder you get in the center console is garbage (Barely holds anything, and whatever you put in there BETTER have a lid), so this is a much welcomed ugly mod



Oh you fancy, huh?


----------



## Konfyouzd

Blown head gasket... 

Fun...

Fvckin...

Times...


----------



## AHelm

This is my baby.


----------



## asher




----------



## Konfyouzd

Oh... So question... I imagine either of these are viable solutions at this point, but I'm curious what other would do in my same situation... I'm not exactly sure which of the two will actually end up being more stressful to do... 

My head gasket is blown as has been previously stated... 

I have a new head gasket, head studs, valve cover gasket, various other associated gaskets... 

I also have a new JDM motor just sitting in my living room. 

I'm considering just changing the gaskets on my existing motor... Then I thought... I might actually be easier to do ALL that work on a motor that's already out of the car, then just pull the bad one and drop in the good one and fix the bad one once the new one starts failing... I was planning to change the timing belt soon anyway, so changing the head gasket is a perfect opportunity to knock it all out at once. With the motor in the car, I feel like some parts might be a bit of a bitch to reach, but the one sitting in my living room is pretty damn easy to work with for obvious reasons.

What would you do?


----------



## Forrest_H

Konfyouzd said:


> Oh... So question... I imagine either of these are viable solutions at this point, but I'm curious what other would do in my same situation... I'm not exactly sure which of the two will actually end up being more stressful to do...
> 
> My head gasket is blown as has been previously stated...
> 
> I have a new head gasket, head studs, valve cover gasket, various other associated gaskets...
> 
> I also have a new JDM motor just sitting in my living room.
> 
> I'm considering just changing the gaskets on my existing motor... Then I thought... I might actually be easier to do ALL that work on a motor that's already out of the car, then just pull the bad one and drop in the good one and fix the bad one once the new one starts failing... I was planning to change the timing belt soon anyway, so changing the head gasket is a perfect opportunity to knock it all out at once. With the motor in the car, I feel like some parts might be a bit of a bitch to reach, but the one sitting in my living room is pretty damn easy to work with for obvious reasons.
> 
> What would you do?



When you say new, do you mean it came out of another car, or literally a crate engine? If it's a crate engine, you might as well just leave the gaskets on there alone 

I suppose if it were me I'd drop the new one in there if I have it already, but replacing an engine isn't always easy


----------



## BornToLooze

Forrest_H said:


> I suppose if it were me I'd drop the new one in there if I have it already, but replacing an engine isn't always easy



Plus, if he pulls the old engine, that's the perfect time to build it up.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Forrest_H said:


> When you say new, do you mean it came out of another car, or literally a crate engine? If it's a crate engine, you might as well just leave the gaskets on there alone
> 
> I suppose if it were me I'd drop the new one in there if I have it already, but replacing an engine isn't always easy



It's a JDM motor I got from a local supplier of JDM motors. They say that it's been tested and runs, but they damn sure didn't do it in front of me, so part of me kind of wants to take it apart and look, but I also feel like that might be a lot of work to find out it was fine anyway... 

On a Honda Civic pulling out the motor isn't too terrible. I've already undone all the connections necessary to pull it and put it back together just to test whether or not I could pull that off, so all that's left to do at this point is hook it to my engine hoist and yank that bitch assuming I swap it out for the other motor vs just changing the gasket.

So I'm not entirely sure if that answers your question. I believe it was just yanked out of some car in Japan and shipped here. They say it has something to do with ridiculously high emissions standards or something of that nature, but I do know the valve cover gasket looked like it needed a refresh when it first got here.


----------



## Kobalt

Konfyouzd said:


> It's a JDM motor I got from a local supplier of JDM motors. They say that it's been tested and runs, but they damn sure didn't do it in front of me, so part of me kind of wants to take it apart and look, but I also feel like that might be a lot of work to find out it was fine anyway...
> 
> On a Honda Civic pulling out the motor isn't too terrible. I've already undone all the connections necessary to pull it and put it back together just to test whether or not I could pull that off, so all that's left to do at this point is hook it to my engine hoist and yank that bitch assuming I swap it out for the other motor vs just changing the gasket.
> 
> So I'm not entirely sure if that answers your question. I believe it was just yanked out of some car in Japan and shipped here. They say it has something to do with ridiculously high emissions standards or something of that nature, but I do know the valve cover gasket looked like it needed a refresh when it first got here.


Can I has it?

D16Y7 @ 80whp is no fun.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Well... A D17a2 makes a whoppping 127 at the crank so I don't think you'll be doing much better.


----------



## Forrest_H

BornToLooze said:


> Plus, if he pulls the old engine, that's the perfect time to build it up.



Very good point. If you're going to do anything major, I would do it now, while you have an engine free. Then you can slap that babeh in there and be golden.



Konfyouzd said:


> It's a JDM motor I got from a local supplier of JDM motors. They say that it's been tested and runs, but they damn sure didn't do it in front of me, so part of me kind of wants to take it apart and look, but I also feel like that might be a lot of work to find out it was fine anyway...
> 
> On a Honda Civic pulling out the motor isn't too terrible. I've already undone all the connections necessary to pull it and put it back together just to test whether or not I could pull that off, so all that's left to do at this point is hook it to my engine hoist and yank that bitch assuming I swap it out for the other motor vs just changing the gasket.
> 
> So I'm not entirely sure if that answers your question. I believe it was just yanked out of some car in Japan and shipped here. They say it has something to do with ridiculously high emissions standards or something of that nature, but I do know the valve cover gasket looked like it needed a refresh when it first got here.



Ahh, okay. So you got a used motor  I would absolutely go through it then like BornToLooze said and start doing what you want while fixing 'er up.


----------



## BigBaldIan

A cautionary tale for anyone thinking about putting up with a car that has faults. May last year yours truly was looking at something to replace my aging Fabia vRS. After much testing I settled on a Renaultsport Clio, which is where the fun and games begin. In the now nearly 16 months of ownership it has been back to dealerships for the following faults:

1) Faulty ABS ECU diagnosis.
2) ABC ECU reflash.
3) Steering rack retorqued.
4) Steering rack replaced.
5) Rear passenger window glass replaced.
6) Rear passenger window seal replaced.
7) Wiper linkages replaced.
8) Dash refitted due to drone.
9) Heater panel replaced, A-pillar refit & starting issue (unable to trace).
10) Coolant Leak, oil seepage & broken bonnet catch.
11) Keyless entry & starting issue (unable to trace), battery replacement.
12) ESC, Traction Control light on (unable to trace) and Service Warning Light on.
13) Speaker system not working.
14) Keyless entry & starting issue (unable to trace) & fuel pressure sensor recall.
15) Whistle under boost.
16) Anti-pollution system warning (stored fault found unable to trace).

The faulty ABS ECU left me faced with a holiday to Northumberland nursing a car that I had no idea whether the ABS system would work or not in an emergency. The steering problems would cause the ESC system to misfire leaving me with no power after making any turns, say from a roundabout onto a slip road where I would need those 200 ponies. Worst of all faults 12 and 13 occurred over 7 hours away from home visiting my old man who was in his final days, leaving me frantically sorting out transportation when I should&#8217;ve been with him. A holiday I can get back, but another 24 hours with my dad is a little harder unless anyone out there knows a good medium.

Thankfully after months of bull...., stonewalling and outright contempt from the finance company I&#8217;ve finally got an encouraging result from the Financial Ombudsman Service (as the white turd was bought on HP). So if you have to rely on your car especially in an emergency never ever be fobbed off with the usual lines of crap, it may well end up costing you dearly.


----------



## Joose

^Damn, dude. Don't even know what else to say.



I very nearly bought a C5 Z06 today. Black, 36k miles, looked like a trade was gonna put me at even lower payments than I have on my Daytona. BUT, since I'm moving back to Florida in January, I decided I should wait, because Florida is Corvette heaven. But the fact is, I want to start taking part in track days sometime next year, C5 Z06 would be a real good choice, I would think.


----------



## High Plains Drifter

Figured I'd post a pic of my daily driver/ commuter although she does other stuff too. 

Hopefully I can get this image appropriately sized. Sorry if pic winds up too big/ too small.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^
A proper off-roader in its natural environment, it warms my heart whenever I see something like that or properly expedition/safari modded and covered in dust/mud/slurry. 



Joose said:


> Damn, dude. Don't even know what else to say.



Thanks mate just needed to vent spleen, every time I drive that thing it's like reopening an infected wound.  When I'm finally shot of this I'll be looking at something fun, bullet-proof and perhaps LS powered (yup I'm thinking Monaro or VXR8). Desperately trying to keep positive but it's really, really hard at the moment.


----------



## Joose

Monaro for the win. Do it!


----------



## metallic1

dont know if this was posted allready, diddnt search,
enjoy, and mind the speakers...lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Omj6zxtIB0


----------



## High Plains Drifter

BigBaldIan said:


> ^
> A proper off-roader in its natural environment, it warms my heart whenever I see something like that or properly expedition/safari modded and covered in dust/mud/slurry.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks mate just needed to vent spleen, every time I drive that thing it's like reopening an infected wound.  When I'm finally shot of this I'll be looking at something fun, bullet-proof and perhaps LS powered (yup I'm thinking Monaro or VXR8). Desperately trying to keep positive but it's really, really hard at the moment.



Sorry for the mess that you're dealing with and for your Dad's failed health. Lost my Pops and my Mom a few years ago. Very tough adjustment. 

Thank you. My jeep is definitely not a pavement princess. Spent a few years building her up to be pretty capable on the rocks and trails. I've got her just about where I want her aside from the next breakage that will inevitably surface at some point. Nothing like being top-less and door-less in the forest and stopping to play some guitar.. the way that it intertwines with the solitude, the birds, etc. 

Between my Jeep projects and my guitars, my fiance often loses out. I need to get her a puppy or something.


----------



## TheStig1214

Excited for tomorrow. Handing my Mini off to KMD in Saddle Brook, NJ for a Manic Engineering ECU flash. Between my CAI, bigger intercooler and the flash I'm hoping to get to 240 hp. I'll have to get a dyno sheet up here when I can get one.

EDIT: I have to go next week because they have to call ahead to get the software. Still, exciting.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Joose said:


> Monaro for the win. Do it!



Also factoring in the cost of an LPG conversion, doing my research like the a lot of the shortcomings associated with such conversions have largely been ironed out. Most of my commute is dual carriageway at 60-70mph which is ideal plus it'll handle the 360 miles to Scotland and not bat an eyelid.



High Plains Drifter said:


> Between my Jeep projects and my guitars, my fiance often loses out. I need to get her a puppy or something.



Or get her into wildlife photography, so you can both enjoy the outdoors together (unless she really, really hates mud of course).



TheStig1214 said:


> Excited for tomorrow. Handing my Mini off to KMD in Saddle Brook, NJ for a Manic Engineering ECU flash. Between my CAI, bigger intercooler and the flash I'm hoping to get to 240 hp. I'll have to get a dyno sheet up here when I can get one.
> 
> EDIT: I have to go next week because they have to call ahead to get the software. Still, exciting.



Keep it looking as OEM as possible and you'll have a heck of a hot hatch, although 240 ponies, plus short wheelbase, plus front wheel drive may make the handling somewhat lively on boost.


----------



## TheStig1214

BigBaldIan said:


> Keep it looking as OEM as possible and you'll have a heck of a hot hatch, although 240 ponies, plus short wheelbase, plus front wheel drive may make the handling somewhat lively on boost.



I'm not a huge fan of body kits or anything like that. I love the look of the R56 Minis stock. Only thing I have planned aesthetically is a set of Motegis. And I don't plan on track days or anything so handling isn't a prime concern at the moment. I have looked at aftermarket LSDs which are pricey but if I need something in the tranny or clutch rebuilt in the future I'd consider it.


----------



## BucketheadRules

Mine all mine (well, my parents are named drivers on the insurance policy and my sister will be once she passes, but I'm the registered owner so yh):





2005 Civic, 1.6 petrol engine, great spec including heated (!) leather seats and a sunroof. It's done quite a lot of miles (120,000) but has been well looked-after and drives really nice. What a great first car, eh?


----------



## asher

Butt irons are one of mankind's greatest accomplishments.


----------



## BucketheadRules

asher said:


> Butt irons are one of mankind's greatest accomplishments.



All the warmth of soiling your trousers but none of the upsetting odours!


----------



## Kobalt

Found out my air horns are disconnected, today...

The only poor connection I made (the horn button relay wire and air compressor wire taped together, ghetto yes) fell apart, so now I gotta take my bumper off to reconnect it again. 

EDIT: On the plus side, silicone lube spray did WONDERS to my door windows. They're like new now, no more falling off track.


----------



## asher

BucketheadRules said:


> All the warmth of soiling your trousers but none of the upsetting odours!



One of my friends actually hates butt irons because it really does make her concerned she's unconsciously done that


----------



## Vrollin

Here's mine, was going to sell but decided against it, so got new wheels for it and have since this picture lowered it which uncovered a few issues, had to do the strut tops and waiting on new sway bar links. Thinking of having the centre muffler removed for some straight pipe to add even more noise haha


----------



## Joose

^Hnnnnnnng!

So, so jealous. Beautiful Maloo!


----------



## Vrollin

Joose said:


> ^Hnnnnnnng!
> 
> So, so jealous. Beautiful Maloo!



Haha thanks mate, wish it was a Maloo, this is just the SSV, still an L98 V8 and all that jazz just this is Holden where the Maloo is the higher end version done by HSV.


----------



## TheStig1214

Vrollin said:


> Haha thanks mate, wish it was a Maloo, this is just the SSV, still an L98 V8 and all that jazz just this is Holden where the Maloo is the higher end version done by HSV.



Still, utes are a beautiful subgenre of car we Americans just don't get (other than the EL Camino which hasn't been made in almost 30 years)


----------



## BigBaldIan

Vrollin said:


> Haha thanks mate, wish it was a Maloo, this is just the SSV, still an L98 V8 and all that jazz just this is Holden where the Maloo is the higher end version done by HSV.



I don't think there is such a thing as "just a ute" as far as Holdens are concerned.


----------



## Vrollin

TheStig1214 said:


> Still, utes are a beautiful subgenre of car we Americans just don't get (other than the EL Camino which hasn't been made in almost 30 years)



I think GMH really missed a big opportunity there, to sell the utes as El Caminos in the states. Call me crazy but im pretty sure they would be extremely popular over there....


----------



## Forrest_H

Vrollin said:


> I think GMH really missed a big opportunity there, to sell the utes as El Caminos in the states. Call me crazy but im pretty sure they would be extremely popular over there....



I swear they were going to, or at least there was speculation to do it or not...







It was probably a concept or model, but still. FAWRK.


----------



## asher

The only utes that we have seen here (that Subaru outback ute) didn't sell very well, AFAIK..


----------



## Joose

Vrollin said:


> Haha thanks mate, wish it was a Maloo, this is just the SSV, still an L98 V8 and all that jazz just this is Holden where the Maloo is the higher end version done by HSV.



Oh, well, I learned something today haha. There's a company in the city I live that imports Holdens and converts them to LHD. They also turn G8's into Utes.

If only GM had killed off Buick instead of Pontiac...


----------



## ZeroTolerance94

After about 3 months of owning it...
I still can't stop looking back at it when walking into my house.











'03 F350 7.3L Powerstroke Diesel
4" Lift on 38x15.5x20 Toyo Mud-Terrain Open Country tires

I worked hard and even harder to save enough to buy this thing. She sure makes me smile every time I hear the 7.3L diesel V8 roar to life haha


----------



## Joose

^As soon as I saw those photos I immediately thought, "That's some FL stuff right there." And low and behold.... haha. (FL is my home state)

Looks good!


----------



## TheStig1214

ZeroTolerance94 said:


> After about 3 months of owning it...
> I still can't stop looking back at it when walking into my house.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> '03 F350 7.3L Powerstroke Diesel
> 4" Lift on 38x15.5x20 Toyo Mud-Terrain Open Country tires
> 
> I worked hard and even harder to save enough to buy this thing. She sure makes me smile every time I hear the 7.3L diesel V8 roar to life haha



That thing looks mint for an '03. Congrats dude. Not a truck guy myself but that's hot.


----------



## BucketheadRules

Earlier I went out for my first solo drive with no-one in the passenger seat... went pretty well! I guess I can drive!


----------



## BigBaldIan

BucketheadRules said:


> Earlier I went out for my first solo drive with no-one in the passenger seat... went pretty well! I guess I can drive!



That's one of the first big hurdles over and done with, bet it felt a bit odd with noone alongside telling you what to do. BTW congrats on the Civic it looks in remarkably good nick.


----------



## TheStig1214

Got the Mini tuned yesterday to Stage 1. Still no dyno sheet but estimates are that I'm at somewhere around 220hp. I can get up to 230 running higher octane fuel maps and 240+ with a catback. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it but this thing is damn fast.


----------



## BornToLooze

I almost just got the ass end knocked off my car. Some ....ing dumbass came hauling ass out of a parking lot and almost nailed me.  Thank God I had my tool box and a wheel of my wife's car in the trunk, because them shifting was enough make my back end slide out so he missed me.

I've always wanted to learn how to drift, but ...., I didn't mean in the middle of town.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^
I'll take any number of near misses over an actual hit any day. Glad you and your motor are okay, in the UK there's a saying "Normal for Norfolk." Let's just say the drivers around here are a special breed and leave it at that.

"I don't need to indicate, I turn roight here, everyone knows I turn roight here." (read in yokel accident). I really, really hate local drivers.


----------



## asher

That is one reason I will always drive a car that can perform, if I can help it. It's just safer (assuming you know what to do with it).


----------



## BigBaldIan

asher said:


> That is one reason I will always drive a car that can perform, if I can help it. It's just safer (assuming you know what to do with it).



 Better to have the means and 99% of the time never need it, than be in that 1% and wish you had.


----------



## Forrest_H

Anxiously waiting for my C5's return.

The clutch was sticking to the floor, so I went ahead and ordered a new slave cylinder, since that was likely the cause. Then, I went and bought a Tick master cylinder, because I figured "hey, why not replace that too?" This continued on, until...

I ended up with this in the mail room : 






C5 Z06 Clutch, Pressure Plate, and Flywheel. I probably didn't need these, but f-ck it, CAR PARTS MUTHAF-CKA

My wallet hates me now.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^
Nonsense old chap you're just pre-empting any further issues that might occur in that vicinity.


----------



## TheStig1214

Troubleshooting time. My Mini is stuttering under acceleration. If I rev it in neutral it's fine but if I give it more than half throttle in any gear it stutters and shakes. My suspicion is plugs which I was going to replace today anyway but my worst fear now is my clutch is slipping. I'm supposed to take a road trip this weekend and can't have my car in the shop.

EDIT: Changing the plugs helped considerably but I am still getting hiccups when I put my foot down.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^

Any potential leads in this thread mate?

Hesitation/Stutter on over-boost/full acceleration - MINI Cooper Forum


----------



## wannabguitarist

After 2 months of traveling and being stuck behind the wheel of a CVT 1.8 Sentra it feels so nice to row through on gears on the S2000. Feels just like coming home to an old friend 



TheStig1214 said:


> Troubleshooting time. My Mini is stuttering under acceleration. If I rev it in neutral it's fine but if I give it more than half throttle in any gear it stutters and shakes. My suspicion is plugs which I was going to replace today anyway but my worst fear now is my clutch is slipping. I'm supposed to take a road trip this weekend and can't have my car in the shop.
> 
> EDIT: Changing the plugs helped considerably but I am still getting hiccups when I put my foot down.



Did this problem manifest itself right after the tune? I'd try talking to your tuner first-maybe put it back on the dyno?


----------



## BucketheadRules

Went for my first drive with music on today. I was driving to a DIY store to buy a shelf to chop up and make a pedalboard out of  But yeah, the music didn't seem to distract me or cause too many problems. And it's a private space in which I can sing as loud as I want with no fear of being heard 

P.H.U.Q by the Wildhearts on the way there, McFly's greatest hits on the way back 

So my car was baptised with a suitably awesome song, "I Wanna Go Where The People Go" by the Wildhearts


----------



## TheStig1214

wannabguitarist said:


> After 2 months of traveling and being stuck behind the wheel of a CVT 1.8 Sentra it feels so nice to row through on gears on the S2000. Feels just like coming home to an old friend
> 
> 
> 
> Did this problem manifest itself right after the tune? I'd try talking to your tuner first-maybe put it back on the dyno?



I talked to Manic (the tune company) as well as doing some research and it seems the next point of issue would be (a) bad coil pack(s). I'm going to the Mini dealer tomorrow to pick up a spare to plug and play around.


----------



## Joose

BucketheadRules said:


> Went for my first drive with music on today. I was driving to a DIY store to buy a shelf to chop up and make a pedalboard out of  But yeah, the music didn't seem to distract me or cause too many problems. And it's a private space in which I can sing as loud as I want with no fear of being heard
> 
> P.H.U.Q by the Wildhearts on the way there, McFly's greatest hits on the way back
> 
> So my car was baptised with a suitably awesome song, "I Wanna Go Where The People Go" by the Wildhearts



There are only three scenarios in which I turn music off:

-Neighborhood during the day; kids are stupid, but loud, so I know I'll hear them before they run out in the street.
-Moderately heavy traffic with those erratic, aggressive douchebags weaving in and out of everyone, but usually not getting ahead by much. I like to be sure I can hear horns, tire squeals, etc.
-I literally went out for a drive and nothing else. No need for music sometimes, not with a Hemi up front.


----------



## TheStig1214

Update: I replace all the coil packs and my Mini is up and running again. Went to the 2nd tune map today and she ran better than ever.


----------



## BucketheadRules

Joose said:


> No need for music sometimes, not with a Hemi up front.



You lucky sod 

I imagine the same is applicable for BMW M3 drivers.


----------



## Joose

BucketheadRules said:


> You lucky sod
> 
> I imagine the same is applicable for BMW M3 drivers.



Absolutely.

And ya know, the older I get, the more I appreciate a good engine noise over a good exhaust noise. Have any of you driven the new Mustang GT? I wouldn't bother upgrading the exhaust, it would drown out that glorious engine.


----------



## Forrest_H

Master Cylinder doesn't f-cking fit. Yay.

Slapped the old one on, hoping to get the C5 back today.


----------



## BucketheadRules

Joose said:


> Absolutely.
> 
> And ya know, the older I get, the more I appreciate a good engine noise over a good exhaust noise. Have any of you driven the new Mustang GT? I wouldn't bother upgrading the exhaust, it would drown out that glorious engine.



The best engine noise I've ever heard is probably the Lamborghini Miura on this old episode of Top Gear... spine-tingling. 0:17 and 3:40 in particular.



That episode aired when I was about eight years old, and that car captured me like nothing else. Might have started my love affair with bright green too.


----------



## BornToLooze

BucketheadRules said:


> The best engine noise I've ever heard





I don't care how much money it takes, when I get my Mustang running it's going to sound like this.


----------



## Forrest_H

Clutch is in and feels great!

Speedometer is now broken from the shop removing the differential so much because they tried to get the Tick master cylinder to fit  Having to drive with a GPS speedo on my phone until monday.


----------



## Joose

BucketheadRules said:


> The best engine noise I've ever heard is probably the Lamborghini Miura on this old episode of Top Gear... spine-tingling. 0:17 and 3:40 in particular.
> 
> [Video]
> 
> That episode aired when I was about eight years old, and that car captured me like nothing else. Might have started my love affair with bright green too.



That is a lovely noise.



But bright green? What kind of asshole drives a bright green car?

...


----------



## BucketheadRules

BornToLooze said:


>




That sounds SO f*cking angry, I love it.


----------



## Joose

This is one of my favorite engine/exhaust combinations. Those downshifts are as furious as the accelerations. I must drive a 360 Challenge Stradale someday.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Dipped my wheels gunmetal and installed an OEM lip:





It's been over 6 months of hard driving and autocross and nothing has broken so far. Officially the most reliable car I've owned


----------



## TheStig1214

wannabguitarist said:


> Dipped my wheels gunmetal and installed an OEM lip:
> 
> 
> It's been over 6 months of hard driving and autocross and nothing has broken so far. Officially the most reliable car I've owned



I have a love affair with S2Ks. Third car I'd own as a daily behind a Mini and a GTI. Yours is beautiful.


----------



## Forrest_H

Looks so good, wannab. Definitely stands out over most S2K's 

Speedometer is back! Just a simple VSS swap. Now I can't tell police officers I really didn't know how fast I was going 

Trying to decide what to do next. Kind of want to do short shifter, kind of want to do a new intake (with the 2001+ MAF, which would require me to bother my dad for his tuner laptop again), and REALLY want to do exhaust (but can't afford any of the cat-backs I want )

TL;DR: CARS


----------



## BucketheadRules

I saw that S2000 on the last page, then I remembered how much I like my Civic, it just made me realise... Honda


----------



## wannabguitarist

Thanks for the love 



Forrest_H said:


> Looks so good, wannab. Definitely stands out over most S2K's
> 
> Speedometer is back! Just a simple VSS swap. Now I can't tell police officers I really didn't know how fast I was going
> 
> Trying to decide what to do next. Kind of want to do short shifter, kind of want to do a new intake (with the 2001+ MAF, which would require me to bother my dad for his tuner laptop again), and REALLY want to do exhaust (but can't afford any of the cat-backs I want )
> 
> TL;DR: CARS



Ah the massive aftermarket black hole. It goes far deeper than music related GAS and causes so much decision based anxiety. I think the only solution is just buy intake, exhaust, and some headers before the tune. You're young-build some credit 



BucketheadRules said:


> I saw that S2000 on the last page, then I remembered how much I like my Civic, it just made me realise... Honda



This is my first "real" Honda. My friends all drover modded EG hatches in high school and I judged them so hard for being ricers but now I see the glorious VTEC light . I wanna track down a cleanish CRX as a daily now.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Part 1 of refund is in from finance company, the hunt commences....


----------



## BucketheadRules

In a car magazine earlier, I saw a MkI Ford Escort like this:







Which had been modified to fit on the chassis of a Honda S2000. So the wheelarches were blistered out, the bonnet was stretched and so on. And now it sits low, on big wheels, with the platform, suspension, brakes, engine, even the interior of an S2000. I've rarely, if ever, seen anything cooler.


----------



## TheStig1214

BucketheadRules said:


> In a car magazine earlier, I saw a MkI Ford Escort like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Which had been modified to fit on the chassis of a Honda S2000. So the wheelarches were blistered out, the bonnet was stretched and so on. And now it sits low, on big wheels, with the platform, suspension, brakes, engine, even the interior of an S2000. I've rarely, if ever, seen anything cooler.



I see your VTEC Ford and raise you a VTEC Austin.






I saw one in person this past weekend with an Integra Type R swap. 205hp at the wheels. The car weights about 1500 lbs. Want it sooooo bad.


----------



## wannabguitarist

There's a guy running around Sacramento with a similar Mini swap. It's far from subtle. Flares, minimal tread on the tires, smells like it doesn't have a cat. Lots like a riot.


----------



## Forrest_H

Got some footage at Lone Star Le Mans. Apologies for the few shaky bits and volume decrease at the end, they didn't let me bring my tripod at first, and the mic decided it wanted to get out of auto-mode and go down to -5db. 

CARS ARE FAST


----------



## Joose

^I'm going to watch that later, but I already know I love it.


Since there was some Honda love going on, maybe y'all can appreciate what I saw yesterday.






I've seen some really uncommon cars here in Denver. From that first gen Civic and an original MINI Cooper S, to a Ferrari 348 and '99 Viper GTS ACR, to a McLaren 12C and a Veyron.


----------



## Forrest_H

Went downtown with a friend today on a little cruise, ended up in a parking garage taking pictures 











That SLK is amazing in corners, it feels so controlled, even when it's oversteering. So precise.


----------



## Kobalt

If you gave me the choice, I would never even consider the Mercedes. 

Corvettes...Corvettes everywhere since my childhood.


----------



## TheStig1214

Have an Invidia Q300 downpipe-back system coming to me today. Will post pics/sound clips once I get it all installed. Whenever that is.....


----------



## wannabguitarist

^would love to hear about the quality when you get it. Invidia reviews are all over the place with the JDM guys and I find myself having a hard time taking any of them seriously


----------



## TheStig1214

wannabguitarist said:


> ^would love to hear about the quality when you get it. Invidia reviews are all over the place with the JDM guys and I find myself having a hard time taking any of them seriously



I checked it out already, haven't put it on. Nice piece of kit. All high quality stainless steel. Mini guys love the Invidia for the loud and super low exhaust noise. 

There are a lot of fakes out there though which rot through in a bad winter or two. I know I've seen a copy of the Q300 Mini catback for about half the price out there.


----------



## TheStig1214

Update on the exhaust. Put it in. Sounds mean. I have the low subie grumble for my little 1.6L. It's currently rattling on a bracing plate under the car though and i need to space it out or it makes the whole car vibrate. Will update tomorrow with pics and vids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNdpi1wbdDc


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

just traded in the 2014 mustang and picked up a 2016 texas ed toyota tacoma...


----------



## soliloquy

so, some of you may know that i picked up a 2011 mini cooper back in july. this is the first time i'm posting its pics, so here





as much as i love it, it worries me regarding its maintenance. yeah, sure, i knew going in that this car is not my previous hondas or toyotas. these cars do break down more often than the more reliable cars...i just wasn't expecting this....

so, when i got the car, safety done, and the car was good to go. shortly there after, i got the breaks changed (nothing major, comes with wear and tear), and after installing new breaks, my break censor came on  i showed it to mini and they said that the censors for the front have to be changed. okay, added some more money and got a new censor. the issue was still there. showed it to mini and they said that my mechanic installed it backwards. went back to the mechanic, and he said that there is no 'backwards'. showed it to me as well and it seemed to have been fitted properly. whatever ,i let it be.

then recently i started smelling gasoline around the car and whenever i have the AC on. figured id get that checked out during the up coming oil change. i was having a hard time finding a place that does oil for BMW/MINIs around, so i went to the dealer for the oil change. i asked em to look around to see whats going on with the car.

they charged me $150 to diagnose the car. and then they gave me an estimate for $7k to fix everything....

i told em to .... it, i'll look around at different mechanics and have them look into it. and they said 'nope, sorry, no can do. you cant take the car out of this building'  i replied as to why not. they replied that the car can not move. while looking at the oil leak, they had to pull out a lot of stuff that gas was leaking everywhere. so if i turn on the car, it will burn the building down i told em to put it back the way it was before, and nope, they couldn't do that either...

after looking at different options, i towed the car to the people who i have the warranty with. i've been without a car for over a week now...and it will take a lil longer. not sure how much my warranty is covering, if anything...


----------



## TheStig1214

soliloquy said:


> so, some of you may know that i picked up a 2011 mini cooper back in july. this is the first time i'm posting its pics, so here
> 
> 
> as much as i love it, it worries me regarding its maintenance. yeah, sure, i knew going in that this car is not my previous hondas or toyotas. these cars do break down more often than the more reliable cars...i just wasn't expecting this....
> 
> so, when i got the car, safety done, and the car was good to go. shortly there after, i got the breaks changed (nothing major, comes with wear and tear), and after installing new breaks, my break censor came on  i showed it to mini and they said that the censors for the front have to be changed. okay, added some more money and got a new censor. the issue was still there. showed it to mini and they said that my mechanic installed it backwards. went back to the mechanic, and he said that there is no 'backwards'. showed it to me as well and it seemed to have been fitted properly. whatever ,i let it be.
> 
> then recently i started smelling gasoline around the car and whenever i have the AC on. figured id get that checked out during the up coming oil change. i was having a hard time finding a place that does oil for BMW/MINIs around, so i went to the dealer for the oil change. i asked em to look around to see whats going on with the car.
> 
> they charged me $150 to diagnose the car. and then they gave me an estimate for $7k to fix everything....
> 
> i told em to .... it, i'll look around at different mechanics and have them look into it. and they said 'nope, sorry, no can do. you cant take the car out of this building'  i replied as to why not. they replied that the car can not move. while looking at the oil leak, they had to pull out a lot of stuff that gas was leaking everywhere. so if i turn on the car, it will burn the building down i told em to put it back the way it was before, and nope, they couldn't do that either...
> 
> after looking at different options, i towed the car to the people who i have the warranty with. i've been without a car for over a week now...and it will take a lil longer. not sure how much my warranty is covering, if anything...



That's very strange you're having so many issues with a 2011 base model Cooper. I know with the pre 2011s with the N14 engine there were infamous timing chain, high pressure fuel pump, and oil burning issues. The N18 in your car is far more reliable. And even at that most of the issues are with the MCS's. At least you have some sort of a warranty. I have a feeling some maintenance tech screwed up something somewhere. Also, there absolutely is a right way and a wrong way to install the brake wear sensor. And I'd imagine it would be hard to install it backwards as it's hook shaped and hooks in toward the car, not out toward the wheels.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Le Great White Turd will soon be gone:






That is all.


----------



## BigBaldIan

M3CHK1LLA said:


> just traded in the 2014 mustang and picked up a 2016 texas ed toyota tacoma...



That's a bit of a change, any particular reason?


----------



## Forrest_H

Finally came today!






They look kind of ricey in pictures, but look pretty cool in person. Still undecided on if I'm going to keep them or not. They look a helluva lot better than the stock lights.

EDIT: 

They look much better at night. The Halo is illuminated all the time when the DRL's or Headlights are turned on, whereas the center only lights up when you press on the brakes, use the blinkers, or hit the hazard switch.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^
I like them personally, updates the look of the rear end whilst keeping the character.


----------



## Forrest_H

BigBaldIan said:


> ^
> I like them personally, updates the look of the rear end whilst keeping the character.



Thanks man!

I thought so too, I really didn't like how the stock headlights looked. The only bad part is, literally every light on my car looks modern now except for the big, dumb, yellow halogens  That's the final lighting mod on my list.

Coming up next, we've hopefully got that damned intake I want so badly. Turns out I have to replace the MAF, and that entails replacing my current tune with an 2004 tune (strictly on for the MAF), but luckily the software is nearby.

If only exhausts were cheaper...


----------



## BigBaldIan

Saw this which is in keeping with the whole theme:






I have some pictures of the new beast and it is a beast, but don't want to jiinx things before paperwork is done and I have the keys in my sweaty hands. Although if you want an idea of what the Walkinshaw Performance exhaust sounds like compared to a Wortec.....



I prefer the Walkinshaw, less raspy.


----------



## Vrollin

BigBaldIan said:


> Saw this which is in keeping with the whole theme:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have some pictures of the new beast and it is a beast, but don't want to jiinx things before paperwork is done and I have the keys in my sweaty hands. Although if you want an idea of what the Walkinshaw Performance exhaust sounds like compared to a Wortec.....
> 
> 
> 
> I prefer the Walkinshaw, less raspy.




Anything with Walkinshaw on it is way over priced, its the Dolce Gabana of GMH, paying for the name, sure there is functionality to their product, but you can get so much more for so much less....


----------



## BigBaldIan

Vrollin said:


> Anything with Walkinshaw on it is way over priced, its the Dolce Gabana of GMH, paying for the name, sure there is functionality to their product, but you can get so much more for so much less....



As far as I can see in the UK you're pretty much stuck with Walkinshaw or Wortec unless:

A. You import the bits from Oz and get reamed by the taxman.
B. Have one fabricated up with potentially dubious QC or performance effects.

The one I'm getting has a Walkinshaw fitted and I paid no extra for it so winsauce.  However if you could point this Pom in the direction of some recommended good value aftermarket manufacturers I'd be grateful.


----------



## BigBaldIan

I'll just leave this here, I'm a very happy man right about now. Oh and on the run home from the garage I managed a rather respectable average of 28.2mpg, which had urban stop/start at either end plus A-roads and dual carriageways.


----------



## Bloodshredder

S.E.X.Y. :-D


----------



## asher

Finally get my nail-pwned back left tire replaced on the STI and the AWD starts throwing a fit 

Think it's too much tread differential and the system is having none of it. The other 3 only have 5-6k on them, but that's apparently about enough to exceed the 4/32" differential tolerance on the system...


----------



## BigBaldIan

^

Buggerybollocks so does that mean replace in pairs or all at once?


----------



## asher

All at once, I think. At least this time. Having to do rotations with two mismatched pairs seems a poor idea.

At least the one actual replacement tire is free from tire coverage.


----------



## Jake

asher said:


> All at once, I think. At least this time. Having to do rotations with two mismatched pairs seems a poor idea.
> 
> At least the one actual replacement tire is free from tire coverage.


Same thing just happened to my buddy with his forester XT, had to replace all 4 after a nail wrecked one of his relatively new tires, AWD struggles. 

It really makes me reconsider how careful I am when I'm driving into our awful city for work in the mornings when there's just potholes everywhere


----------



## wannabguitarist

asher said:


> Finally get my nail-pwned back left tire replaced on the STI and the AWD starts throwing a fit
> 
> Think it's too much tread differential and the system is having none of it. The other 3 only have 5-6k on them, but that's apparently about enough to exceed the 4/32" differential tolerance on the system...



This may be a stupid question but can you get the tires shaved down to the same tread depth?


----------



## TheStig1214

BigBaldIan said:


> ^
> 
> Buggerybollocks so does that mean replace in pairs or all at once?



Manufacturers of AWD cars (especially Subaru) have tolerances for tread depth all the tires need to be in for the AWD to work properly.

EDIT: Anyone have a good website to buy wheels that's not tirerack? I have no problem with them just wanna know what else is out there. Finally going to spring for a new set of wheels and tires for the Mini come end of winter.


----------



## asher

Yeah, it was about 5/32" difference, which is just outside the system's tolerance.

Could have gotten the tire shaved if I'd ordered it that way, but not once it was here.

Three more new shoes later and she's back to normal.


----------



## hiltz171jim

Just got her a couple months ago. I'm in love with it!





My dream car/s include the Lamborghini Aventador, Lamborghini Huracan, and the McLaren 675LT. I do not look at those as "probably never havers" because if I did, then I probably would never have them. I know that one day I will own one, if not all of them. You just have to want that level of success in order to acquire them, and you have to want to do whatever it takes to get there. And I will.


----------



## BornToLooze

I guess this can go here, I just got it for $500






I'm going to get a gun rack for it in the next couple weeks then it'll be good to go.


----------



## vilk

So, my wife's parents just sent me money because they found out my car is a piece of junk and they don't want me tooling around with their daughter in there.

Basically, I'm obligated to purchase a new car. It's a good thing, my malibu is old. But I did just do a 500$ repair on it so I had been hoping to use it this winter. But I can't in good conscience accept this money and not use it for a car.

I literally have NO IDEA where to begin when it comes to car shopping. The car I drive now was chosen by my father. Obviously, you start at price and mileage, I get that, but that's a given and I still need to decide what I _want_ as opposed to what I can have. Like, even with guitars, for any price range there's still what's most important (for me that's gonna be balance, neck profile, bridge, aesthetics, and frets, in that order)

So, as this is the car thread, populated by car people, I humbly seek your guidance.
What would you guys say are like, the TOP FIVE most important factors when deciding the right car for you?
Here's my ignorance list
1. Seats (how many)
2. Leg room (I'm tall)
3. trunk space
4. audio system
5. tire size (If you've got tiny tires in Chicago, good luck driving to work if it snows the night before!)

I'd like to know what your lists are. Are there priorities I'm forgetting? There must be...


----------



## asher

1. Are you ever going to be driving more than you and your wife or a singular friend? Is that ok?
3. How much space do you need? Hauling your massive 4x12(x2)+ rack rig and three guitars, or a combo amp and the groceries?
5. More important than tire size necessarily is what kind of tires it has (probably little comes stock with all weathers that can do snow) and the drive train (FWD, awd, rwd)


----------



## vilk

Yeah I'd like room for at least 3 or 4 people. Eh. Well, idk, it's just me and my wife. I don't actually need more than 2 seats I guess.
I don't need a ton of space for storage. I'm not in a band, but if I go jam it's just one guitar and one 1x12 amp. Should fit in the back seat even if there weren't a trunk. Though of course I want a trunk.

I want the car to be small (good for city living aka street parking) but I want it to be tall, because I don't like being low. Can we brainstorm some cars like that? Are there any cars like that? I guess there's like JEEPs but those aren't really compact...


----------



## asher

Sounds like maybe you're wanting a smaller crossover kind of car? like a Honda CRV, Toyota RAV-4, Mazda CX5, and their ilk?


----------



## vilk

^I guess so. The pictures of those cars look like full on SUVs, but they're actually smaller?

Also, maybe this is a dumb question, but are you able to talk down car salesmen much from the numbers you see displayed as the prices of these cars online?

I was just looking at pictures of a Matsuda 2 -- that seems more like the tiny city car I was looking for. You think tallmanlegs will fit in there? It does look like it would get it's ass handed to it by the first snow...

I've never even heard of Infinity. Why is it so cheap? I see a used 2015 Infiniti QX70 AWD with 10k miles on it going for under 5 grand. What? Is there some kind of thing I don't understand about why this car is so cheap? http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...894&mmt=[INFIN[][]]&listingId=411248592&Log=0

It was formerly a rental car. Is that why?


----------



## BigBaldIan

vilk said:


> ^I guess so. The pictures of those cars look like full on SUVs, but they're actually smaller?
> 
> Also, maybe this is a dumb question, but are you able to talk down car salesmen much from the numbers you see displayed as the prices of these cars online?
> 
> I was just looking at pictures of a Matsuda 2 -- that seems more like the tiny city car I was looking for. You think tallmanlegs will fit in there? It does look like it would get it's ass handed to it by the first snow...
> 
> I've never even heard of Infinity. Why is it so cheap? I see a used 2015 Infiniti QX70 AWD with 10k miles on it going for under 5 grand. What? Is there some kind of thing I don't understand about why this car is so cheap? Cars for Sale: 2015 Infiniti QX70 AWD in Evanston, IL 60202: Sport Utility Details - 411248592 - Autotrader
> 
> It was formerly a rental car. Is that why?



I think that's probably a typo and you're looking at $39,790 based on the other models for sale of the same type. Infiniti is the luxury premium brand of Nissan (the same as Lexus is to Toyota).

Different people have of course different criteria, so what's right for me is probably not what's right for you. However you've given us some excellent criteria so I concur with my learned colleague Asher that a compact crossover/compact SUV is the way to go as it seems to tick the right boxes mentioned. 

1) Tall driving position...check.
2) Compact footprint...check.
3) Two people comfortably, four at a pinch (especially behind the driver)...check.
4) Split folding seats in most cases so can get a reasonable amount of gear in...check.

4WD/AWD not necessarily a big deal as a decent set of winter tyres and/or snow chains on a FWD vehicle can be highly effective. Next question is how much do you want to spend, then look at the following criteria as a wittling down method. YMMV.

1) Running costs, this includes things like fuel economy, tax, insurance, servicing and consumables (tyres, brakes, fluids etc).
2) Reliability, will the damn thing break on you? I opted for an HSV as they've described as bomb-proof (after my previous car broke 16 times in as many months).
3) Residuals, when you come to sell it, how much will it be worth? If you're the type of person who runs cars into the ground not so much of an issue but something to consider.

Hope this helps.


----------



## maliciousteve

hiltz171jim said:


> Just got her a couple months ago. I'm in love with it!



I love the look of the new Mustangs. I can't wait till these are released over here. I won't be able to afford one but who knows, maybe in the future when they depreciate enough for me to get one


----------



## BigBaldIan

BornToLooze said:


> I guess this can go here, I just got it for $500
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm going to get a gun rack for it in the next couple weeks then it'll be good to go.



Needs more matt black primer, duct tape, spikes/chains and maybe....sorry been watching/playing too much Mad Max.


----------



## wannabguitarist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIqbm0Dzzv0

Damn. SCCA certified for 13 track records, more than any other production car. What's the point of your $1M+ hypercar now?


----------



## vilk

double post


----------



## vilk

So, out of the cars that people have been suggesting to me, I've been liking the Toyota RAV4. However, it seems like it's got this trunk space lengthening out the car. On my way to work this morning, I swear I saw a shorter version of it. When I tried to search it, all I could find is this






^Toyota Etios, which is only available to the Indian market. So clearly that must not have been what I saw this morning. Notice that the back seat basically touches the window of the hatchback--this is what I like. You can fold them down and have a decent trunk space, and then if by chance you need to give someone a lift you can convert that trunk into sitting room. I don't need both simultaneously. Does anyone have any idea what it was?


----------



## shadscbr

Hey Vilk, it might have been an older RAV4 you saw, they used to be smaller back in the mid 90's.

Here's my answer to your first question:
1. Driven wheels: FWD, RWD, or AWD...in Chicago, I would consider AWD, max fun=turbo awd
2. Transmission: Manual or Auto
3. Size: Small hatch/seadan, or SUV? 
4. MPG: do you commute a lot of miles? Factor in car payment and monthly anticipated gas cost.
5. Fun factor/ride quality: are you an enthusiast? Do you want to drift everywhere and make every corner a race track, or do you prefer a more relaxed luxury ride?

Based on what you have told us so far...two that rank high on the fun to drive scale, are the CX-3 and Juke, for overall value check out subaru (Crosstrek,WRX,BRZ).

best of luck!!

Shad


----------



## vilk

Aw man, that's a great suggestion

Right now I'm really liking the Nissan Juke you said, and I'm also looking at the Jeep Renegade. I should go test drive them.


----------



## shadscbr

Yes, you really need to test drive every vehicle you feel is a contender(failure to do so is shame on you). Its worth the effort to figure out what type of power delivery, steering feel, ride quality, infotainment content, safety, and overall driving dynamics you prefer. For example, the Juke (can be) AWD turbo with a torque vectoring differential, which is more sport oriented. The jeep is geared more towards off road, than off ramps. The RAV4, HR-V and CRV fall in between these two, neither sporty nor off road, but practical. The CX-3 & 5 fall into the sporty & efficient- but no turbo side of things. The WRX has AWD, turbo, and manual...the total fun trifecta. It's all personal preference, but the right choice will reward you for years to come 

Shad


----------



## Kobalt

Went to look at and test drive a '07 Grand Prix GT Supercharged...holy ....ing balls is the L32 sweet. Low mileage, all the options, a bit dirty here and there inside, rock chips and scratches on the outside (but absolutely no rust underneath for a Quebec car)... Good price too. Financing is already approved, but I said I was going to take the rest of the day and sunday to decide whether I take it or not.

There's one thing that left me perplexed; there was an adjustable clamp wrapped around the exhaust manifold, and forgot to check what it was actually doing there... In any case, it wasn't supposed to be there. Also I did find a considerable amount of newspaper pieces in the gap between the supercharger and the front head, like it had gotten stuck there (but rather unlikely), which I found was a major fire hazard. Am currently unsure what to think of both of these issues.


----------



## BigBaldIan

vilk said:


> Aw man, that's a great suggestion
> 
> Right now I'm really liking the Nissan Juke you said, and I'm also looking at the Jeep Renegade. I should go test drive them.



Just so you know the Jeep Renegade shares the underpinnings with the Fiat 500X if memory serves me correctly. I drove the Nissan Juke Nismo RS in the 2WD manual version and it was a hoot. Sadly the 4WD version gets stymied by a lackluster CVT transmission which saps performance and eats into the bootspace.


----------



## Kobalt

Blower motor alert.


----------



## Joose

^Nice!

My 2nd car was an '04 GTP Special Edition and I loved it. The whole dash and console layout is so driver-focused.


----------



## BornToLooze

Well, something's been rattling in my car for the past year or so, and I finally figured out what when I changed my oil at work the other day. It's my cat coming apart inside, and when I got my exhaust put on, apparently, weld the pipe behind the flange on the cat meant cut the pipe off right at the cat and weld it there.  So I have to replace the exhaust from the exhaust manifold back. Well while I'm at it, I guess I might as well change the header too.


----------



## TheStig1214

BornToLooze said:


> Well, something's been rattling in my car for the past year or so, and I finally figured out what when I changed my oil at work the other day. It's my cat coming apart inside, and when I got my exhaust put on, apparently, weld the pipe behind the flange on the cat meant cut the pipe off right at the cat and weld it there.  So I have to replace the exhaust from the exhaust manifold back. Well while I'm at it, I guess I might as well change the header too.



Perfect time for straight pipes


----------



## lelandbowman3

Bought a '12 Veloster this past February, and I like it a lot, but I'm just too tall for it. And while I like the mpg, I need something with a little more oomph. I think I'll be getting a Genesis when I get a grown up job (Just because I love hyundai products and their warranties).


----------



## Kobalt

lelandbowman3 said:


> Bought a '12 Veloster this past February, and I like it a lot, but I'm just too tall for it. And while I like the mpg, I need something with a little more oomph. I think I'll be getting a Genesis when I get a grown up job (Just because I love hyundai products and their warranties).


Be sure to get the 3.8 V6 if you really want more oomph. Pushing around 310bhp in the first generation, 350bhp in the second.


----------



## BornToLooze

TheStig1214 said:


> Perfect time for straight pipes



My exhaust makes me sound douchey enough as it is.


----------



## lelandbowman3

Kobalt said:


> Be sure to get the 3.8 V6 if you really want more oomph. Pushing around 310bhp in the first generation, 350bhp in the second.



Thanks! I may have to get the sedan model, just because my wife and I plan on having kids in the next 2 years, which would not be sensible with a child. I may just hold on to the veloster for another 6 years, have it paid off, work on getting my wife a small suv, then once we have our affairs in order, like house and children, THEN I'll get a new toy.


----------



## asher

lelandbowman3 said:


> Thanks! I may have to get the sedan model, just because my wife and I plan on having kids in the next 2 years, which would not be sensible with a child. I may just hold on to the veloster for another 6 years, have it paid off, work on getting my wife a small suv, then once we have our affairs in order, like house and children, THEN I'll get a new toy.



I was shoveled in and out of an '88 Legend coupe as a tot, my parents managed just fine. Get the two-door


----------



## Kobalt

asher said:


> I was shoveled in and out of an '88 Legend coupe as a tot, my parents managed just fine. Get the two-door


Pretty much, man.

My mother has owned a handful of different Camaro, Firebird, Trans Am in the 80's (about 10 if you include the 70's), and she would shove my older brother and I, AND her friend's twin daughters, into them. We did just fine. My brother's baseball caps sticking out of t-tops though, not so much. But that's unrelated. 

The industry sure did make it easier to accommodate larger families with SUV's and minivans, but unless it's REALLY THAT necessary, I stilll don't get what is so wrong about regular-sized vehicles that upcoming families settle for vehicles they don't necessarily want but think they'd rather have for their _better_ convenience. Not that it's wrong, though.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Well now that I've owned Bob the VXR8 (or Clubby for the down-under brigade) for a bit a few observations from a guy coming from small-capacity forced induction hot-hatches to large-capacity normally aspirated muscle cars.

1. Driving it as though it were a diesel seems to yield best fuel economy. The engine has enough torque for me to select 5th at 1000 rpm, also engine braking for the win.

2. The Tremec box is an agricultural throwback, having to present a forward gear at times before you select reverse. It also changes with the ease and precision of relocating a dislocated joint (about the same sound too). That being said it is kind of endearing.

3. Every guy who's worked on Bob so far to get stuff sorted has commented on how easy he is to work on. Case in point had the dreaded issue one morning of not starting so rang my breakdown people who duly came out. The mechanic looked at what was on the drive, said he'd never worked on one but that never stopped him before. 5 minutes in he'd found the energiser wire had come off the starter motor. He then proceeded to drop the whole starter out on the drive, fix all the connections and replace, cost to me £3.75 for a new 40a fuse.

4. The indicators/wipers are the wrong way round for a RHD vehicle, this means that you really, really have to get your gear selection right on roundabouts. You don't want to be doing the hot hand shuffle, fumbling with indicators and switching hands on a 1.8 tonne car, really bad juju.

5. Care needs to be taken when turning from junctions, giving it the beans too early because of misreading traffic can result in the back end trying to swap position with the front and unintended "dash of oppo" heroics. New underwear required.

6. Females love the big gnarly bugger, big comfy seats, armrests, dual zone climate control and enough room to have a party in. The missus likened him to flying business class, keep the revs below 2500rpm and cruise.

7. I now attract a better class of douchebag, before it was spotty scrotes in Barried Saxos and Corsas, now it's angry middle-management man in his Audi A4 Tdi.

All in all really chuffed.


----------



## asher

That's one of the more English things I've read in a while


----------



## BigBaldIan

asher said:


> That's one of the more English things I've read in a while



We do have a tendency to understate in "trying" circumstances after all.


----------



## angus

People have some really cool cars and projects here! It's fun to go through the pages. 

Still going strong...


----------



## asher

So jelly.


----------



## BigBaldIan

angus said:


> People have some really cool cars and projects here! It's fun to go through the pages.
> 
> Still going strong...



Another vehicle on my bucket list.


----------



## ESPImperium

I have a car, a lovely wee Vauxhall Corsa that is my pride and joy. It is presently awaiting a uplift from the Insurance Company as it got shunted this morning whilst i was in my front room. I live on a corner and this van was clearly tramping it and lost control on ice as it was rainy yesterday and then it froze overnight. My car was shifted its length. The guy was in with his works van seeing his dad. His effing dad!!! My insurance company are onto it, they will be processing the claim tomorrow with his insurance company. I am presently car-less and need to organise the uplift and curtesy car tomorrow. I have a dim view of people using provided work transport to see family. I can't show any of the pictures of the damage until the claim is processed and felt with. I am so pissed off. Great Christmas present!!!


----------



## BigBaldIan

^

Not that it will be much consolation, but at least the facts of the matter are pretty cut and dried so I hope this gets sorted for you soon.


----------



## High Plains Drifter

Just a couple pics from a trip through the woods last week.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^

{David Attenborough}"Here we have a pair of Jeepus Elevatus in their natural environment. Normally quite shy and timid creatures, they can turn quite aggressive when provoked."{/David Attenborough}


----------



## TheStig1214

I remember everyone getting all hot about the Hellcat. Yup, this is pretty much my opinion of it.


----------



## chaneisa

^ hahahaha I'm a fan of Dodge and I found that to be quite amusing. Not because I'm laughing at it, but because it has some pretty solid points. Maybe they should start making the Avenger again.


----------



## TheStig1214

chaneisa said:


> ^ hahahaha I'm a fan of Dodge and I found that to be quite amusing. Not because I'm laughing at it, but because it has some pretty solid points. Maybe they should start making the Avenger again.



You couldn't have mentioned a more perfect car.


----------



## Eliguy666

To be honest, I've never really gotten the "muscle cars are for old people" thing. I'm seventeen, have talked about cars consistently with other people my age worldwide, and muscle-cars are fashionable and attractive to us youngsters, at least right now.

Can't say much about the "muscle cars are for gay people" thing, though, because I'm queer as f*ck.


----------



## TheStig1214

Eliguy666 said:


> To be honest, I've never really gotten the "muscle cars are for old people" thing. I'm seventeen, have talked about cars consistently with other people my age worldwide, and muscle-cars are fashionable and attractive to us youngsters, at least right now.
> 
> Can't say much about the "muscle cars are for gay people" thing, though, because I'm queer as f*ck.



I am not a huge fan of american muscle myself. I'm more of a Euro guy. But I know plenty of guys my age (young 20s) who are into the new muscle. As far as old muscle (like pre-1990 I'd say) it's all old guys in my scene. 

For the most part many young guys like JDM because of F&F. Euro is always the enigma though. Never know how people get into it they just do. And not too many guys I know are into euro.


----------



## Kobalt

TheStig1214 said:


> You couldn't have mentioned a more perfect car.



Seriously one of the best channels on YouTube.

Always a good laugh.


----------



## ATOMICxTomato

Any ls1 f body owners in here? Gonna be getting a new daily next year once I get my tax returns and am hoping I can find a clean WS6 with a T56. This will be my second car, but first standard car.


----------



## wannabguitarist

My girlfriend was just asking me if I'm no longer interested in fixing/playing guitars because I haven't bought anything music related in the last year. She hasn't noticed the ever growing pile of S2000 parts under my bed yet


----------



## maliciousteve

I need some opinions about a couple of SUV's from you guys.

At the moment I'm driving a 2011 Fiat Punto Evo. A little hatchback with not a lot of space and no power.

The Wife and I are looking to start a family this year and after some thinking I realised that my car just isn't going to be suitable.

I'll need more space for the baby and it's seat, push chair and other things you regularly take when going out with a kid. So at first I was looking at an Estate (Wagon) and that may still be an option but, when I was last in Florida (may last year) I hired a 2015 Suburban and I loved that high ride height and space. So I've also been considering the following SUV's

*Honda CR-V 2.2 ltr Diesel
*Toyota Rav4 2.2 ltr Diesel
*Jeep Patriot 2.0 ltr Diesel

In terms of looks I love the look of the Patriot however I'm not well informed about Jeeps in terms of their reliability and costs/ease of repairs.

Both my Mum and In Laws own a Honda Crv. Incredibly reliable, good space, decent engines (they have 2 litre petrol Autos) and are comfortable to drive. The CRV is front wheel drive unlike the Jeep and Toyota which are both 4 wheel drive.

The Rav4, just like the Honda I hear is very reliable but seems to be the smallest of the 3 which I'm not sure on.

Which of those 3 would you consider? What should I bare in mind when checking out Jeeps? 

I don't go off road and it's unlikely I will too but I will be doing a lot of driving on steep hills, country roads and motorways (highways)


----------



## High Plains Drifter

Long term, the Patriot is complete crap imo. Please stay away from it. So many inherent issues that I don't even have enough time to go into it all here. And keep in mind that I am a Jeep Guy. The Wrangler would be a better option in regards to reliability/ long-term but I sure wouldn't want one if starting a family. Not back-seat friendly at all... unless you would consider the 4dr. And at least here in the States, the 4 door Wranglers are VERY high priced. Flip side being that they hold a decent re-sale value but still... not what I would probably opt for if I was in your situation. 

The Toyota Rav4 isn't a terrible choice in regards to quality/ reliability ( newer models anyway) but in my experience the handling/ appointments/ comfort leaves something to be desired. 

My choice ( especially in a diesel) would be the Honda CRV. Honda has a pretty solid track-record with the CRV platform and in a diesel it's a good bet covering most major categories. 

Anyway... I could write a book here lol b/c SUV's and 4x4's are kinda my thing. I actually moderate an off-road website where there is a great deal of discussion and knowledge related to the good/ bad/ ugly of these kinds of vehicles. Another thing to keep in mind is solid axle vs IFS. There's a notable difference between the two... pro & con. 

I can throw in some more info later but need to go off to work right now.


----------



## shadscbr

I would also add the Mazda CX5 (fun to drive), and the Subaru Forester to your list...the Foz is avail with eyesight (auto braking & other safety aids), which makes it one of the safest choices in that category. It also has AWD (optional turbo), a very large sunroof, and reclining rear seat backs, which add to its family friendly appeal. Test drives are the best way to see how each vehicle fits your budget/performance desires. Best of luck!!

Shad


----------



## BigBaldIan




----------



## Kobalt

BigBaldIan said:


>




Story of my life with my car.


----------



## TheStig1214

So, Jeep announced a Hellcat Grand Cherokee and a Wrangler pickup for 2017. Why, Chrysler? Why can't you make a normal car?


----------



## Kobalt

TheStig1214 said:


> Why, Chrysler? Why can't you make a normal car?


Regular Car Reviews asked the same question, not so long ago. It's kinda funny.


----------



## Konfyouzd

I have some questions...

What are some conditions under which you'd need to replace a cylinder head? I had some issues that led me to believe my head gasket had blown. I took it to a shop and they told me that to replace the head gasket would be quick (which it should be).

This was in October. It's now February and they're just now telling me that there's a melted valve in cylinder 4. So for some reason I'm guessing cylinder 4 runs lean. I can't imagine why it would have taken this long for them to figure this out OR notify me.

They're suggesting that I replace the head altogether and want to charge me $450 extra for that. I don't think I should pay them a damn thing considering how long they've taken to even get to this point. Further, I have an entire spare engine and could just give them another head and they're still trying to tack on extra fees where they can.

That aside, I'm working to just have them give me the damn car back and I'll do the head swap myself. What I'd like to know, though, is what would be a reason to replace a cylinder head vs doing a valve job?

Also, what would cause only one cylinder to run lean aside from the timing being off or a faulty injector?

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can provide.


----------



## Randy

Konfyouzd said:


> I have some questions...
> 
> What are some conditions under which you'd need to replace a cylinder head? I had some issues that led me to believe my head gasket had blown. I took it to a shop and they told me that to replace the head gasket would be quick (which it should be).
> 
> This was in October. It's now February and they're just now telling me that there's a melted valve in cylinder 4. So for some reason I'm guessing cylinder 4 runs lean. I can't imagine why it would have taken this long for them to figure this out OR notify me.
> 
> They're suggesting that I replace the head altogether and want to charge me $450 extra for that. I don't think I should pay them a damn thing considering how long they've taken to even get to this point. Further, I have an entire spare engine and could just give them another head and they're still trying to tack on extra fees where they can.
> 
> That aside, I'm working to just have them give me the damn car back and I'll do the head swap myself. What I'd like to know, though, is what would be a reason to replace a cylinder head vs doing a valve job?
> 
> Also, what would cause only one cylinder to run lean aside from the timing being off or a faulty injector?
> 
> Thanks in advance for any help you guys can provide.



I'm sure there's a number of mechanics who can chime in with a more exact assessment but for now, I've done enough work on cars (including rebuilding engines) that I can offer at least _some_ potential insight.

As for the problem itself, you could be looking at some kind of stacked issues. You brought it in for a blown head gasket, so I'm assuming there was a symptom there? Blown head gaskets usually occur when the engine frequently overheats (ie: usually preceded by an anti-freeze leak or just running with the antifreeze low). 

The head gasket is really the weak link and what you'd HOPE will go first, because the engine running hot can (and does) cause a lot of worse things, like cracked blocks and all kinds of other things when there's metal clanging around in tight spaces and being heated to beyond their optimal range.

On the list of things that can occur from the engine being overheated is a multitude of things with the cylinder head. The valves (which are inside the head) have to open and close within very precise tolerances. If the engine is overheating, the engine will be running inefficiently which could cause things like excessive build-up of carbon in the cylinder or just some degree of warping from the excess heat, which can result in misshapen or damaged valves (which ones get it and don't is semi-random) which would result in some valves (in your case, cylinder 4) not efficiently taking in air or not efficiently letting out exhaust. Either one will cause the cylinder to appear to not function as efficiently as the others (potentially showing itself as 'lean').

Another similar but related cause would be directly from the leaking head gasket itself. The head gasket is going to leak/blowout wherever it's going to blowout somewhat at random. You very well could've had a leak right next to cylinder 4, which could be causing antifreeze to leak into it. Waterbased liquid in your cylinder during combustion will cause it to work inefficiently and also may cause it to appear "lean". Or the slow leaking of antifreeze into the cylinder could've corroded the valves as well, causeing them to be crudded up and the things I mentioned in the previous paragraph.

So anyway, that's at least some food for thought on the cause.

With regard to getting the work done, I've been to a lot of shops and basically jobs that are a lotta work (boring work) that'll take up a bay for a long period of time, or are high commitment-low reward type project get put off. Your car definitely hasn't gotten done because it's NOT being handled as a priority. If it's a decent sized place, the owner (NOT the shop manager) needs to be talked to, to straighten things out. If they don't wanna play ball, it's worth getting it towed somewhere else. A threat like that usually gets them off their ass, also.

As far as the price for the working being done... the assessments SEEM to be fairly sound and the $450 for a brand new cylinder head isn't terrible but, depending on what the actual issue is, you can usually have them polished and rebuilt for less than new; but $450 is cheap enough, either they quoted you for a polish/rebuild or you're getting a pretty good deal on a new one and I'd just roll with it. That's assuming they actually get it done.


----------



## TheStig1214

Kobalt said:


> Regular Car Reviews asked the same question, not so long ago. It's kinda funny.



Pretty much how it was pointed out me that Chrysler really can't do anything "right". Huge fan of RCR.


----------



## TheStig1214

TFW when your car finally shoots flames. Installed a catless downpipe and I got fire coming out of my tailpipe.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Ah yes the most fun of tailgater deterrent devices.


----------



## Kobalt

I DID cut him off FnF-style while weaving in and out of a patch of retarded traffic, but...

Poor Mazda 6 thought he had a chance... Supercharger went WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE and then he disappeared.


----------



## TheStig1214

Oh boy....

Fiat Chrysler kills Chrysler 200, Dodge Dart, puts brakes on Alfa Romeo | News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KSNV

Lee Iacocca is having a aneurysm right now, I can sense it.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Randy said:


> I'm sure there's a number of mechanics who can chime in with a more exact assessment but for now, I've done enough work on cars (including rebuilding engines) that I can offer at least _some_ potential insight.
> 
> As for the problem itself, you could be looking at some kind of stacked issues. You brought it in for a blown head gasket, so I'm assuming there was a symptom there? Blown head gaskets usually occur when the engine frequently overheats (ie: usually preceded by an anti-freeze leak or just running with the antifreeze low).
> 
> The head gasket is really the weak link and what you'd HOPE will go first, because the engine running hot can (and does) cause a lot of worse things, like cracked blocks and all kinds of other things when there's metal clanging around in tight spaces and being heated to beyond their optimal range.
> 
> On the list of things that can occur from the engine being overheated is a multitude of things with the cylinder head. The valves (which are inside the head) have to open and close within very precise tolerances. If the engine is overheating, the engine will be running inefficiently which could cause things like excessive build-up of carbon in the cylinder or just some degree of warping from the excess heat, which can result in misshapen or damaged valves (which ones get it and don't is semi-random) which would result in some valves (in your case, cylinder 4) not efficiently taking in air or not efficiently letting out exhaust. Either one will cause the cylinder to appear to not function as efficiently as the others (potentially showing itself as 'lean').
> 
> Another similar but related cause would be directly from the leaking head gasket itself. The head gasket is going to leak/blowout wherever it's going to blowout somewhat at random. You very well could've had a leak right next to cylinder 4, which could be causing antifreeze to leak into it. Waterbased liquid in your cylinder during combustion will cause it to work inefficiently and also may cause it to appear "lean". Or the slow leaking of antifreeze into the cylinder could've corroded the valves as well, causeing them to be crudded up and the things I mentioned in the previous paragraph.
> 
> So anyway, that's at least some food for thought on the cause.
> 
> With regard to getting the work done, I've been to a lot of shops and basically jobs that are a lotta work (boring work) that'll take up a bay for a long period of time, or are high commitment-low reward type project get put off. Your car definitely hasn't gotten done because it's NOT being handled as a priority. If it's a decent sized place, the owner (NOT the shop manager) needs to be talked to, to straighten things out. If they don't wanna play ball, it's worth getting it towed somewhere else. A threat like that usually gets them off their ass, also.
> 
> As far as the price for the working being done... the assessments SEEM to be fairly sound and the $450 for a brand new cylinder head isn't terrible but, depending on what the actual issue is, you can usually have them polished and rebuilt for less than new; but $450 is cheap enough, either they quoted you for a polish/rebuild or you're getting a pretty good deal on a new one and I'd just roll with it. That's assuming they actually get it done.



I have a whole engine sitting in my living room. Last week I ended up pulling the head and checking it for any obvious issues. I couldn't see anything that looked bad. I then had that hauled off to the shop and they told me that this head appears to be in much better shape. That plus changing the head gasket--I'm hoping--will fix the issue, but I just wanted to make sure there's not something else going on that actually *caused* the gasket to go so that I won't end up destroying another head in the process. 

They never mentioned that there appears to be anything wrong w/ the block so I'm hoping for the best now. Many thanks for your input.


----------



## Konfyouzd

*oops* quoted the wrong post*


----------



## Konfyouzd

Kobalt said:


> I DID cut him off FnF-style while weaving in and out of a patch of retarded traffic, but...
> 
> Poor Mazda 6 thought he had a chance... Supercharger went WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE and then he disappeared.



I can do that to quite a few folks w/o a supercharger... 

But I definitely still want to go forced induction some time next year. Need more powah! Still can't decide whether I wanna supercharge or turbo... I'm leaning toward turbo though since it makes a lot more power off the bat in my car. But I still dunno... 

When I get my DD out of the shop, I'll be far more willing to tinker with my GTI.


----------



## asher

I've on and off thought recently that there's a good chance my Subaru will be the last fossil-fuel powered car I buy. And that's pretty damn cool!

Even if also a little bit sad.

It does help I just paid off the remaining financing, with the help of finally selling the 330 (7k from CarMax with all those dings? hell yeah) and some end of the year gift money.


----------



## Rosal76

TheStig1214 said:


> Why, Chrysler? Why can't you make a normal car?



Did you mean motorcycle?  * I know you meant Chrysler but Dodge is related to them.

The 2003-2006, V-10 500HP powered Dodge Tomahawk motorcycle pictured below. I would list it's price, acceleration and top speed but I'm sure anyone who just looks at it would figure out it's ridiculously expensive and fast. Normal? Sure, if you're Evel Knievel.


----------



## TheStig1214

Rosal76 said:


> Did you mean motorcycle?  * I know you meant Chrysler but Dodge is related to them.
> 
> The 2003-2006, V-10 500HP powered Dodge Tomahawk motorcycle pictured below. I would list it's price, acceleration and top speed but I'm sure anyone who just looks at it would figure out it's ridiculously expensive and fast. Normal? Sure, if you're Evel Knievel.



I see they took some inspiration from Glenn Curtiss. He made a V8 motorcycle that broke land speed records in 1907.






https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_V-8_motorcycle


----------



## Kobalt

Konfyouzd said:


> I can do that to quite a few folks w/o a supercharger...
> 
> But I definitely still want to go forced induction some time next year. Need more powah! Still can't decide whether I wanna supercharge or turbo... I'm leaning toward turbo though since it makes a lot more power off the bat in my car. But I still dunno...
> 
> When I get my DD out of the shop, I'll be far more willing to tinker with my GTI.


I mean... Shortly after I cut him off, he decided to tailgate me at 70mph in the fast lane, so I was like, yeah? Mind you, there are faster cars than mine (supercharged Grand Prix), but a 4cyl Mazda 6 is way below what my car can easily do and I was aggravated by the lack of courtesy on the road that morning - it seemed like nobody wanted to let anyone in on the entrance ramp or merge on the highway.

TL;DR, love my car, it's sorta fast.


----------



## asher

Kobalt said:


> I mean... Shortly after I cut him off, he decided to tailgate me at 70mph in the fast lane, so I was like, yeah? Mind you, there are faster cars than mine (supercharged Grand Prix), but a 4cyl Mazda 6 is way below what my car can easily do and I was aggravated by the lack of courtesy on the road that morning - it seemed like nobody wanted to let anyone in on the entrance ramp or merge on the highway.
> 
> TL;DR, love my car, it's sorta fast.



That Mazda 4banger is a fun engine, but seriously dude 

I'm sure I've had multiple people try to race me, I think even once or twice in the 330, but I totally never notice....


----------



## Konfyouzd

Kobalt said:


> I mean... Shortly after I cut him off, he decided to tailgate me at 70mph in the fast lane, so I was like, yeah? Mind you, there are faster cars than mine (supercharged Grand Prix), but a 4cyl Mazda 6 is way below what my car can easily do and I was aggravated by the lack of courtesy on the road that morning - it seemed like nobody wanted to let anyone in on the entrance ramp or merge on the highway.
> 
> TL;DR, love my car, it's sorta fast.



Yea there are lots of irritating drivers out there. Half the reason I wanna go FI. Even easier to get the hell away from that nonsense. And when the road is wide open...


----------



## Kobalt

Tacky photo borders but heh, I was bored.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Anyone here run a test pipe/no cats? How bad is the smell? Do you leave a train of death in your wake? I'm currently modifying a spare cat heat shield I have laying around to hide a 70mm test pipe for my new exhaust but I'm a little concerned about the smell.

New parts day feels much better than NGD at this point


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

so im putting up one of my two rx-7's for sale soon to fund my next project...


wait for it...


wait...


----------



## TheStig1214

wannabguitarist said:


> Anyone here run a test pipe/no cats? How bad is the smell? Do you leave a train of death in your wake? I'm currently modifying a spare cat heat shield I have laying around to hide a 70mm test pipe for my new exhaust but I'm a little concerned about the smell.
> 
> New parts day feels much better than NGD at this point



My downpipe is catless and my exhaust has a performance cat (100 cell I think). I don't have a sense of smell but my friends haven't complained or told me it's terrible. It's just loud. REALLY LOUD. The only thing I've gotten a complaint on is the smell of gas but that's because my car is running rich.

If your emissions test is a sniff test you'll probably run into issues but if it's OBDII testing and you get a tune to shut off the CEL or space out the sensors right you'll be fine.


----------



## wannabguitarist

TheStig1214 said:


> My downpipe is catless and my exhaust has a performance cat (100 cell I think). I don't have a sense of smell but my friends haven't complained or told me it's terrible. It's just loud. REALLY LOUD. The only thing I've gotten a complaint on is the smell of gas but that's because my car is running rich.
> 
> If your emissions test is a sniff test you'll probably run into issues but if it's OBDII testing and you get a tune to shut off the CEL or space out the sensors right you'll be fine.



CA is a sniff test but it's only every other year and switching out the cat is super easy on my car 

I don't mind loud either-the new exhaust is far from subtle:


----------



## TheStig1214

wannabguitarist said:


> CA is a sniff test but it's only every other year and switching out the cat is super easy on my car
> 
> I don't mind loud either-the new exhaust is far from subtle:




Swapping out the downpipe on my car is a PITA so if yours is easy i say go for it. But don't some cops have the ability to smog you on the spot in CA? Or is that just in LA?


----------



## wannabguitarist

TheStig1214 said:


> Swapping out the downpipe on my car is a PITA so if yours is easy i say go for it. But don't some cops have the ability to smog you on the spot in CA? Or is that just in LA?



There are roadside smog checkpoints in some parts of southern CA but as far as I know they're not in my city. I have a spare catalytic convertor heat shield that I'm going to modify to fit the test pipe. Like this but with a straight pipe through it: 





I'd fail the roadside smog check but the only way they could prove I'm not running a cat is by taking apart my exhaust on the side of the road


----------



## High Plains Drifter

Not mad/ not sad topic so I'll put it here lol. 

FRUSTRATED that the EGR valve and the clock-spring module need replaced on my Jeep. Glad that it's not worse like upper valve-train, camshaft, lifter, crankshaft bearing, etc. Could have been so much worse. No time, money to do a full tear down. Hope I can get it knocked out in next couple weeks. Just bought a guitar that I couldn't necessarily afford so...  

"Ugh!" thread needed on SSO.


----------



## TheStig1214

High Plains Drifter said:


> Not mad/ not sad topic so I'll put it here lol.
> 
> FRUSTRATED that the EGR valve and the clock-spring module need replaced on my Jeep. Glad that it's not worse like upper valve-train, camshaft, lifter, crankshaft bearing, etc. Could have been so much worse. No time, money to do a full tear down. Hope I can get it knocked out in next couple weeks. Just bought a guitar that I couldn't necessarily afford so...
> 
> "Ugh!" thread needed on SSO.



I though there was a "Why are you mad right now?" thread.


----------



## High Plains Drifter

Meh... not mad, just frustrated cause seems like past year has been one thing after another with our vehicles between her Corolla and my Rubicon. Happy that I can do these things myself w/o involving dealership, but still...ugh.


----------



## BucketheadRules

Still loving my Civic. Ticked over to 122,000 miles recently. (I've only put about 1800 of those on it but it feels weird how quickly that's added up)


----------



## TheStig1214

Mini went stage 2 yesterday! And my high pressure fuel pump died!

Luckily I found a new in box replacement that was only $845. 

Plus... you know....


----------



## asher

Aww, it tooted. Adorable!


----------



## Kobalt

TheStig1214 said:


> And my high pressure fuel pump died!
> 
> Luckily I found a new in box replacement that was only *$845*.


.....

Jus....


HOW?!!!


----------



## TheStig1214

Kobalt said:


> .....
> 
> Jus....
> 
> 
> HOW?!!!



Well, that's a little story about how you should never let the French and British build cars. Basically, the 2007-2011 Minis had frequent High Pressure Fuel Pump failures. The prices fluctuated a lot with Mini trying to make customers pay for them then offering extended warranties and whatnot. So basically, the part was originally $500-600. Then Mini started offering warrantied replacement so third party sellers had to get rid of their stock really cheap so they were like $200-300. Now we are on the uptick again and MSRP is $1200, but I found one on ebay from a BMW dealer in Florida for $845.


----------



## Kobalt

TheStig1214 said:


> Well, that's a little story about how you should never let the French and British build cars. Basically, the 2007-2011 Minis had frequent High Pressure Fuel Pump failures. The prices fluctuated a lot with Mini trying to make customers pay for them then offering extended warranties and whatnot. So basically, the part was originally $500-600. Then Mini started offering warrantied replacement so third party sellers had to get rid of their stock really cheap so they were like $200-300. Now we are on the uptick again and MSRP is $1200, but I found one on ebay from a BMW dealer in Florida for $845.


I'm happy to drive a GM.


----------



## TheStig1214

Kobalt said:


> I'm happy to drive a GM.



Yup. Expensive parts but I'm still getting 33 mpg average making 210 horsepower. Plus performance parts are cheap. My whole turbo back exhaust cost me less than a grand between the two pieces and my giant front mount was $200.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Picked up an ABS fault, it's either the left rear abs sensor or the rear abs loom. Neither part is expensive and looking at the GM manual it's almost a DIY job, however you really need a pit or a lift to get access to the diff where it runs....buggerybollocks.

Plus RWD with no ABS and no ESP in a cold snap plus snow makes for fun times. By fun I mean squeaky butt-clenching.

Oh and this from paintshop :


----------



## BigBaldIan

Ooooo shiny.










Plus as I suspected the ABS fault was simply down to the rear loom, had a local specialist replace that and the sensor (belt and braces). 1hr job, sorted.


----------



## Mach666

BMW e39 540i with friend


----------



## TheStig1214

H&R springs went in on this beautiful day. Extremely pleased with the results.


----------



## wannabguitarist

What are those wheels? Looks great


----------



## TheStig1214

wannabguitarist said:


> What are those wheels? Looks great



Sparco Assetto Garas. 17x7 with 205/40 Pirellis. They ride a million times better than the stock wheels with runflats, but I already bent one


----------



## wannabguitarist

Damn 

Gonna try something stronger out next or just keep rolling on the Sparcos? I'm always skeptical of cheap wheels


----------



## TheStig1214

wannabguitarist said:


> Damn
> 
> Gonna try something stronger out next or just keep rolling on the Sparcos? I'm always skeptical of cheap wheels



It's not that bad of a repair. I hit a really awful pothole and only the very face of the rim is bent, not the actual barrel. That being said how Sparco wheels work is OZ licenses their designs to Sparco and Sparco makes gravity forged versions of OZ wheels, as opposed to OZ's flow forming. So basically Sparco is the LTD to OZ's ESP. If I's going to buy another set of wheels for this thing, I'll wait until I can afford OZs or something else not gravity forged.


----------



## cult

Sold my Skoda Fabia last Friday, looking for a new ride now.
I'm kinda into this one:






Looking at one with the 1.6 litre engine later this week, should be nice.


----------



## TheStig1214

cult said:


> Sold my Skoda Fabia last Friday, looking for a new ride now.
> I'm kinda into this one:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looking at one with the 1.6 litre engine later this week, should be nice.



I approve. Spring for the Mk7 if you can afford it though, it's a much nicer ride.


----------



## cult

I know, new platform and all.
But I can barely afford the Mk6.
I don't like the interior of the Mk5 too much, also the aesthetics of the Mk6 are more to my liking.

Mk 7 is next on the list, two or three years down the road. They will be had for cheap then, since 2018 will be the year of Mk 8


----------



## wannabguitarist

Ohlins DFV. I have yet to find a single negative review on these coils for a dual duty car so when I found a gently used set I had to jump on them. Was contemplating a Carvin single cut or used PRS but these are much cooler


----------



## BigBaldIan

^

Is it wrong that I dribbled a little over a picture of coils & shocks?


----------



## wannabguitarist

BigBaldIan said:


> ^
> 
> Is it wrong that I dribbled a little over a picture of coils & shocks?



Nope!





I'm tempted to clean the shocks once they come in because they're so god damn pretty but I know they're just going to end up dirty again


----------



## Kobalt

Jeez, those are massively expensive. Nice set!


----------



## BigBaldIan

wannabguitarist said:


> Nope!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm tempted to clean the shocks once they come in because they're so god damn pretty but I know they're just going to end up dirty again



I assume you still have the S2000 already a fine handling piece of kit.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Yeah they're going on the S2K. Taking the last week of March off so I can get these installed and properly aligned along with a couple of other parts. Then it's off to the tuner.


----------



## High Plains Drifter

Finally got my baby topless. Such a beautiful spring day.


----------



## TheStig1214

High Plains Drifter said:


> Finally got my baby topless. Such a beautiful spring day.



Older Jeep are where it's at. TJ?


----------



## High Plains Drifter

It's an old newer Jeep lol. It's the 4th one I've built and the best so far. The freedom top is cool too. First jeep I've had where you can remove everything except the front panels. So nice having shade over my head yet still have the open-air all around. 

This one is special too because I was hit pretty severely a few years ago.. had to completely rebuild about $14,000 worth. Frame wasn't tweaked so I went ahead and built her back up, but built her even stronger than she was originally. 

Sorry for rambling. This one is a 2008 JK. Previous builds were a 2004 TJ Sport, a 2006 TJ Rubicon, and a 1970 Range Rover ( not a jeep but close enough). 

I love TJ's too! They're awesome.


----------



## High Plains Drifter

Just one more pic of my 2008 plus a couple pics of my 2 previous TJ's.


----------



## wannabguitarist

I love me a good Jeep 

What have you done to it?


----------



## Forrest_H

Haven't posted up here in forever.

Got a new exhaust awhile back, a GHL Bullet catback. Sounds FAR better than the Z06 exhaust on previously. Hoping to post a video soon, just need to learn how to blur license plates 

Finally got rid of the grandpa chrome wheels. Ended up with C6 OEM wheels for a steal, and some BF Goodrich gForce Sport Comp 2's (285's in the rear), and I'm remembering how much fun this car is when it can properly grip. Wheels ain't too shabby either, though they do need a 1/4" spacer in the rear due to the different offset.

Old Wheels:






New Wheels:






Now to fix a gremlin in the windshield wipers


----------



## High Plains Drifter

wannabguitarist said:


> I love me a good Jeep
> 
> What have you done to it?




*Poison Spyder Trail Stinger 
*Warn 8000xi winch with 3/8" cable
* Dura-last Platinum batt
*Delta 150 Series foglights
*Delta Quad-bar headlights
*Crown front clear-smoked turn signals/ orange bulbs
*Command clear LED side marker lights with orange bulbs
*Modified TJ side mirrors & brackets ( when running w/o full doors) 
*Warrior Products tube doors ( when running w/o full doors)
*Warrior Products steel rear tail-light housings) 
*68 rock lights- custom install w/ custom fabricated brackets
*Firestick 4' antenna
*Flowmaster Hushpower II exhaust
*AEV Trail Corners
*4" round flush-mount rear lights
*2" LED reverse lights
*Curt 2" receiver hitch
*Custom 4 gauge battery ground 
*Custom license plate light, 3rd brake light, & license plate relocation bracket 
*Uniden 520xl cb
*12Volt Guy 4-switch panel
*Custom open-door extensions
*Husky floor liners
*Trek Armor black/ graphite seat covers
*MasterCraft grab-handles
*Daystar upper dash console 
*Extended diff breather tubes
*APC front diff breather cap
* Infinity system with single 10" sub/ JL Audio Power Wedge box
*PA speaker
*Rugged Ridge black aluminum hood latches
*AEV Pro-Cal module 
*Skid Row trans/ engine skid
*Poly Performance tie-rod, drag-link, stabilizer (nitrogen), adjustable rear track-bar & relocation mount, weld on LCA front & rear skid-plated brackets, cam-bolt eliminating washers, weld-on coil-spring brackets, weld-on front track-bar/ stabilizer bracket, & front d44 sleeved with lo-profile weld-on truss
*Dynatrac Pro-Steer ball-joints
* Timken front hub bearings
*Crown braided/ extended brake lines
*Currie rear coil-spring retainers
*Custom 2" square rear d44 weld-on axle truss
*Superior 5:13 gears
*Riddler differential covers
*ORE outer C gussets
*Rubicon Express- 4.5" lift upper & lower long-arms, front track-bar, 1310 drive-shafts, coil-springs, shocks, quick disconnects with relocation brackets, & drag-link flip
*Reid Racing knuckles
*Daystar polyurethane upper & lower control-arm bushings
*Custom fabricated front spring retainers, evap can relocation, front track-bar reinforcement, & tack-welded u-joint caps
*Rebel Off-Road drilled & slotted rear brake rotors 
*MTR Kevlar- 37x12.50 17's ( 5) 
*Micky Thompson Classic II's ( 5)
*Black painted interior hard-top and front panels

That's probably about 90% of the custom or after-market mods that I've done. I'm sure that I'm leaving some things out lol.


----------



## wannabguitarist

I have no idea what half the stuff in that list is but that sounds like one helluva build


----------



## asher

New wheels look MUCH better Forrest


----------



## High Plains Drifter

wannabguitarist said:


> I have no idea what half the stuff in that list is but that sounds like one helluva build



That was going to be my assumption lol. I moderate a Jeep forum where all the above info was already printed so it was just a quick copy/ paste. 

I've been involved very intricately with the off-road community for about the last 15 years... and not the stereotypical disrespectful, littering, redneck, mud bogging type crowd... but rather a community comprised of environmentally conscious enthusiasts that act responsibly... although love to get crazy lol. 

Thanks for the interest. My baby isn't in the realm of hard-core imo... but she's pretty close. And she's definitely capable on the rocks and trails.


----------



## BigBaldIan

asher said:


> New wheels look MUCH better Forrest



I heartily concur that the OEM look is much better than before. Any plans on the headlights yet to match the halo rears?



High Plains Drifter said:


> That was going to be my assumption lol. I moderate a Jeep forum where all the above info was already printed so it was just a quick copy/ paste.
> 
> I've been involved very intricately with the off-road community for about the last 15 years... and not the stereotypical disrespectful, littering, redneck, mud bogging type crowd... but rather a community comprised of environmentally conscious enthusiasts that act responsibly... although love to get crazy lol.
> 
> Thanks for the interest. My baby isn't in the realm of hard-core imo... but she's pretty close. And she's definitely capable on the rocks and trails.



All the pictures show you in rather pristine environments so you must be pretty adept at getting into and out of places. Funnily enough in the UK off-roaders are treated generally by other petrolheads (certainly in my experience) as slightly daft (but mostly harmless) eccentrics.


----------



## High Plains Drifter

BigBaldIan said:


> I heartily concur that the OEM look is much better than before. Any plans on the headlights yet to match the halo rears?
> 
> 
> 
> All the pictures show you in rather pristine environments so you must be pretty adept at getting into and out of places. Funnily enough in the UK off-roaders are treated generally by other petrolheads (certainly in my experience) as slightly daft (but mostly harmless) eccentrics.



Off-roading on public land is the hot issue in the states. The places that I normally go are privately owned farms, ranches, off-road parks, etc. We don't "create" new trails, destroy native plants, disrupt wildlife, etc, etc. I especially am concerned with litter and debris on public land so the few times that I do frequent those areas, I tend to come back with a large trash bag ( or more) filled with garbage. 

Noise pollution, trail etiquette, human waste disposal, creation of bypasses, unecessary wheel spin, proper fluid disposal, negative man-made water shed pollution/ disruption, awareness of flora/ fauna, etc, etc, etc... all things that I strive to educate others about. There will always be some bad-seeds in any group, but the people that I typically run with are also passionate about preservation of our natural resources and minimizing any potentially negative environmental impacts.


----------



## Forrest_H

asher said:


> New wheels look MUCH better Forrest





BigBaldIan said:


> I heartily concur that the OEM look is much better than before. Any plans on the headlights yet to match the halo rears?



Cheers guys 

As far as the headlights, I'm still undecided. I'd like to run xenons in a projector housing, but I've had a lot of weird electrical gremlins lately, so I'm waiting until I finally sort everything out before I move from plug-n-play stuff to splicing in new sockets 

I am going to install a short shifter soon, though. The stock shifter is incredibly long, had a chance to drive a neighbor's 99 coupe with a Hurst installed, and now mine feels like I'm driving an 18 wheeler


----------



## TheStig1214

Forrest_H said:


> I am going to install a short shifter soon, though. The stock shifter is incredibly long, had a chance to drive a neighbor's 99 coupe with a Hurst installed, and now mine feels like I'm driving an 18 wheeler



Eh, I like a long throw. More leverage for me means I shift faster and more accurately. Hence why I installed this for a 1 foot throw.


----------



## Dodeejeroo

Daily Drivers are my 2003 Tacoma Prerunner and my wife drives a 2014 Subaru Crosstrek.
But when the schedule and weather permits we take Goldie for a drive.










1970 Camaro Sport 350


----------



## Forrest_H

TheStig1214 said:


> Eh, I like a long throw. More leverage for me means I shift faster and more accurately. Hence why I installed this for a 1 foot throw.



That thing looks sick! 

See, I got too accustomed to how tight and short the throws were on the 911 and the neighbor's '99 were, and while it's definitely not infringing on performance, I REALLY don't like how tall the stock shifter sits, and how far apart the gears are from each other. But that's just me 



Dodeejeroo said:


> 1970 Camaro Sport 350



That thing is absolutely gorgeous man. My recently deceased friend and I were trying to build the '71 RS that was rotting away in his backyard, but we never got the chance  It looks amazing, you're a lucky man


----------



## Dodeejeroo

Forrest_H said:


> That thing is absolutely gorgeous man. My recently deceased friend and I were trying to build the '71 RS that was rotting away in his backyard, but we never got the chance  It looks amazing, you're a lucky man



Thanks man, sorry to hear about your friend.

Goldie isn't perfect on the outside, I'd like to get the correct spoiler for '70 on her and get a fresh coat of paint on there but she's a good 20-footer right now. Interior is pretty much redone. Lowered with shocks/springs/sways, Richmond 5-speed, MSD ignition and fuel-injection, and some other goodies. It's the first V8 car I've ever owned and I have to say, it's fun having all that power right off idle!


----------



## asher

Forrest_H said:


> That thing looks sick!
> 
> See, I got too accustomed to how tight and short the throws were on the 911 and the neighbor's '99 were, and while it's definitely not infringing on performance, I REALLY don't like how tall the stock shifter sits, and how far apart the gears are from each other. But that's just me



So my comparison for "long throw" is our old '73 911E. And when I say long, I'm 6' tall and my wingspan is actually like 2" longer than my height. Second gear was pulling almost into my hip and the belt buckle latch, and getting into fifth _required actually moving my shoulder forward_. Like, some lean into it. Which is just ridiculous  It also had a ton of play to it and sometimes liked to pop out of 1/2/3, but that I'm sure was the age.

With that car it was part of its charm, of course, but I don't know why anyone would choose that on a modern car. And that's without factoring how spoiled I've gotten with the STI's short-throw; even going to the 330 felt huuuuge.


----------



## Joose

Well y'all, the Daytona is gone. It was time to upgrade, while still making sure I maintain space for all of my toolboxes and whatnot, and decent MPG. So I grabbed a 2013 Charger R/T with the Road And Track Performance Package; the finish is Redline Tri-Pearlcoat.

What that means is.... a Sport Mode that tightens up the suspension, shifts, throttle response, etc. Paddles shifters, 3.06 gears, SRT seats (heated and vented; and heated rear seats), memory seats and steering wheel column, SRT HID headlamps, auto dimming mirrors, the top UConnect system with the 8.4" screen, heated and cooled cupholders, the red Heritage badges and black honeycomb grille, and many other things. I think the only option it doesn't have is cross-path detection, which is beyond fine by me, because those systems are damn annoying.

That Daytona was great to me. 70k miles I added to it in 3 years. 4 different states, with very different climates. It was truly saddening to watch it drive away.

Anyway, less than half of the miles that were on the Daytona, only $18 more per month and insurance went down due to the better anti-theft stuff.

Hopefully these aren't too big, but oh well if they are! (Last one wasn't taken by me, my phone has a way better camera lol. But so the seats are visible)


----------



## BigBaldIan

^
Aside from the lack of retina violating paintwork, pretty much an updated version of the green monster then? Nice motor fella.


----------



## Joose

BigBaldIan said:


> ^
> Aside from the lack of retina violating paintwork, pretty much an updated version of the green monster then? Nice motor fella.



Thank you, sir. And yes, VERY updated. I've been downplaying this gen for years, because I really felt they were basically just the same cars with more aggressive bodywork and a nice looking interior. But the interior isn't just nice looking, it's nice feeling; it's tight and everything is where it should be.

I have no intention of doing any really serious mods. Catback, intake, the Bilstein springs and shocks from the SRT, maybe wider wheels, tune... i don't want any more than that for this one. 

Man, it drives so nice. R/T's of the last gen (like my Daytona) were overlooked because the SRT-8 was just so much better. The newer R/T's are overlooked because of the previous gen. I test drove a 2012 SRT-8 Super Bee and couldn't come up with a reason to spend the extra money. Far more expensive to own too. If I really want that additional 100bhp, that can be had for a lot less than the price difference between the 2 actual cars.

Anyway, you know it's a good engine when you buy 3 consecutive cars with it lol


----------



## BigBaldIan

Joose said:


> Thank you, sir. And yes, VERY updated. I've been downplaying this gen for years, because I really felt they were basically just the same cars with more aggressive bodywork and a nice looking interior. But the interior isn't just nice looking, it's nice feeling; it's tight and everything is where it should be.
> 
> I have no intention of doing any really serious mods. Catback, intake, the Bilstein springs and shocks from the SRT, maybe wider wheels, tune... i don't want any more than that for this one.
> 
> Man, it drives so nice. R/T's of the last gen (like my Daytona) were overlooked because the SRT-8 was just so much better. The newer R/T's are overlooked because of the previous gen. I test drove a 2012 SRT-8 Super Bee and couldn't come up with a reason to spend the extra money. Far more expensive to own too. If I really want that additional 100bhp, that can be had for a lot less than the price difference between the 2 actual cars.
> 
> Anyway, you know it's a good engine when you buy 3 consecutive cars with it lol



Know where you're coming from, buy slightly behind the halo model pocket the difference and spend less getting it up to the spec (or near as dammit as said halo model). Plus of course you don't necessarily attract the unwanted attention that owning the halo model will get you.

Mopar is not my forte but I assume this has the 5.7 Hemi as opposed to the 6.4 but I'm guessing some tweaks will get you the extra 100 ponies required.

Plus dare I say it once suitably fettled you'll have a bit of a sleeper. Just wish Dodge would make 'em RHD (same with GM for that matter). Once Holden ceases manufacturing in 2017 and just effectively rebadges other GM products, there'll be nothing to compete with the Mustang as a muscle-car for the world market.

Recent picture of the mighty Bob post paint correction at IWM Duxford:
















Last two pics courtesy of my other half.


----------



## Joose

^Love it. They're so pretty.

And yeah, 5.7, 370bhp, 395 lb-ft. Most people will beat an SRT with the basic mods. Exhaust, intake, heads, cam, maybe headers. But I'm not going that far. I'll find a cheap LS2 GTO or '08 GT500 later on. This is just a really good, really fun daily.

I'm really loving its appearance and presence. And the retro-influenced taillights are just my favorite thing ever haha. The black housing around them and everything.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^

Always nice when a company manages to have a heritage nod with modern technology especially with the design cues. I can heartily recommend an LS2 GTO (which was effectively a LHD version of the Holden Monaro), needs a brake upgrade and the fuel tank location makes the boot practically useless for anything other than weekend bags. However the LS series is a modern legend for a damn good reason. Still want to drive a Hemi powered monster though.


----------



## Joose

Yeah man, I love the Goats and Monaros. Subtle monsters.

Also, I forgot to mention that my neighbor bought one on the same day haha. He just needs to get rid of the chrome on the grille, unless he likes it of course.. i think it looks tacky though, glad they did all black for a few of the packages.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^

Yup definitely looks better with black rather than brightwork.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Did the '13 Charger come with the 8-speed? Sweet upgrade


----------



## Beefmuffin

Looks like I found this thread at the right time (with all these chargers showing up). Picked up my 06 300C SRT8 last week. I planned on waiting to post about it until I got some pics but it's been raining here for the past 5 days. Once that stops, I'll be detailing it and taking pictures. Hopefully that ends up being tomorrow.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Beefmuffin said:


> Looks like I found this thread at the right time (with all these chargers showing up). Picked up my 06 300C SRT8 last week. I planned on waiting to post about it until I got some pics but it's been raining here for the past 5 days. Once that stops, I'll be detailing it and taking pictures. Hopefully that ends up being tomorrow.



Just looked and these were available in the UK and RHD as well, good to know.


----------



## Beefmuffin

BigBaldIan said:


> Just looked and these were available in the UK and RHD as well, good to know.


 
The perfect combination of luxury and muscle. Also, (not sure about the UK) but you can find them here in the US for about 1-2k under the charger SRT8's of the same year. This is typically due to the fact that most people looking at the Chrysler 300's aren't the same people wanting to put that much horsepower in their hands.


----------



## BigBaldIan

UK models of the SRT8 were between 2006 and 2010 with the 6.1 Hemi, finding some nice ones at the 14K mark.


----------



## GaryDAG

I'm pretty pleased with my modest collection.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^

Now if I were a betting man I'd say the Buick was the straight-line monster of the 3.


----------



## haydn

Loving all the Chargers being posted. In the market for an AWD and strongly considering one.


----------



## GaryDAG

BigBaldIan said:


> ^
> 
> Now if I were a betting man I'd say the Buick was the straight-line monster of the 3.



The Z06 is no slouch. LS6 based 383 stroker with a 125 shot of nitrous, RPM trans, and Stage 3 clutch. 510 to the rear wheels before spray.

But the Buick is putting out around 7 in HP and 8+ in tq. Full cage, bob bailey 2 step, trans brake, line lock, etc etc.

From 0-130 it's hard to top, from there to 170 the Z is in command.


----------



## BigBaldIan

GaryDAG said:


> The Z06 is no slouch. LS6 based 383 stroker with a 125 shot of nitrous, RPM trans, and Stage 3 clutch. 510 to the rear wheels before spray.
> 
> But the Buick is putting out around 7 in HP and 8+ in tq. Full cage, bob bailey 2 step, trans brake, line lock, etc etc.
> 
> From 0-130 it's hard to top, from there to 170 the Z is in command.



Once you hit those speeds you're really starting to fight a losing war with aerodynamics.


----------



## GaryDAG

BigBaldIan said:


> Once you hit those speeds you're really starting to fight a losing war with aerodynamics.



Especially with the Brick Buick, the Z has pretty aggressive gearing that limits it up top, not to mention the FRC (fixed roof coupe) is less aerodynamic than the fastback model.


Gas is too expensive to go that fast anyway.


----------



## Joose

wannabguitarist said:


> Did the '13 Charger come with the 8-speed? Sweet upgrade



I wish it did, but they only offered it on the V6 until 2015. I still dig the Mercedes 5 speed though. I know they aren't the fastest or smoothest, but between my 2 previous vehicles, I've put over 150k miles on two of then and two 5.7 Hemis without the slightest issue with either. Just a radiator replacement at 96k miles on the Daytona. That trans can take a beating. No wonder they kept it in the S65 AMG for so long.

But yes, a nice upgrade, thanks!


----------



## Joose

haydn said:


> Loving all the Chargers being posted. In the market for an AWD and strongly considering one.



I can't speak for the AWD, or any engine but the 5.7, but what a fine engine it is!

-------------

Also, these BF Goodrich G-Force Sport Comp-2 tires are lovely! Both in performance AND appearance haha. Seriously, it feels like I lose hardly any grip in the wet, and that's saying something with how crazy slick the roads get when it rains here (Vegas). 

Depending on the tread life, I just may buy a set when the time comes. They only have about 400 miles on them right now.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

I'm fighting going to the dealership to test drive the Charger Scat Pack.....that 6.4 Hemi is just sick for the price of the car. Got a new truck last Feb (2015) though so don't think I can sell the wife on switching it up.....hahaha!


----------



## Joose

TheShreddinHand said:


> I'm fighting going to the dealership to test drive the Charger Scat Pack.....that 6.4 Hemi is just sick for the price of the car. Got a new truck last Feb (2015) though so don't think I can sell the wife on switching it up.....hahaha!



Yeah it's a great deal. If you're someone who's going to load up on options, the SRT makes more sense. But keeping options minimal, Scat Pack is the way to go.

And then the Challenger... Scat Pack all the way cause you can get the Shaker lol


----------



## ZeroTolerance94

Well... Looks like Trucks Gone Wild is coming up here in 3 weeks.

Gotta rebuild my transfer case and put some rubber on my '87 K10, between this week and next. She's for off road use only, so shouldn't be a problem. Still able to get to work haha. 

After that she'll be goin under the knife for some Rockwell 2.5 ton axles. 
6.72 final drive should be fun.

Got until November to finish the build, really excited to get started on it after this next mudfest event.


----------



## Arkeion

Wonder if Misha ever got that GT-R..

Also, my ride, except I removed the stupid chrome door handles, chrome grill guard, and chrome mirror covers:


----------



## Joose

^Blacked out single cab Rams look so damn good.


----------



## Arkeion

I love the truck, man. I've driven Dodge/Chrysler/Ram since I was a teenager, and I'll always drive a Chrysler until I have a reason not to.

It's the Black edition Express with the 5.7L.

Strange story:
I bought that Ram in October of 2014 after a lady pulled out in front of me in town (T-Bone style accident) in my 2013 Dart. Totaled the car, did like 10k worth of damage. My car pretty much folded into the side of her Chevy Equinox. No major injuries, had some scratches and a Dodge steering-wheel logo burned into my forearm from the airbag deployment. It was super obvious, comical, and kinda neat, but it has healed now. It was there for a solid 6 months.

Fast forward 1 year later, October of 2015, a lady pulls out in front of me AGAIN (on her cellphone) resulting in a T-Bone style accident on my lunch break. Did about $7k worth of damage to the front end of my Ram, but it lived. Can't say the same for her older Jetta 

I think I need to ride a bicycle during the month of October, because it's destiny I destroy a vehicle during the month


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Joose said:


> Yeah it's a great deal. If you're someone who's going to load up on options, the SRT makes more sense. But keeping options minimal, Scat Pack is the way to go.
> 
> And then the Challenger... Scat Pack all the way cause you can get the Shaker lol



It's an insane deal for the engine you get in the Scat Pack and the cost of the car. And I'm one of the few people probably who actually likes cloth better than leather (for comfort not looks). It can be 20 degrees out, but if the sun is hitting me, anything touching that leather seat is going to start sweating and I'm a workout freak and there's nothing worse than sitting on leather after sweating profusely. Ugh. So yeah, I would definitely be an options minimal guy. My main problem is that I live in Pittsburgh, and while they do a fantastic job plowing streets, a RWD car pushing almost 500 ponies and torque to match just ain't gonna fly for 3 months of the year. I guess I could get snow tires for the winter months, but not sure how much they'll help. Anyone with a RWD car doing snow with snow tires?

And I agree, the Challenger is just sick too, but having kids I need 4 doors. Gotta be a family car you know!? Haha!


----------



## Joose

TheShreddinHand said:


> It's an insane deal for the engine you get in the Scat Pack and the cost of the car. And I'm one of the few people probably who actually likes cloth better than leather (for comfort not looks). It can be 20 degrees out, but if the sun is hitting me, anything touching that leather seat is going to start sweating and I'm a workout freak and there's nothing worse than sitting on leather after sweating profusely. Ugh. So yeah, I would definitely be an options minimal guy. My main problem is that I live in Pittsburgh, and while they do a fantastic job plowing streets, a RWD car pushing almost 500 ponies and torque to match just ain't gonna fly for 3 months of the year. I guess I could get snow tires for the winter months, but not sure how much they'll help. Anyone with a RWD car doing snow with snow tires?
> 
> And I agree, the Challenger is just sick too, but having kids I need 4 doors. Gotta be a family car you know!? Haha!



I drove in snow quite a few times in Denver in my '07 Daytona, and it actually did great on all-season tires. That said, 135 less hp, 85 less torque. But the Scat Pack is nearly 500lbs heavier. So, I would say you can do it, but I wouldn't just because I hated what it was doing to my Daytona. Luckily, most of Denver's car washes have pretty good underbody washers. It's actually what they put on the roads to combat the snow that seemed to be the worst, as I'm sure you know already, living in Pittsburgh and all. If I lived somewhere like that, I would probably have some cheap beater 4x4 truck/SUV/Subaru for those days.

And yes, I know all about the need for 4 doors. I don't have kids, but my job/business requires a good amount of space and the need to fold the rear seats down and often put bulky autoclaves in the car, so the rear doors are necessary for easier access. And I'm just not a truck/SUV guy, so a Charger just makes all the sense in the world.


----------



## angus

Arkeion said:


> Wonder if Misha ever got that GT-R..



We did talk about them for a bit. Offered to let him drive mine when I was in Maryland, but they were on tour. Hope he ended up getting one at some point!


----------



## Joose

angus said:


> We did talk about them for a bit. Offered to let him drive mine when I was in Maryland, but they were on tour. Hope he ended up getting one at some point!



Ooooh, may we see?


----------



## angus

It's on the bottom of page 86! I need to get some new pictures.


----------



## Joose

Oh man, that thing looks spectacular in white. Congrats to you, sir. Well done.


----------



## Beefmuffin

As promised, my 06 300C SRT8


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Joose said:


> I drove in snow quite a few times in Denver in my '07 Daytona, and it actually did great on all-season tires. That said, 135 less hp, 85 less torque. But the Scat Pack is nearly 500lbs heavier. So, I would say you can do it, but I wouldn't just because I hated what it was doing to my Daytona. Luckily, most of Denver's car washes have pretty good underbody washers. It's actually what they put on the roads to combat the snow that seemed to be the worst, as I'm sure you know already, living in Pittsburgh and all. If I lived somewhere like that, I would probably have some cheap beater 4x4 truck/SUV/Subaru for those days.
> 
> And yes, I know all about the need for 4 doors. I don't have kids, but my job/business requires a good amount of space and the need to fold the rear seats down and often put bulky autoclaves in the car, so the rear doors are necessary for easier access. And I'm just not a truck/SUV guy, so a Charger just makes all the sense in the world.



Yeah, I always try to hit the car washes for a good underbody wash. I wish I could install an underbody wash in my garage for everytime I pull in during the winter months! Ha!

What was going on underneath yours? Rusting away or that salt/chemical mixture eating through stuff?


----------



## Joose

TheShreddinHand said:


> Yeah, I always try to hit the car washes for a good underbody wash. I wish I could install an underbody wash in my garage for everytime I pull in during the winter months! Ha!
> 
> What was going on underneath yours? Rusting away or that salt/chemical mixture eating through stuff?



I lived in an area where the neighborhood snow removal guys used salt instead of sand/chemicals. It just looked so nasty underneath. I never let it sit on there more than a day or two; depending on how bad the roads were. 

The chemicals on the main roads, whatever it was called, ate the chrome off of parts of my wheels though.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Finally got around to throwing all the parts on my car:





25mm drop on Ohlins DFV. 17x9 TSW Interlagos (painted Kaiser silver) all around with Michelin Pilot Super Sports, CT intake, and this wonderful exhaust:





Still working on the tune but car is definitely quicker than my prior setup. Gotta finish up some bodywork (vandalism is a bitch ) and gut my soft top then the project is done.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^
Sorry to hear that some asshat did that to your ride. Tasteful mods if I may say so myself, it's almost a pity those Ohlins are hidden from view....almost.


----------



## Joose

Hit some of Route 66 today. Would have taken more photos of the twisty bits, but Sport Mode and I were busy.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^

A Charger in it's natural environment, you get some big skies out there.


----------



## Joose

^Yessir. Shame I have to go back to Florida soon. Going to miss all of the big, twisty roads and elevation changes. Not looking forward to returning to Florida's dull highways and mostly straight roads. -sigh-

But hey, all so that I can someday have the money to spend half of the year out in this part of the country and fill that garage accordingly. 

I would say I'll get some "Florida cars"... but V6 convertible Mustangs and Z3s just aren't my thing.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Joose, Dodge could totally use some of your photos as ads. Looks like a great road trip 



BigBaldIan said:


> ^
> Sorry to hear that some asshat did that to your ride. Tasteful mods if I may say so myself, it's almost a pity those Ohlins are hidden from view....almost.



I should borrow a good camera to take some pictures but one of my favorite parts about the car now is seeing the hint of gold peeking behind the wheels when I walk up. So cool


----------



## Joose

wannabguitarist said:


> Joose, Dodge could totally use some of your photos as ads. Looks like a great road trip



Haha, thanks man. We'll see if I can get photos with equally nice backdrops in FL. Certainly won't be in Jacksonville, I'll have to travel.


----------



## broj15

looks like I be spending tomorrow afternoon replacing the fuel pump in my '99 BMW M3 ... Not my ideal saturday afternoon, but what are ya gonna do


----------



## wannabguitarist

broj15 said:


> looks like I be spending tomorrow afternoon replacing the fuel pump in my '99 BMW M3 ... Not my ideal saturday afternoon, but what are ya gonna do



Not at all a fun job. Hopefully this helps: BMW E36 3-Series Fuel Pump Replacement (1992 - 1999) | Pelican Parts DIY Maintenance Article


----------



## ESPImperium

NEW CAR DAY!!!

Vauxhall Astra 1.6 Techline GT




The toys this thing has is crazy!


----------



## BigBaldIan

ESPImperium said:


> NEW CAR DAY!!!
> 
> Vauxhall Astra 1.6 Techline GT
> 
> The toys this thing has is crazy!



Nice haven't had chance to drive one yet. How does it compare to the Focus?


----------



## Dayviewer

Always had a love for cars, however, I'm 24 and still don't have a driver's license 
But that's about to change! 
Got my first lesson tomorrow and I will be doing 3 every week, hope to have my license in 3 months max, super excited!
Then the chase is on for my first car, most likely will try to get a Miata


----------



## Joose

Dayviewer said:


> Always had a love for cars, however, I'm 24 and still don't have a driver's license
> But that's about to change!
> Got my first lesson tomorrow and I will be doing 3 every week, hope to have my license in 3 months max, super excited!
> Then the chase is on for my first car, most likely will try to get a Miata



Hey man, the fewer 16-20 year-olds driving, the better haha. Good luck! Your love for cars will create an instant love for driving too. A Miata sounds like a fun first car, considering they're fun even as a 10th car lol. I would love to fly through some of these twisty roads out here in one. My car does it very well, considering its uh, largeness, but it's more fun in between the corners haha


----------



## BigBaldIan

Joose said:


> I would love to fly through some of these twisty roads out here in one. My car does it very well, considering its uh, largeness, but it's more fun in between the corners haha



What was it you said....something about wide roads and a lot of desert in case anything got a bit squirrely?


----------



## Joose

Indeed haha. A lot of them have walls of rock on both sides though. It was frightening back in the Sub Lime Daytona. Luckily, this one's Sport Mode seems to actually do something. But more than that, I've got some great tires. These BF Goodrich G-Force Sport Comp-2s hardly even chirped when I was really getting at it. Just gotta see if the tread life will be worth getting them again, or maybe try the All-Season version. I drive upwards of 2,000 miles/month. If they only last like 7 months, then it'll depend on how much I still like them.


----------



## ESPImperium

BigBaldIan said:


> Nice haven't had chance to drive one yet. How does it compare to the Focus?



Never driven a Focus, don't like Ford cars. But i like Ford more than all brands owned by VW Group. Only had a few short trips to/from work in it and it is begging to be thrown around. To my old Corsa its superior in every way, more toys onboard, better/shorter throw on the gear stick, zippy acceleration and a car that will do me for the next 4 years or so.


----------



## broj15

Fuel pump replacement was successful. This was the first time I'd ever worked on a car apart from changing the oil or changing a tire. It feels great being self sufficient.


----------



## BigBaldIan

broj15 said:


> Fuel pump replacement was successful. This was the first time I'd ever worked on a car apart from changing the oil or changing a tire. It feels great being self sufficient.



Nicely done, got to replace one of the driver's lamps as the lens has a manky great crack in.







As you can see from the picure it's just above the small domed front fog and is only accessible from the rear. Yup, this is going to be an absolute ballache.


----------



## TheStig1214

BigBaldIan said:


> Nicely done, got to replace one of the driver's lamps as the lens has a manky great crack in.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As you can see from the picure it's just above the small domed front fog and is only accessible from the rear. Yup, this is going to be an absolute ballache.



Reminds me of when I converted my fog lights to LED DRLs. Had to remove the whole front bumper cover and splice a module into the ECU wiring. Totally worth it.


----------



## Ebart

I just want an El Camino. Year doesn't matter. Just want one. It's like a dream car. Also, I heard that Ford is remaking the Bronco sometime in the next several years. Add that to the list too.


----------



## Joose

My latest Charger gets its first road trip next week. Vegas>Florida. My route is 2,222 miles with 1 Day and 8 hours of driving. Woo!


----------



## BigBaldIan

Joose said:


> My latest Charger gets its first road trip next week. Vegas>Florida. My route is 2,222 miles with 1 Day and 8 hours of driving. Woo!



All I can say is, PICS!


----------



## Joose

^See, photos are why I'm debating with myself over whether or not to cover the front with painters tape. It protects it from the bugs (without purchasing something I'll never use again), but will be so damn ugly haha. I may just bring some cleaning tools and clear it every fuel stop.


----------



## Dodeejeroo

Ebart said:


> I just want an El Camino. Year doesn't matter. Just want one. It's like a dream car. Also, I heard that Ford is remaking the Bronco sometime in the next several years. Add that to the list too.



I have a coworker who is selling his 1970 El Camino SS. 396 cubic inches of fury, original SS but not numbers matching engine, he's asking $13k up here in NorCal...


----------



## BigBaldIan

Joose said:


> ^See, photos are why I'm debating with myself over whether or not to cover the front with painters tape. It protects it from the bugs (without purchasing something I'll never use again), but will be so damn ugly haha. I may just bring some cleaning tools and clear it every fuel stop.



Hmm masking tape or car bra? Still think tape is the better option, or just a box with some bug dissolver and cleaning stuff.


----------



## Joose

BigBaldIan said:


> Hmm masking tape or car bra? Still think tape is the better option, or just a box with some bug dissolver and cleaning stuff.



The is definitely the better option unless I wanted to spend hundreds on one of those clearbra things. But I don't. Haha

I'm just going to bring stuff to clean it every so often.


----------



## ddtonfire

Did the Lone Pine Time Trials a few weekends ago:


----------



## Joose

1852 miles down, 370 to go. 

I had forgotten what real humidity feels like. x_x


----------



## BigBaldIan

Joose said:


> 1852 miles down, 370 to go.
> 
> I had forgotten what real humidity feels like. x_x



A trifle swampy is it? 

In other news Bob sailed through his MOT.


----------



## BucketheadRules

I'm still enjoying my 2005 Civic, need to do a little work on it though. Quite a few scratches from my duff parking etc., and it needs a service, but it runs beautifully and the vast amount of space inside has been very useful for transporting gear! I've managed to fit all of the following into it on a couple of occasions:

Boot:

My amp (my dad's Peavey Bandit which I was gigging with prior to getting my DRRI)
My bassist's Markbass 1x12 combo
My drummer's breakables
My drummer's folding trolley for carrying his gear around
My pedalboard
Our various bags and jackets
My guitar on the parcel shelf

Back seat:

My singer
My drummer
My singer's 88-key Nord Stage II in its case (yes, really. Took quite some manoeuvring but we did it)
My folding trolley for wheeling the amp around

Front seat:

My bass player, his bass and the singer's keyboard stand

And me in the driver's seat obviously 

It's amazing how much stuff you can fit into a Civic. Very cleverly packaged.

Once my no-claims bonus is hopefully built up a bit and my insurance goes down, I would like something a little faster and more modern though... still needs to be practical, so I'm thinking either a semi-hot hatch or an estate... probably either a newer (2006-on) Civic 1.8 (140-odd bhp) or possibly a mk5 Golf with the amazing 170bhp 1.4 TSI engine. The Golf would be a proper little rocket - 0-60 in under 8 seconds, top speed of near 140mph and because it's turbocharged AND supercharged, about 180lb ft of torque which is far more than I've ever had before. And still nearly 40mpg too.

But hey, I'm a while off being able to afford such a thing. And I still love my little blue 1.6  I only got it in September and have put nearly 5000 miles on it.


----------



## BigBaldIan

^

Firstly I commend you on your mad car-packing Tetris skills. I owned a second gen Skoda Fabia vRS which had the 180bhp 1.4 Twincharged lump and with a DSG unit it's a potent combination. However if you are going to go down that route avoid the earlier (pre 2012 IIRC) models as they drank oil like crazy. The Fabia only had a 3.6l sump and it I ended up carrying a 1.5l bottle of the 5W-30 fully synthetic around as it'd go through it once a month on average.


----------



## maliciousteve

So I just bought a new car.

2012 Ford Mondeo Titanium X Estate. It's so big you could live in it. 2.0 litre Diesel 140bhp with the automatic Powershift gearbox. It's so comfortable and the ride on the motorway is so smooth. It picks up speed quite nicely, it really throws you into your seat.

Not as fast as some of the other cars posted here but it's just right for getting up to 70mph without much effort and fitting everything but the kitchen sink inside. 

So glad to be rid of my little Punto Evo


----------



## texshred777

My new ride

2013 Ford Fusion SE. I love this car. So comfortable, quiet, and drives like a dream. The back seat and trunk are huge too. Now if I can just find the proper touch up paint for the wheels.

Can't wait for the rain to quit for a second so I can take some clay bar, polish, and wax to her.


----------



## Thall My Circuits

My ProTuned 2003 WRX Wagon


----------



## Forrest_H

This is a long one, but I'm finally bringing myself to post about this.

So, the C5 had a leak in the firewall (specifically, the passenger side footwell, which is where the BCM and wiper module are) that I thought I'd fixed. One particular night, I was driving home from band practice in the worst storm I've seen in Texas. Much to my dismay, the leak had actually gotten worse, killing the wipers. I'd pulled off to the side of the road to try to stop the leak, but I suppose the rain was worse than I thought, as people weren't seeing me through the rain and dark, and were nearly hitting me. I didn't have anywhere else to pull over to, as I was already hugging the curb. Split between frying the BCM and getting rear-ended, or trying to make it down the road to a bank with a covered ATM, I brilliantly decided to follow some tail lights. What I didn't notice was a 3 foot ditch. 

I was going about 10mph, and luckily the air bags didn't go off because of that, but I basically drove my car into a ditch and stopped by hitting a wall. Somehow, the engine would crank, but at the time it'd taken in a bit of water, so it wasn't staying on. After a huge headache with the police assuming I was drunk and/or a drug dealer (20 years old with a Corvette in a ditch late at night typically doesn't inspire law-enforcement to assume you did indeed pay for the car), they thankfully gave me a chance to call a tow company my family has used for years. 

Now, I'm not the type of person to be critical of ANYONE helping me with a stupid f-cking mistake I made, but what this guy did made even the officers go "dude, what the f-ck are you doing?". Apparently it was his second or third time towing, so I can't be super harsh, but the guy proceeded to try to lift my car BY THE BUMPER. I pretty much just sat there, internally screaming as this dude curls up the bumper and destroys a piece of the car that holds the radiator, smog pump, and a bunch of other .... in place. I spent the next 3 hours effectively showing this guy where you could hook the car and how to get it out of where it was.

Thankfully, the guys at the body shop it was towed to were actually the ones to call out the towing company like "seriously, what the f-ck? That isn't a $3000 towing job", so I didn't blow my savings on the tow. However, even more heartbreaking was the fact that I was quoted at $14,000, which is about $2000 less than I paid for the car. After looking at the price sheet and basically watching the money I'd spent making that car mine go to nothing, I went up to the body shop and told them that there was no way I could afford that. 

Here's where stuff gets a little better, though. Somehow the guy at the body shop took a liking to my story with the car and saw my soul absolutely crushed by this whole situation, and went with me under the car to show me that the car still runs, the frame is fine (save for the radiator mount/skid plate threading and holes), the wheels somehow didn't get destroyed, and that, if I was careful and quick, I could DRIVE the car somewhere to where I could sit and fix everything. As much as I hate to admit it, I very seriously went completely into tears of joy. Nearly all of my family has worked for GM at some point, and I've been around this generation of Corvette quite literally since I was old enough to walk and talk, and the fact that at some point, my departed grandfather had hands on this car (potentially, according to his friends and some of my family and the VIN) has made this car way more than a car to me. I am so eternally grateful to James (Body Shop Guy) for taking the time to walk me through the car and get it fixed to the point where I could drive over to my father's garage (I don't have a garage unfortunately), and that dude got some serious beer money from me.

I'll keep you guys posted on what all I have done so far, but I seriously needed to get this off of my chest. Like, i crashed a car made almost entirely out of fiberglass and all I have to do is replace the front bumper, the skid plate (which acts as the support for the radiator), and the radiator. This whole thing has been such a roller coaster but, Jesus, it could have gone so much worse.


----------



## High Plains Drifter

No pics but just picked up a 1999 Toyota 4runner SR5... black. Runs like a champ and every single switch, knob, etc works flawlessly! Lots of mileage but this thing was obviously very well cared for and has an immaculate maintenance log. Interior is amazingly nice too for a vehicle this age. Even has a cassette deck hey lol!


----------



## BigBaldIan

Forrest_H said:


> This whole thing has been such a roller coaster but, Jesus, it could have gone so much worse.



Looks like the Vegvisir in your avatar served you well (in all seriousness), firstly glad you're okay the 'Vette can be fixed more easily than you can. Secondly it's safe where it can get some medical attention, like you said a complete arse but could've been so much worse.


----------



## BucketheadRules

Buddy of mine just gave me a lift home in his brand new Golf GTI.

F*ck. Me.

What a car. Want one.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Just realised this:






Is actually an Ægishjálmur so bit of a runic screw-up there. On a different note I'm awaiting a factory reconned Magnuson LS2 supercharger kit, it's an earlier gen V not VI but should be more than adequate for what I need it to do.


----------



## Dodeejeroo

Couple of pics from a local car show yesterday...

Here's Goldie in between my in-laws' 1946 Chevy pickup and their neighbor's early 50's Chevy project.








Some shots of the truck before we drove to the show, what you can't see is the supercharged small-block under the hood 












And some pics of my wife and her mom in front of Goldie...


----------



## BigBaldIan

Dodeejeroo said:


> Couple of pics from a local car show yesterday...



Is the pickup going to be kept with the rat-rod look or will paint follow, Goldie is still very nice BTW.


----------



## Dodeejeroo

The pickup will be painted to match the dash eventually, he had just recently finished a lot of the sheet metal work around the bed and rear fenders. Cool story, that truck is actually his first vehicle, he bought it when he was 15 and it's been evolving ever since. He says he'd have to sit down and think to recall the different engines it has had over the years.


----------



## Beefmuffin

Dodeejeroo said:


> The pickup will be painted to match the dash eventually



Oh noooo! I LOVE the current look of it.


----------



## aciek_l

What do you about E46 330i as a daily driver? I have a chance to grab one in great condition instead of my audi A3 1.6.  I know the maintanance will be more expensive, but AFAIK in not totally huge difference. Gas will be even cheaper, as this BMW have good LPG installed.


----------



## Dodeejeroo

I think the E46 is still one of the best looking generations, never owned one though so I can't comment on the important stuff.


----------



## Dodeejeroo

Beefmuffin said:


> Oh noooo! I LOVE the current look of it.



Yeah I love the "unfinished" look of it as well. It's an absolute monster as well.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Forrest_H said:


> Now, I'm not the type of person to be critical of ANYONE helping me with a stupid f-cking mistake I made, but what this guy did made even the officers go "dude, what the f-ck are you doing?". Apparently it was his second or third time towing, so I can't be super harsh, but the guy proceeded to try to lift my car BY THE BUMPER. I pretty much just sat there, internally screaming as this dude curls up the bumper and destroys a piece of the car that holds the radiator, smog pump, and a bunch of other .... in place. I spent the next 3 hours effectively showing this guy where you could hook the car and how to get it out of where it was.



Glad to hear the car can be saved and you're okay. There's a major lesson here: never let towing companies pull your car out of a ditch/tree/object before you show them the proper towing points. I'd rather deal with attitude from the driver if I'm telling them things they already knew vs ending up with damage like you. Had to learn the same lesson on my first accident.

Good luck getting the car back on the road


----------



## Miek

Anyone here driving a '16 Mazda 3?


----------



## TheStig1214

So my Mini threw a rod yesterday. The piston cap on Cylinder 1 blew out the bottom of my engine just above my oil pan and now I have a hole about 2"x3" in the bottom of my engine block, so basically my engine is f*cked. Got quoted $6k so far for a used replacement motor, parts and labor, but I have to call back now and ask about it because the engine they found isn't 100% compatible. Already got a refund on the Balaguer Hyperion I ordered so that softens the financial blow but I'm not looking forward to shelling out this money for my car :/


----------



## Dodeejeroo

Miek said:


> Anyone here driving a '16 Mazda 3?



Last Mazda I had was an '08 3, pretty sure it has nothing in common with the new one though. But it was a zippy little guy, could throw that thing into a corner like nothing.



TheStig1214 said:


> So my Mini threw a rod yesterday. The piston cap on Cylinder 1 blew out the bottom of my engine just above my oil pan and now I have a hole about 2"x3" in the bottom of my engine block, so basically my engine is f*cked. Got quoted $6k so far for a used replacement motor, parts and labor, but I have to call back now and ask about it because the engine they found isn't 100% compatible. Already got a refund on the Balaguer Hyperion I ordered so that softens the financial blow but I'm not looking forward to shelling out this money for my car :/



That SUCKS man, was this a high mileage engine? Modified?


----------



## TheStig1214

Dodeejeroo said:


> That SUCKS man, was this a high mileage engine? Modified?



62k tuned Stage 2, so yeah possibly the tune.


----------



## BigBaldIan

TheStig1214 said:


> 62k tuned Stage 2, so yeah possibly the tune.



Ouch sorry to hear that.


----------



## sawtoothscream

Jeep died on me,. Most likely picking up a outback LL bean edition tomorrow morning. Liked the car overall and should work well for my needs.


----------



## jacksonguitar1111

Man... so many nice cars. I think I need to start a kickstarter campaign to finance my next car  haha


----------



## wannabguitarist

First drive with the hardtop on since I got new wheels and lowered the car. Top down driving is fun but the car looks so much better like this 







Picked up a new valve cover and painted some rusty components:





Also did my first track day a few weeks ago. Ran the 2nd fastest time in the morning and fastest in the afternoon when the organizers switched to counter clockwise. Still debating whether or not I want to get a softer rear bar or stiffer front bar to tame the rear a bit after switching to a square tire setup. Hanging the tail out is fun, but not fast or kind to your tires . No video or on track shots sadly.


----------



## Beefmuffin

wannabguitarist said:


> First drive with the hardtop on since I got new wheels and lowered the car. Top down driving is fun but the car looks so much better like this



Dude, I have to agree, that thing looks way better with the hard top and lower profile. Turns it into a completely different looking car. Good job


----------



## TheStig1214

wannabguitarist said:


> First drive with the hardtop on since I got new wheels and lowered the car. Top down driving is fun but the car looks so much better like this
> 
> 
> 
> Picked up a new valve cover and painted some rusty components:
> 
> 
> Also did my first track day a few weeks ago. Ran the 2nd fastest time in the morning and fastest in the afternoon when the organizers switched to counter clockwise. Still debating whether or not I want to get a softer rear bar or stiffer front bar to tame the rear a bit after switching to a square tire setup. Hanging the tail out is fun, but not fast or kind to your tires . No video or on track shots sadly.



Sexiest S2K I've seen out there.

So my Mini's motor was finally pulled yesterday. Needs a new serpentine belt, neutral safety switch and clutch while it's being swapped  Plus we're still not 100% sure my 2011 ECU can drive a 2013 high pressure fuel pump (Continental on 2011s vs Bosch on 2013s), so if that doesn't work I have to wait longer while they source a 2011 motor. This whole thing is costing me damn near everything I have. I just want my f*cking car back already.


----------



## Furtive Glance

That's a sweet S2000, dude.


----------



## TheStig1214

So my mechanic has been struggling with this motor swap. The high pressure fuel pump doesn't engage when it should (1/2 throttle). Turns out, as I warned him from the beginning, my car's ECU can't drive the newer style fuel pump on the new engine. It's a matter of voltage vs PWM, not even a reprogramming. The ECU physically doesn't have the drivers to do it. So they got me a 2013 ECU and wiring harness free of charge. Means being out a car another half a week and I lose my tune but at least I get the newer, better fuel pump I guess. I also asked them to see if they can salvage the head from my old engine and use the old fuel pump and ECU.

I just want my damn car back.


----------



## ftr

What a day. My 1995 Acura Legend is now totaled. The guy that hit me ''dozed off'' and failed to maintain his lane. It was not too bad of an accident. He hit the side and I did a 180 and turned into the grass. It's kind of funny because I was actually planning on posting about the car since the anniversary of when I got the car is coming up. It was so clean, black on black leather, 166xxx miles. I was so proud of that car. I planned on keeping it forever. Well I have started looking for another ride. Maybe you guys can recommend something. I would like to spend less than 6k. Right now I am interested in getting a Honda Prelude.


----------



## ftr

I found a 99 Lexus ls400 that has 70k miles on it for 8500. I decided to go test drive it. omg, it is so silent, and smooth. It felt ridiculously comfortable. It was like driving butter. They are extremely reliable, and at 70k , that is like getting a car and pretty much never worry about anything going wrong with it. Just put gas in it and change the oil for the next decade. I am not sure if it fits me though. I don't really dig the brown paint and tan interior. I would also like to get a manual.


----------



## TheStig1214

ftr said:


> I found a 99 Lexus ls400 that has 70k miles on it for 8500. I decided to go test drive it. omg, it is so silent, and smooth. It felt ridiculously comfortable. It was like driving butter. They are extremely reliable, and at 70k , that is like getting a car and pretty much never worry about anything going wrong with it. Just put gas in it and change the oil for the next decade. I am not sure if it fits me though. I don't really dig the brown paint and tan interior. I would also like to get a manual.



70k is nothing on that car. Matt Farah of The Smoking tire has a LS400 with 12 times that much mileage.

http://www.thesmokingtire.com/2014/matt-just-bought-a-900000-mile-lexus-ls400/


----------



## ftr

TheStig1214 said:


> 70k is nothing on that car. Matt Farah of The Smoking tire has a LS400 with 12 times that much mileage.
> 
> http://www.thesmokingtire.com/2014/matt-just-bought-a-900000-mile-lexus-ls400/



Haha, Yeah I was looking at that the other day. The car would be a luxurious tank. It is a great deal and it will be really rare to ever find another ls400 with that low miles and in mint condition. I think I am going to pass on it though. I just had an Acura Legend which was pretty luxurious. I want to try something different.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Thanks guys. I want a second set of wheels and maybe an authentic Mugen top at some point as I'm not 100% happy with my replica, and feel a little guilty running it even though it was made in the US. There are a ton of quality builds in SoCal so my car is fairly average as far as quality goes . If you scroll down towards the bottom of the post you'll see some gorgeous S2000 porn.



TheStig1214 said:


> So my mechanic has been struggling with this motor swap. The high pressure fuel pump doesn't engage when it should (1/2 throttle). Turns out, as I warned him from the beginning, my car's ECU can't drive the newer style fuel pump on the new engine. It's a matter of voltage vs PWM, not even a reprogramming. The ECU physically doesn't have the drivers to do it. So they got me a 2013 ECU and wiring harness free of charge. Means being out a car another half a week and I lose my tune but at least I get the newer, better fuel pump I guess. I also asked them to see if they can salvage the head from my old engine and use the old fuel pump and ECU.
> 
> I just want my damn car back.



Did you ever figure out if the tune may have caused your issue in the first place? I'm shocked they swapped out the ECU instead of tracking down a 2011 fuel pump. Hopefully everything else works out and you can get back out on the road soon.


----------



## TheStig1214

wannabguitarist said:


> Did you ever figure out if the tune may have caused your issue in the first place? I'm shocked they swapped out the ECU instead of tracking down a 2011 fuel pump. Hopefully everything else works out and you can get back out on the road soon.



Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. I actually found out the piston connecting rods are a known weak point, especially if you make more than stock power. Also apparently this canned tune, although its rare motors blow up with it, does dumb down the knock sensors a bit. I really don't care. There are not other options for tuning my car and my motor had a hole in it now anyway.

The real issue is that the fuel pumps are driven differently and have different output "shafts". And the heads, intake cams, exhaust cams, fuel rails and fuel injectors are different between 2011 and 2013 because of it, which he didn't know at the start. So he put a 2013 motor in, put a 2013 fuel pump on it like he should, but the 2011 ECU drives the 2011 fuel pump with voltage, and a 2013 fuel pump is driven by the 2013 ECU via PWM. So my 2011 ECU physically did not have the right computer board hardware to drive a 2013 fuel pump. I kinda knew this from the beginning but my mechanic assured me it would work, not knowing what he was getting into at the time. 

Now with the new motor in it's easier to replace the ECU and whole wiring harness than to pull the motor and either put my old 2011 head and fuel pump on or locate a new 2011 motor altogether.


----------



## ATOMICxTomato

ftr said:


> Haha, Yeah I was looking at that the other day. The car would be a luxurious tank. It is a great deal and it will be really rare to ever find another ls400 with that low miles and in mint condition. I think I am going to pass on it though. I just had an Acura Legend which was pretty luxurious. I want to try something different.


I would recommend a late 90s lexus gs300/400, you should beable to find a pretty clean one in your price range. Those cars are really nice. The last gen Preludes are also nice. My friend has a silver 2001 type sh. Has leather interior and a sunroof aswell. Not much space at all in the back seats, but its super fun to drive. Hugs corners like crazy.


----------



## cult

Someone hit my parked car 2 weeks ago.
The guy rang my ball so it's all an insurance case.

Hurts nonetheless 
Did damage to my front bumper on the left, hood, sideview mirror and the fender.

I'm gonna get it fixed since it really bothers me.

On the bright side: If enough overhead money from the insurance stays with me it might mean a used set of rims


----------



## Empryrean

cult said:


> Someone hit my parked car 2 weeks ago.
> The guy rang my ball so it's all an insurance case.
> 
> Hurts nonetheless
> Did damage to my front bumper on the left, hood, sideview mirror and the fender.
> 
> I'm gonna get it fixed since it really bothers me.
> 
> On the bright side: If enough overhead money from the insurance stays with me it might mean a used set of rims



Gah! That sucks, but at least you guys are doing the right thing, you're lucky. I actually had the same thing recently but my neighbor came and told me they drove off right after. That was $500 I'll never get to see because of someone else.. coulda been a new guitar


----------



## Forrest_H

Forgot to post back in here with the update:











Many, MANY hours of bleeding and swearing later, it lives. Had to do some finicky sh-t to the frame to get the radiator support to go back on, but new Rad is on happily, with the added benefit of a new DeWitts radiator shroud (seems to be keeping coolant temps at about 190-200F in traffic, as opposed to 210F before the crash). This was also an opportunity to do some stuff that was much easier with a brand new bumper off of the car and the car not being driven every day, so full list of stuff I did:

- New paint-matched, front bumper
- Clear DRL housings (Old ones were destroyed)
- Black Foglight grilles (bought the wrong shrouds, so got grilles to cover them up)
- Better, updated switchback DRL's/Blinkers
- Airaid CAI (No air-bridge yet, still need to retune and get a new MAF)
- New stereo head unit (will post about later)
- Fixed A/C vacuum leak (found a line that was barely attached)
- "creative" radiator support mount that definitely lowered the value of the car

When this thing started right up after mounting the front bumper, many a manly tear was shed. This car is one of the last things I have left of my late friend that helped me work on the damned thing, so I refused to let it die.


----------



## wannabguitarist

^Fvck yeah. Congrats on getting her back together 

Anyone playing Horizon 3? Haven't been able to do much driving recently but I just picked this up and a new TV-it kinda curbs the urge to speed on the way home from work


----------



## ftr

My 98 Honda Prelude type-SH (137,000miles) Has used 5 quarts of 5-30 full synthetic oil in less than 1000. I recently got this car a month ago. It is extremely clean. There is no apparent oil leak, and there is no smoke coming out of the exhaust. It looks like I need to do something about it asap. I don't know if I should rebuild the engine or swap it out. 5 quarts of oil in less than 1000 miles is way too much to keep driving it.


----------



## CrazyDean

ftr said:


> My 98 Honda Prelude type-SH (137,000miles) Has used 5 quarts of 5-30 full synthetic oil in less than 1000. I recently got this car a month ago. It is extremely clean. There is no apparent oil leak, and there is no smoke coming out of the exhaust. It looks like I need to do something about it asap. I don't know if I should rebuild the engine or swap it out. 5 quarts of oil in less than 1000 miles is way too much to keep driving it.



I hope you got a good price on it. If you do a complete rebuild, you basically have a new engine. If you swap it out, you'll have an engine with 80k miles or so. It really depends on price and how much time the car can be torn down.


----------



## ftr

CrazyDean said:


> I hope you got a good price on it. If you do a complete rebuild, you basically have a new engine. If you swap it out, you'll have an engine with 80k miles or so. It really depends on price and how much time the car can be torn down.



I got it for 6200. The car is extremely clean. I brought my friend who is a mechanic to look at it and test it out before I got it. I can start to feel loss of pickup and response, so I think the catalytic converter is started to fail because of the mass oil consumption. I am not too apprehensive of rebuilding the engine, swapping it out. I have been waiting a while to find a Prelude this clean. I think I feel better going with a rebuild, and replacing the catalytic converter and anything else that might have been negatively affected from all the oil consumption.


----------



## Hachetjoel

I finally got something worth posting about!


----------



## dr_game0ver

what's that? looks like a S14 with the front of a CRX del-sol


----------



## wannabguitarist

SC300 on what looks like Enkei PF01s? Great looking car . I wanted one of those a for a while-essentially a cheaper and better looking version of the N/A Supra. Did you manage to find a manual one?


----------



## Hachetjoel

no sadly I did not, in 2000 it only came in autotragic, but i'll be converting it to manual at some point in the future. but funny you should mention it being na..


----------



## Randy

Relevant specs at once!


----------



## Hachetjoel

2000 lexus sc300
2jz na-t w/vvt-i
garrett 3582 turbocharger.
bbs ch-r rims.
just running the stock automatic for now, and running 8lbs of boost for now. 
mechanic says he thinks its about 350 at the wheels but I havent dyno'd and tuned it yet but thats pretty consistent with what you get out of a 2jz at that amount of boost.


----------



## wannabguitarist

F*ck yeah


----------



## TheStig1214

Forgot to post an update here. Got my car back. Mechanic bolted my old head to the new block, so I got to keep my ECU. Then I got a check engine like for a Camshaft position sensor error, and the mechanic that swapped my motor couldn't diagnose two bad VANOS solenoids. So instead of paying them $400 for the stupid parts I paid BMW $1500 to diagnose and fix the issue. All in all I would up $10k int he hole, but I was luckily able to get my car back the day before a 350 mile road trip up to Vermont for the Stowe British Invasion. I love this car to death.


----------



## squids

ok dudes, not sure how many of you are truck guys, but i have a 92 toyota 4runner. 100k miles, super clean, my grandpa gave it to me after hardly ever driving it for 20 years. but the wheels on it are pretty ugly, im not very happy with them. i really like the black beadlock wheels a lot of guys have on their trucks, the ones with lots of holes, but im having a hard time finding any. my other option is to buy the new TRD PRO wheels on overstock, but theyre pretty expensive. does anyone have any good recommendations?


----------



## BigBaldIan

Bob is still awesome, alloys now redone to a dark stealthy anthracite.


----------



## ATOMICxTomato

Any SSO'ers into lowered trucks ? My baby, 1989 Silverado. Been in the family its whole life pretty much.


----------



## ATOMICxTomato

BigBaldIan said:


> Bob is still awesome, alloys now redone to a dark stealthy anthracite.



That looks sleek. Very nice.


----------



## ftr

So, today my car turned up at least 5 times when I was driving. It's like I turned off the ignition while driving. It will just turn off and then turn back on by itself while I am cruising down the road. So far I have troubleshooted by adding a shim to the negative terminal to increase conduction, and it still did the same thing. I did not add one to the positive one though. Ignition switch?


----------



## wannabguitarist

Had some fun at Thunderhill over the Holiday at Blacktrax's 9th annual test and tune. Here's a short clip from one of my better sessions:


I really wish I had the money to make this a monthly thing. Flying through the gorgeous, hilly scenery to sound of other engines was such a blast.

Tape numbers=100% more race car


----------



## Dodeejeroo

wannabguitarist said:


> Had some fun at Thunderhill over the Holiday at Blacktrax's 9th annual test and tune.
> 
> I really wish I had the money to make this a monthly thing. Flying through the gorgeous, hilly scenery to sound of other engines was such a blast.
> 
> Tape numbers=100% more race car



Love Thunderhill, I used to go up there fairly regularly just to spectate events.


----------



## Dodeejeroo

Yesterday was fun, my wife's daily is a 2014 Subaru Crosstrek that we leased 3 years ago and the lease is coming up due in a couple months. The car has been great throughout the 30k miles we've put on it, with my only complaints being the somewhat clumsy/non-responsive infotainment/nav system, and the desperate need for more power (only one engine option and it's only 148hp for a 3200 lb car). So we went to our dealer and looked at the new Crosstreks to see what has changed, some nice tweaks but nothing major. I asked my wife if she was interested in the Forester or Legacy/Outbacks but no interest there.
What did catch her eye was the WRX, and after checking it out and a test drive we placed an order for Pearl White Premium WRX that should arrive in March 
I'm excited, we'll be able to go to our local Cars & Coffee events in 2 fun cars now!


----------



## wannabguitarist

Anyone get some fun parts for Christmas? New build ideas?


----------



## TheStig1214

^ Just some winter rubber for the winter wheels I picked up.


----------



## Jake

Sadly it was time for my 2005 Saabaru to meet it's end. But I picked up a 2017 Subaru Impreza Premium this morning and I couldn't be happier with my decision!


----------



## m107a1

Here's my 2015 Cayman GTS. It had 2 owners and 23000mi in 11 months, but the prior owner covered the car in Xpel Ultimate and added a $10K set of HRE P107 wheels in addition to eating the depreciation. I think the satin black wheels make the silver paint pop!















The POS 2013 Ducati Panigale R I replaced with the Cayman:


----------



## dr_game0ver

please do tell more about that 1199


----------



## m107a1

dr_game0ver said:


> please do tell more about that 1199



Insanely unreliable. I've owned other Ducati Superbikes over the years (my favorite being a 1098S Tricolore) and the Panigale spent more time in the shop than the others combined and multiplied 10x.  The bigger issues were:

Full seize-up of GP-pattern quickshifter with <100mi
Engine teardown/rebuild for coolant leak
Clutch master/slave/cable replacement as air kept getting into the line

Everything was done under warranty, but OMFG it was 60hrs+ of warranty labor in 3 years! Forget lemon law - it takes a year to process and the problems have to be un-diagnosable. When the cluch lever crapped out, I'd have no way to feather it for low-speed turns...that turned out to be near-fatal repeatedly as the clutch lever issue came back over and over. Never buying another Ducati again! 

The good stuff - yes there actually was good stuff:
I got it for 25% off at the end of the month. The dealership needed to move the bike to get a Panigale Superlegerra allocation - bigger margins and all
You could feel the tires peeling off the pavement in a corner
Traction control and ABS were phenomenal, doing their job while never interrupting you
The acceleration was like being picked up and thrown forward by the hand of God
Even grandmas in their minivans knew this was no usual bike. It always got compliments and questions at gas stations from all sorts of folks, never anything rude.
You didn't care when the tires only lasted 2000mi

I don't miss the Pani one bit - the Cayman is far superior at canyon strafing and "fast enough" in a straight line. It's epic on the track, too.


----------



## wannabguitarist

F.ck man, that Cayman is gorgeous. Honestly the only sports car I can see replacing my AP2 other than an older 911.

How's the Xpel coating? Any extra steps needed for care or can you just wash the car like normal?


----------



## m107a1

wannabguitarist said:


> F.ck man, that Cayman is gorgeous. Honestly the only sports car I can see replacing my AP2 other than an older 911.
> 
> How's the Xpel coating? Any extra steps needed for care or can you just wash the car like normal?



Xpel actually says on their site to wash the car with 50/50 mix of water and rubbing alcohol. It's so easy to take care of. You never have to wax your car again. I hit a deer and the Xpel self-healed. The $25K in dent repair was another story...

If you go 911, I cannot recommend a used GT3 highly enough. They are phenomenal track weapons. You won't get a better used sports car under $250K, and there are plenty under $100K. You'd have to look at a used 458 or Huracan to match it.


----------



## ddtonfire

Unfortunately, my E46 M3's block suffered a hairline crack in the cylinder wall of #5, so I've turned it into a project car so I can rebuild the engine.

In the meantime, I've fulfilled a lifelong dream of Corvette ownership and picked up a 2009 Z06 with less than 9k miles. Dad has a 1970 454 so I've always dreamed of owning one since childhood. Took a little drive through Death Valley and my gf snapped some nice shots! 

My first thoughts are holy crap there's torque and power everywhere! Step on the gas and you'll get wheelspin into third. Interestingly enough, it doesn't demand to be driven as hard as the ///M. Any speed is nearly effortless, but it makes a surprisingly good daily. I haven't tried pushing it too hard yet; I can't wait to learn its limits on roadcourses and autocross.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

^ a beauty!! Can you talk about any more differences between the vette and M3 in terms of cornering, roadholding and just general quickness/acceleration?


----------



## Furtive Glance

m107a1 said:


> Here's my 2015 Cayman GTS. It had 2 owners and 23000mi in 11 months, but the prior owner covered the car in Xpel Ultimate and added a $10K set of HRE P107 wheels in addition to eating the depreciation. I think the satin black wheels make the silver paint pop!
> *Snip



God, that's nice. I quite like those HREs. They make some beautiful wheels. I have a list of my favourites saved on my desktop so I can daydream options for a future ride haha.


----------



## JSanta

My wife and I were/are part of the VW TDI buyback, so we opted to sell back her beloved TDI Jetta (really was the first big adult purchase for us) yesterday. I've always been a fan of Subaru's and she decided to replace the Jetta with a brand new Limited 2.5i Outback. I'm not much of a car person (other than basic maintenance things like rotating tires, changing brakes, changing oil), I can't do much to a car, but love to watch racing. Obviously Subaru was something we had to check out. Within the price range, I couldn't find anything I thought could compete. Since we moved to Western NY, it seems like the perfect vehicle.


----------



## HighGain510

Now that they're more readily available these days (multiple dealers have them in my local region!), I've been seriously debating moving my Focus ST in favor of picking up the new Focus RS. The thing is just so sick, able to track it bone stock but if you get one of the less loud colors (the "Stealth Gray" is calling my name!!!) you're unlikely to attract as much undue attention from the police.  Since we have a TON of them constantly patrolling in NoVa, every little bit you can do beyond just driving the speed limit definitely helps, not trying to give them a reason to WANT to pull me over without having done anything wrong!  

The Nitrous Blue looks amazing as well, saw someone at work has one parked in the lot last week, but again I feel like you're asking for more unwanted attention on the highways in a BRIIIIIGHT Blue car, especially around here! 


























Even though we didn't get blasted with snow this year (knock on wood! ) I still miss having the AWD advantage of the Subie when we get a ton of rain and snow, so having AWD plus 350hp would make for a much more fun daily driver, that's for sure!  Just weighing being responsible and ignoring my car lust versus giving in and eating the higher vechicle cost combined with substantially lower fuel economy.   It's so fast and shiny, though!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

^ those are definitely cool and I don't know from personal experience but have read the ride is quite punishing for daily driving (moreso than an STi). But if it's just yourself and you don't care, go for it! Haha!


----------



## HighGain510

TheShreddinHand said:


> ^ those are definitely cool and I don't know from personal experience but have read the ride is quite punishing for daily driving (moreso than an STi). But if it's just yourself and you don't care, go for it! Haha!



I mean it definitely should handle tighter than my ST by a good margin, but I've had no issue with the ST as a daily driver for the last 4 years.  I'm the only one in my car 95%+ of the time, so we'll likely stick with using the wife's SUV for grocery runs and whatnot and my car will be for my commute and the occasional fun scenic driving trips!  I'm hoping to give one a test drive relatively soon, but I'm afraid that doing so might seal the deal for me...


----------



## TheShreddinHand

HighGain510 said:


> my car will be for my commute and the occasional fun scenic driving trips!  I'm hoping to give one a test drive relatively soon, but I'm afraid that doing so might seal the deal for me...



Well we'll standby for some Ken Blockish videos from you soon.


----------



## Beefmuffin

HighGain510 said:


> Just weighing being responsible and ignoring my car lust versus giving in and eating the higher vechicle cost combined with substantially lower fuel economy.   It's so fast and shiny, though!



I went through the same dilemma before purchasing my SRT8. I will just say, I haven't regretted the decision once, but it did take me a long time to make it haha. It might eat 93 octane gas like it's nothing, but it's a small price for the amount of fun and enjoyment I get out of it. It's also really nice to no longer drive around lusting after every nice car that I pass, wondering what it would feel like to be driving it.


----------



## ddtonfire

TheShreddinHand said:


> ^ a beauty!! Can you talk about any more differences between the vette and M3 in terms of cornering, roadholding and just general quickness/acceleration?



Thank you! The Z06 has power and torque on tap everywhere and, though the M is quick, the Z just blows it out of the water. Even though it's heavier and slower, the M is a much more nimble car, which I think comes from the rev-happy I6 and much different gear ratios. The steering is much heavier in the Z06, but CoG feels lower and there's much less body roll, so it's more planted in turns. I haven't _really_ pushed it yet. 

I knew the M really well through Autocross and Time Trials and I have yet to put the Z through those paces, but I'll definitely share that when I do.


----------



## HighGain510

TheShreddinHand said:


> Well we'll standby for some Ken Blockish videos from you soon.



No hooning action from me since I'll be relying on this one as a daily driver, but I did pull the trigger on it!  I started scouting the local/semi-local marker and found a decent deal on a new 2016 in Shadow Black locally so I worked out a deal with them and brought her home last night!  I ended up grabbing a black one as after I saw the Stealth Grey in person out under direct sunlight, it looks kinda washed out. The Nitrous Blue is indeed gorgeous in person, but having seen them on the road here, they definitely catch your eye, so I figured black is way more unassuming and should bring less attention my way.  I'll post some pics soon, it was like 11pm by the time we got home last night since the dealer was over an hour away, so assuming the weather is nice I think I might take a little trip out to Skyline Drive this weekend! 



Beefmuffin said:


> I went through the same dilemma before purchasing my SRT8. I will just say, I haven't regretted the decision once, but it did take me a long time to make it haha. It might eat 93 octane gas like it's nothing, but it's a small price for the amount of fun and enjoyment I get out of it. It's also really nice to no longer drive around lusting after every nice car that I pass, wondering what it would feel like to be driving it.



Haha you're totally right man! I can't swing an SRT8, but for my purposes and budget the RS will keep me from lusting for other cars for a while and should keep me smiling quite a bit! The nice thing for me coming from an ST to the RS before any crazy major revisions is that the interior still mostly feels like home (few things have moved so I need to read the manual this weekend haha). The power and handling difference was noticeable on the drive home!  Going to be cutting way back on gear for a while but I think it's a fair trade-off since I wanted one of these so badly for so long.


----------



## HighGain510

Now that I had some daylight to snap a couple cell phone pics, here's my new ride! 


























The premium forged wheel upgrade includes the SUPER sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires... man, between the torque, AWD and those tires, the launch on this baby is amazing! Especially coming from the ST, the first time I left off a dead stop at a light last night I was shocked!  Definitey thrilled with the upgrade, think I'm going to be happy with this one for a while!


----------



## bulb

I'm considering buying a really dumb car...

Also that Cayman GTS posted in here is so damn gorgeous.


----------



## HighGain510

bulb said:


> I'm considering buying a really dumb car...
> 
> Also that Cayman GTS posted in here is so damn gorgeous.



Oooooh AMG time?!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

ddtonfire said:


> Thank you! The Z06 has power and torque on tap everywhere and, though the M is quick, the Z just blows it out of the water. Even though it's heavier and slower, the M is a much more nimble car, which I think comes from the rev-happy I6 and much different gear ratios. The steering is much heavier in the Z06, but CoG feels lower and there's much less body roll, so it's more planted in turns. I haven't _really_ pushed it yet.
> 
> I knew the M really well through Autocross and Time Trials and I have yet to put the Z through those paces, but I'll definitely share that when I do.



Nice man, can't wait to hear about it!



HighGain510 said:


> No hooning action from me since I'll be relying on this one as a daily driver, but I did pull the trigger on it!  I started scouting the local/semi-local marker and found a decent deal on a new 2016 in Shadow Black locally so I worked out a deal with them and brought her home last night!  I ended up grabbing a black one as after I saw the Stealth Grey in person out under direct sunlight, it looks kinda washed out. The Nitrous Blue is indeed gorgeous in person, but having seen them on the road here, they definitely catch your eye, so I figured black is way more unassuming and should bring less attention my way.  I'll post some pics soon, it was like 11pm by the time we got home last night since the dealer was over an hour away, so assuming the weather is nice I think I might take a little trip out to Skyline Drive this weekend!
> 
> 
> 
> Haha you're totally right man! I can't swing an SRT8, but for my purposes and budget the RS will keep me from lusting for other cars for a while and should keep me smiling quite a bit! The nice thing for me coming from an ST to the RS before any crazy major revisions is that the interior still mostly feels like home (few things have moved so I need to read the manual this weekend haha). The power and handling difference was noticeable on the drive home!  Going to be cutting way back on gear for a while but I think it's a fair trade-off since I wanted one of these so badly for so long.



congrats man! Pics look great!


----------



## shadscbr

Congrats Matt, looks so sharp in black! Throw some Blizzaks on there for some fun in the snow 

Shad


----------



## ddtonfire

bulb said:


> I'm considering buying a really dumb car...
> 
> Also that Cayman GTS posted in here is so damn gorgeous.



You going to hold onto the ///M still?


----------



## HighGain510

TheShreddinHand said:


> Nice man, can't wait to hear about it!
> 
> 
> 
> congrats man! Pics look great!





shadscbr said:


> Congrats Matt, looks so sharp in black! Throw some Blizzaks on there for some fun in the snow
> 
> Shad



Thanks gents! Sport mode is SUUUUUUUPER fun, Track and Drift modes won't be getting tested on public roads but based on Sport mode, I'd love give them a spin!


----------



## Beefmuffin

bulb said:


> I'm considering buying a really dumb car...
> 
> Also that Cayman GTS posted in here is so damn gorgeous.



GTR?!

Also, Grats on the new whip HG!! So stoked you went for it, there won't be an ounce of regret haha. I just cleaned mine up over the last weekend, supposed to be nice this coming one too, so I'll take it out and post up some new pics.


----------



## bulb

ddtonfire said:


> You going to hold onto the ///M still?



I probably wouldn't be able to as I only have one parking spot in my building and they tend to be stupid expensive where I live. I definitely will miss it one way or another, the E90 M3 is a very special car. I test drove the new one expecting to want to trade up immediately, but as nice as it was, I just wasn't sold.


----------



## bulb

Beefmuffin said:


> GTR?!



I have gotten less and less infatuated with the GTR after hearing and reading about some real life stuff about it. It's apparently not a great daily, even though it seems like it would be, and I believe the transmission needs to be replaced every 20k miles or something like that. They "softened" the 2017 version and made the interior nicer to make the car more livable, but I'd have to test drive it before I'd be sure that it would make for a good daily.

I test drove an AMG GTS and Carrera 4S recently, and the 911 was pretty much the perfect daily driver "sleeper" in every way, and yet driving it after the AMG it felt boring and bland by comparison. Not knocking the 911 in ANY way by the way, it's just the AMG was actually THAT amazing, and god that is the single best engine sound I have ever heard in my life. I'm not buying anything now, I want to save up more and wait to see how this year pans out with my various businesses, but it's nice to have a goal to work towards! If things go really well, maybe I'll take a look at a Turbo S hehe.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

Misha, how do you feel about muscle cars? I'm trying to see if there's a correlation between liking modern guitars and modern cars.


----------



## bulb

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> Misha, how do you feel about muscle cars? I'm trying to see if there's a correlation between liking modern guitars and modern cars.



I'm pretty meh on muscle cars. The closest I would get to liking them is the new C63S which seems to be AMG's take on the muscle car, except they actually seem to have refined it to where the power is actually usable.

Might have to test drive one of those because it would definitely be a much more "practical" car and would be a lot easier on the wallet.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

Yeah, but 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM-Q_zpuJGU



Sorry, I'm garbage at embedding videos. But fvck me if that isn't a sexy ass car.


----------



## bulb

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> Yeah, but
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM-Q_zpuJGU
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry, I'm garbage at embedding videos. But fvck me if that isn't a sexy ass car.



Ah old muscle cars don't really do it for me, I'm not sure I would ever own one unless I really had a ton of disposable income to where it didn't really matter, which means I probably will never own one haha.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

bulb said:


> Ah old muscle cars don't really do it for me, I'm not sure I would ever own one unless I really had a ton of disposable income to where it didn't really matter, which means I probably will never own one haha.



To each their own! I understand too that they are far from practical unless you can throw money away. Good luck finding replacement parts when it inevitably breaks down.


----------



## Beefmuffin

As long as you don't threaten to light an AMG or Porsche turbo series in front of us with a Molotov when you get it....... Don't think that shyt was funny bro.


----------



## Jinogalpa

Highgains Focus RS is super hot, congrats man !
now there's some cool performance Fords on this page.


Happy New Car Day for me: Ford Mustang GT 5.0 (EU-Spec)


5.0 V8 420 HP, 530 Nm, 
Fully Loaded, Performance Package, Recaro Leather Seats

i think the EU white tail lights work very well with the color silver.
this Pony is a dream, beautiful day for a ride, i'm so happy right now.


















gimme some Pony


----------



## HighGain510

That GT is beautiful dude, congrats on the new ride!  Silver always looks great on a Mustang! 

Speaking of rides, I just got the stock film tint removed off my RS and had 35% Pinnacle non-metallized ceramic tint added all around! 






35% helps keep things cooler inside the car (which is definitely needed here in NoVa once spring/summer rolls around! ) and keeps my arms from feeling like they're on fire since my skin is a bit more UV-sensitive from all the meds. Also doesn't hurt that it makes my baby look a little bit stealthier!


----------



## sakeido

I'd be making it rain likes in here if, y'know, the forums still had that functionality. I have been in off-topic in forever.. didn't know we had a car thread. Dat Cayman... dat Focus RS... 



AngstRiddenDreams said:


> To each their own! I understand too that they are far from practical unless you can throw money away. Good luck finding replacement parts when it inevitably breaks down.



old cars are much easier to fix than new ones imo. parts are everywhere if they have a Chevy engine in them. working on my Nova was a lot more fun than working on the Talon I had after that... you could stand inside the Nova's engine bay. The Talon you could barely fit your hands in most places. 

I sold my muscle car after seeing the old Cadillac vs. new Cadillac crash test ... they are extremely unsafe. I know I can drive, but other people? forget it



any Golf R owners in here? kinda debating getting one of those now or waiting another couple years and getting a 911 instead. If it's comfortable and the fun factor is off the charts I'd rather have something dope now. Tired of truck life


----------



## bulb

Golfs seem to be love/hate mainly because of reliability issues. It seems like it's luck of the draw, but if you want a fast daily without spending too much, the Golf R with the ECU tune is hard to beat.

My advice is to save up for a 911. I thought I didn't like them, and then I drove the Turbo. Holy ...., that acceleration is something else...


----------



## bulb

Scratch that, Turbo S is faster, holy .... I have never experienced anything like it before!


----------



## sakeido

I don't think I'd get a Turbo. Calgary lost its track years ago and there is nowhere to drive fast cars fast anymore... I've driven some quick stuff on public streets and don't really enjoy the feeling. The speed is always great, but the sketchiness stresses me out.

Carrera S is the sweet spot I think, altho the Turbo looks wayyyy better with wide body and all the ducts. I had been looking at S2000s too but they are starting to get collectible now it seems, prices are way up. The Canadian dollar is also way down too, I suppose


----------



## bulb

sakeido said:


> I don't think I'd get a Turbo. Calgary lost its track years ago and there is nowhere to drive fast cars fast anymore... I've driven some quick stuff on public streets and don't really enjoy the feeling. The speed is always great, but the sketchiness stresses me out.
> 
> Carrera S is the sweet spot I think, altho the Turbo looks wayyyy better with wide body and all the ducts. I had been looking at S2000s too but they are starting to get collectible now it seems, prices are way up. The Canadian dollar is also way down too, I suppose



If you like the wide body, you can always go for the 4s which has the badonkadonk, and awd can't hurt in canada.


----------



## Given To Fly

ddtonfire said:


> Unfortunately, my E46 M3's block suffered a hairline crack in the cylinder wall of #5, so I've turned it into a project car so I can rebuild the engine.
> 
> In the meantime, I've fulfilled a lifelong dream of Corvette ownership and picked up a 2009 Z06 with less than 9k miles. Dad has a 1970 454 so I've always dreamed of owning one since childhood. Took a little drive through Death Valley and my gf snapped some nice shots!
> 
> My first thoughts are holy crap there's torque and power everywhere! Step on the gas and you'll get wheelspin into third. Interestingly enough, it doesn't demand to be driven as hard as the ///M. Any speed is nearly effortless, but it makes a surprisingly good daily. I haven't tried pushing it too hard yet; I can't wait to learn its limits on roadcourses and autocross.



That was a wise purchase! 



bulb said:


> Scratch that, Turbo S is faster, holy .... I have never experienced anything like it before!



"Now" is certainly a great time to be a car!


----------



## bulb

Has anyone here done the Porsche Driving School at Barber Raceway in Birmingham, Alabama? It came VERY highly recommended to me, and the reviews of it seem to be absolutely glowing.

Also apparently if you do their 3 main courses you can apply for a racing license after you complete them. Has anyone here done that? Sounds so enticing once I have the money saved up for that!


----------



## wannabguitarist

sakeido said:


> I don't think I'd get a Turbo. Calgary lost its track years ago and there is nowhere to drive fast cars fast anymore... I've driven some quick stuff on public streets and don't really enjoy the feeling. The speed is always great, but the sketchiness stresses me out.
> 
> Carrera S is the sweet spot I think, altho the Turbo looks wayyyy better with wide body and all the ducts. I had been looking at S2000s too but they are starting to get collectible now it seems, prices are way up. The Canadian dollar is also way down too, I suppose



If you can deal with not having much storage space I firmly believe the S2000 is the best sports car you can buy in it's price range. I've driven a ton of stuff in the sub $20k USD range and none of it made want to get rid of my AP2. The Cayman S is close, but a low mileage clean one is closer to $30k. If you do track the S2000 is wonderfully cheap when it comes to consumables as well.

But it sounds like you have 911 money (if you're seriously considering the Porsche's), so there are plenty of better options than the S2000


----------



## Beefmuffin

Didnt do one with porsche but if its anything like the srt class, I cant recommend it enough. They taught us how to launch, how to take advantage of the apex in turning, and how to drive at high speeds. Its worth it for the experience alone and the cars you get to ride in, but you get a much deeper and personal understanding of your car from it. I loved it.


----------



## sakeido

wannabguitarist said:


> If you can deal with not having much storage space I firmly believe the S2000 is the best sports car you can buy in it's price range. I've driven a ton of stuff in the sub $20k USD range and none of it made want to get rid of my AP2. The Cayman S is close, but a low mileage clean one is closer to $30k. If you do track the S2000 is wonderfully cheap when it comes to consumables as well.
> 
> But it sounds like you have 911 money (if you're seriously considering the Porsche's), so there are plenty of better options than the S2000



I've got pretty broad taste so I've looked at all kinds of stuff... the 911 would be nice because of everything I've checked out I think it's the best balance of fun motor, good car, and year-round driveability. Audi RS5 was nice for the quattro and 8,250rpm V8 but just wasn't as fun to drive as I thought it'd be. 

S2k I think I missed the boat on pricing... prices are way up. lots of nice examples for sale for $10k less this time last year. maybe all the guys who couldn't afford to keep their cars and had to dump them already sold, and now only unmotivated sellers are left. really nice imola orange AP2 for sale in Edmonton but $37,000? nah 

There's a clean 10th Anniversary RX-7 here with some pretty tasteful mods and a fresh rotary in it.. always loved those cars and rotaries are really charming despite their suckiness. plus the hatchback swallows a lot of gear. 

who knows. maybe I'll get more tube amps instead  really want a Mark IV again, and a modded JCM800, and the EL34 5150....


----------



## bulb

Get the 911 for sure.


----------



## sakeido

the 10th anni RX-7 is going to win I think... I can get it this year and have a ton left over for mods. very clean, 1 of 1,500 made. wasn't even registered the first time until 8 years after it was built so it's got pretty low miles for a 30 year old car 

was fun to drive too! like a FR-S except better because rotary


----------



## wannabguitarist

sakeido said:


> the 10th anni RX-7 is going to win I think... I can get it this year and have a ton left over for mods. very clean, 1 of 1,500 made. wasn't even registered the first time until 8 years after it was built so it's got pretty low miles for a 30 year old car
> 
> was fun to drive too! like a FR-S except better because rotary



Awesome pickup, I love FDs. Please mod it for reliability before you go down the power route. I know two FD owners and both their cars spend more time broken than running


----------



## sakeido

wannabguitarist said:


> Awesome pickup, I love FDs. Please mod it for reliability before you go down the power route. I know two FD owners and both their cars spend more time broken than running



10th anniversary model was an '88 ... it's an FC3S  they were white on white wheels, black interior, all white trim with special badges on the front fenders. Like this. That guy's got the rim fitment I'm looking for too. I'm going to keep an eye out for a set of the special 10th anniversary rims and taillights because the car will be worth a hell of a lot more when its complete.. 

It's got a fresh motor in it (of course, because rotary) so it should be good for a while at least. Heat is the enemy of rotors so the radiator has already been upgraded to a much, much larger unit with a better fan.. next I'll probably upgrade the intercooler to make sure I can boost all day without having to worry about intake temperatures getting too high 

Looking at the cost of an LS1 swap I can afford to replace the rotary about three times with reman engines so I'm not too worried there. Since it's a 10th there's no way I'd make a change like that to the car anyway... or major body changes, which is kind of a bummer. Super flared out FCs look awesome but prices on these have gone up a lot too and so has demand. No good rollers for sale in my area currently


----------



## Beefmuffin

sakeido said:


> Looking at the cost of an LS1 swap I can afford to replace the rotary about three times with reman engines so I'm not too worried there.



God I would love to see an RX7 with an LS1 haha. There is a dude in the car scene around here that put one in a Supra. It's not even the same car anymore due to the amount of replacements that hade to be made (pretty much a supra shell on a new chassis and 4th gen Camaro engine bay). It may have cost him a lot but I get chills every time I see/hear it.


----------



## smokiekouki

Beefmuffin said:


> God I would love to see an RX7 with an LS1 haha. There is a dude in the car scene around here that put one in a Supra. It's not even the same car anymore due to the amount of replacements that hade to be made (pretty much a supra shell on a new chassis and 4th gen Camaro engine bay). It may have cost him a lot but I get chills every time I see/hear it.



LS in a rx7 is okay. Why would you remove a 2j for one in a supra though? Unless it was a mk3, which I completely understand not wanting a 7m. lol still neat im sure. We're actually in the process of swapping my sisters 13b out of her fc for a vvti 2j out of a gs300, so that should be cool.


----------



## wannabguitarist

sakeido said:


> 10th anniversary model was an '88 ... it's an FC3S  they were white on white wheels, black interior, all white trim with special badges on the front fenders. Like this. That guy's got the rim fitment I'm looking for too. I'm going to keep an eye out for a set of the special 10th anniversary rims and taillights because the car will be worth a hell of a lot more when its complete..
> 
> It's got a fresh motor in it (of course, because rotary) so it should be good for a while at least. Heat is the enemy of rotors so the radiator has already been upgraded to a much, much larger unit with a better fan.. next I'll probably upgrade the intercooler to make sure I can boost all day without having to worry about intake temperatures getting too high
> 
> Looking at the cost of an LS1 swap I can afford to replace the rotary about three times with reman engines so I'm not too worried there. Since it's a 10th there's no way I'd make a change like that to the car anyway... or major body changes, which is kind of a bummer. Super flared out FCs look awesome but prices on these have gone up a lot too and so has demand. No good rollers for sale in my area currently



D'oh. I just instantly jump to FD when I think RX7. FC's are a ton fun too, and look more aggressive imo. The clean straight lines with a few minor mods (drop and RPF1s like the one linked) get you that classic 90s JDM look. New motor lol and upgraded cooling is are nice bonuses too. 

You've got me cruising Craigslist for a RX7 now.



Beefmuffin said:


> God I would love to see an RX7 with an LS1 haha. There is a dude in the car scene around here that put one in a Supra. It's not even the same car anymore due to the amount of replacements that hade to be made (pretty much a supra shell on a new chassis and 4th gen Camaro engine bay). It may have cost him a lot but I get chills every time I see/hear it.



So he has a Supra that finally breaks into the 10s!


----------



## sakeido

wannabguitarist said:


> D'oh. I just instantly jump to FD when I think RX7. FC's are a ton fun too, and look more aggressive imo. The clean straight lines with a few minor mods (drop and RPF1s like the one linked) get you that classic 90s JDM look. New motor lol and upgraded cooling is are nice bonuses too.
> 
> You've got me cruising Craigslist for a RX7 now.



You should be! Good god this thing is so fun to drive. Makes all kinds of awesome noises. Rotaries just sound unreal. It's surprisingly fast too, I didn't think it'd be that great since it was still a stock turbo but its got an intake, turbo back exhaust, ECU mod of some sort, and a ported wastegate so it runs more boost than stock and holds it to redline. It rips! 

It also doesn't start when its warm, gets awful mileage, the windshield washers barely work, and smells like all kinds of burning hydrocarbons when it runs  Can't take it to dates or anything cuz I show up smelling like gasoline. I guess that's why I have two vehicles now


----------



## bulb

So what are everyone's thoughts on center lock wheels?


----------



## sakeido

They look race car as ...., I'd get em. They suit Porsches very well


----------



## m107a1

bulb said:


> So what are everyone's thoughts on center lock wheels?



Dead sexy on my friend's Aventador. Slightly harder to live with if you want to do aftermarket wheels ever. Also, the annodizing on the centerlock wears out over time. In 2 years (assuming new tires every year) they will probably need touching up.


----------



## m107a1

Just got the Cayman GTS out of the shop with some new goodies:
Kenwood Excelon reciever w/ CarPlay - it has a capacitive touchscreen, so it's possible to mirror the phone over BlueTooth+HDMI and have Waze take up the whole screen - still trying to figure that out though. Lots of menus to wade through.
Audison Prima 8.9 Bit
8" speaker upgrades in the doors, new tweeters all around. You'd never know any of it was there - looks perfectly stock






The end result is stunning. The stock Bose was all treble. The Kenwood adds a ton of eq presets that work amazingly well, but OMG the Audison - 32band EQ calibrated for my car's cabin. If I turn the volume up halfway I'd probably go deaf. Perfect balance of clarity, volume, and presence without tinny highs or thugnificent lows.


----------



## lelandbowman3

So, shameless self-plug here, but I just realized I have a huge, untapped market here in the Southeast Region in our circle. I'm the senior internet salesperson at Valdosta Toyota, and if anyone in this region is considering purchasing a new (or even pre-owned) vehicle, send me a PM and let me help you out! I'll do what I can for my SSO buds.


----------



## Dayviewer

Look at all this, Cayman, Mustang, Focus RS, well, get a load of this! 












Seriously though, I picked it up last weekend as my first car and I'm really proud of this bad boy 
It's 16 years old but it was driven very little (had around 70.000 miles) and was kept in good condition.
Quite some power for it's weight too so it's suuper fun to drive 
Can't wait to spend more time with it


----------



## dr_game0ver

Yeah, scew you and your nice cars!!



[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## sakeido

hahahah, for a laugh... here's my first car 










1973 Chevrolet Nova. 4 door, in purple. It was technically burgundy but the paint was 40 years old and the oxidization definitely shifted it towards a girly hue. I bought it off my parents, who got it from the original owner in the late 90s with only like 30k miles on it. My mom drove it everywhere, even in the winter time, which led to it getting a horrible case of cancer. This was a great car to learn how to drive in - it had a 350 cubic inch (5.7 liter) small block Chevy, rear wheel drive, and massive 195 section all-season tires. A Canadian winter in this car was no joke. 

I put a system in it that was worth probably 3 or 4 times as much as the car itself. The intense vibrations caused by the 2 x 12" subwoofers were such that the car was being slowly murdered by intense bass. My driver's side door was completely inoperable from the inside - the handle didn't work, and neither did the manual rolldown window. To get out of the car, I had to roll down the back window, reach around, and open it from the outside. That actually got me out of a ticket once - the cop said I clearly had better things to spend my money on. 

Eventually, the timing gear let go while the car was running. For some reason we replaced the timing gear and chain, but after that the engine was basically a very large, heavy gas powered maraca. The car probably started with just over 100 horsepower, and finished with less than 40.

I replaced it with this car.










A 1995 Eagle Talon. I got it with just 53,000km on the odometer. It was absolutely pristine when I bought it. To my never ending shame, it was a non-turbo, front-wheel drive, automatic version - and it was _very_ purple. It was actually an extremely rare color for the car, and probably the nicest factory paint job available for a Talon... the other colors were all very flat, but this was a pearl metallic that really popped in the right light - "Wildberry Pearl Metallic." Speaking of shame, I crashed it street racing a Civic just 3 days after buying it, promptly causing over $6k of damage to it... after my buddy's dad gave me $5,500 off his asking price for being friends with his son. 

side note - not even joking, if you ever find a '97 or '98 Talon TSi AWD in this color, buy it, store it, and pull it out in a couple decades them sell it at auction. That combination is *incredibly rare*, less than 30 cars built (iirc) and I'm positive DSMs are future collector cars. 

A little known fact of the 2nd gen non-turbo DSMs is that the motor was basically the same s the one they put in the Dodge Neon SRT-4. The DSM 420A version only displaced 2 liters instead of 2.4 and didn't have the famously stout factory forged internals, but it was a still good platform for turbocharging. I turbocharged mine myself... but apparently never took a picture of the engine bay with the turbo installed. It looked awesome.

These are some of the turbo parts I had installed. This was the first turbo I had, a T3/T04B. It was a pretty old, slow spooling, inefficient turbo that I got in a trade for an engine management system. I was going to replace it with a Holset HX35 out of a diesel pickup, but I just couldn't afford to get the custom fabrication done to finish the setup. I drove it with the shorty downpipe you see in the pic for almost 2 years... the car was unbelievably loud, girls hated it, but the turbo sounded so sick. I don't think I ever ran more than 3 or 4 pounds of boost because I didn't have the right supporting mods and it was my daily driver, but it still had some pep to it. 






Eventually I ditched the chrome rims and stock suspension for a set of 18" Axis Mod Sevens and some Ground Control coilovers. I never slammed it as far as I should have, but it was just low enough and easy to drive with this setup without any clearance problems.






This is the stereo that inflicted a tremendous amount of damage on my hearing that I regret to this day. My next subwoofer, just a single 12" Elemental Designs sub in a ported box, was actually WAY louder but at that point my music taste had changed from techno & rap to metal, so overall volume levels dropped.






The coilover suspension made the car look better and handle great, but it was so insanely oversprung for the street I eventually started to hate the car. Just the black tar lines they use to patch cracks in highways would pummel your spleen. I actually sold the rims first, got a good price for them - that money went towards my first proper tube amp setup, a Mesa Dual Rec and a 2x12 cab. I ditched the car, and went for something different...






A Toyota Tacoma. I was working in the field at this point and needed something 4WD with some ground clearance. I didn't want a big domestic because I didn't haul anything - one test drive of a Tacoma and it was settled. This generation came with maybe the slickest shifting manual transmission ever put into a truck, a 6 speed with just the right gear ratios. I'm pretty sure my truck was a one year only special option package that gave me all the appearance stuff off the top model, without the expensive crap I was never going to use. It's got a set of knockoff Volk TE37 style rims on it now and looks killer, but I don't have any pics handy.

I can't recommend these trucks highly enough. Phenomenal vehicle. Doesn't get as good of mileage as the new Canyon or Colorado, but is extremely practical and an awesome city truck. The turning circle is so tight, and it'll fit two half stacks, a bass amp, a 5 piece drum kit, separate cymbal stands and one passenger effortlessly. 

Then one of the RX-7 as it sits right now.





Racing Beat springs, Racing Beat turboback exhaust & cat delete, Rtek 1.5 piggyback, ported wastegate, all emissions gear removed. It'll hold 10psi to redline... very peppy for a car that only weighs 2,800 pounds. Sounds absolutely amazing, revs like nobody's business, and makes me smile from ear to ear every time I drive it.

Needs some bodywork though - the front bumper was changed to the post-facelift "S5" front on a car that otherwise has "S4" trim so you can see how it doesn't flow from the sides into the front. I'm going to swap the trim because the post facelift bumper is so much better looking, and I have a very, very special set of rims on the way for it... then I think I'll put it in for full bodywork and a re-spray in the wintertime because it has a few rust spots. Engine upgrades I'm going to put off until winter 2019 most likely, unless it breaks before then. 

Speaking of rims though, unless my Google Fu is weaker than I believe, this is the only picture of these rims on the entire Internet. They are JDM forged Rays ($$$), some 5 spoke design from a sub-brand they had called Payton Place. I can't even find the name of this specific style of wheel - the most common Payton Place rim is a retro mesh style called the Queen. I hadn't planned on ditching them this year, but I noticed my tires are 15 years old and I'm not going to spend money on a set of 16" rubbers when I'd rather go for some 17s. Hopefully they fetch a good price on eBay because as far as I can nobody else anywhere has a set of these.

Going to be a very fun build for sure.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Haven't driven the car in over a month. Going through some withdrawals right now 

Just installed my revalved DFVs with slightly stiffer Swift spring and Buddy Club roll center adjusters to correct the suspension geometry after lowering (and get more camber adjustment range. Just need to set my ride height and throw on a few more bits.


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> Get the 911 for sure.



I daily a 2013 911 c2s. For some reason I don't have any pictures on my phone. Great cars. One of my dream cars. That being said unless you live in the states it's a sad panda to have a fast car without a track. Here in Asia there are speed cameras everywhere. Fastest I've driven is like 85 mph. 

I'll get some pictures when I'm home next week. But if you have any questions ask me.

Oh I have these pictures. Super practical

112 amp 2 guitars. No problem.


----------



## Lindmann

Wanna see a real beauty?
At least in my eyes it is.
My dream car, which I owned for five and a half years now...


----------



## sakeido

Kouki S14s are so goddamn nice


----------



## shadscbr

Added this to my driveway... 2011 B8 A4 2.0T AWD 6 Sp manual. Teaching my 16 yr old Son to drive in it, this is the smoothest manual i've ever driven. Super easy to row at legal speeds, staying out of the turbo, and wicked good fun at "non-teaching" speeds when good ole Dad takes the long way home


----------



## Furtive Glance

Lindmann said:


> Wanna see a real beauty?
> At least in my eyes it is.
> My dream car, which I owned for five and a half years now...
> 
> *snip



I quite like that colour combination


----------



## TheShreddinHand

bulb said:


> Golfs seem to be love/hate mainly because of reliability issues. It seems like it's luck of the draw, but if you want a fast daily without spending too much, the Golf R with the ECU tune is hard to beat.
> 
> My advice is to save up for a 911. I thought I didn't like them, and then I drove the Turbo. Holy ...., that acceleration is something else...



Misha, what reliability issues have you heard of with the Golf Rs? Curious cause I just started looking at them myself. I don't plan on tuning though if I get one since I'd be getting a new 17'.


----------



## bulb

TheShreddinHand said:


> Misha, what reliability issues have you heard of with the Golf Rs? Curious cause I just started looking at them myself. I don't plan on tuning though if I get one since I'd be getting a new 17'.



I just went on a lot of forums and read up a lot from owners' experiences. It seems to be something that Golf owners just kind of accept in exchange for the bang for buck and performance, especially after an ECU tune. 

I really like the idea of the Golf R, haven't test driven it yet, but I personally stick to more reliable cars.


----------



## bulb

diagrammatiks said:


> I daily a 2013 911 c2s. For some reason I don't have any pictures on my phone. Great cars. One of my dream cars. That being said unless you live in the states it's a sad panda to have a fast car without a track. Here in Asia there are speed cameras everywhere. Fastest I've driven is like 85 mph.
> 
> I'll get some pictures when I'm home next week. But if you have any questions ask me.
> 
> Oh I have these pictures. Super practical
> 
> 112 amp 2 guitars. No problem.



Nice! It's funny, growing up the 911 was a really meh car to me, I always thought they just looked way too similar and not special enough. After test driving a whole bunch of Porsches, I totally get the 911 thing, it really is this impossible apex of engineering, craftsmanship, reliability and comfort. And the later versions are just so intuitive and usable every day, it doesn't even feel like a rear engine car....

The Cayman is pretty damn sick too haha!


----------



## HighGain510

shadscbr said:


> Added this to my driveway... 2011 B8 A4 2.0T AWD 6 Sp manual. Teaching my 16 yr old Son to drive in it, this is the smoothest manual i've ever driven. Super easy to row at legal speeds, staying out of the turbo, and wicked good fun at "non-teaching" speeds when good ole Dad takes the long way home



That's pretty tasty, Shad! Wish my first car was anywhere near that nice!


----------



## shadscbr

HighGain510 said:


> That's pretty tasty, Shad! Wish my first car was anywhere near that nice!



Thanks Matt! LOL...me too. My first car was a 1974 "Charlie's Angels" Mustang II, 4 cyl...4 speed manual, and second gear was out. I had to wind the crap out of first, and row into third gear, which would bog down like crazy...with that 60-ish Hp and all 

Quick story on the car. My wife found this for sale on the side of the road at an Amish farm...for $8,000. Boy had half saved from working, so he is establishing credit with a small loan that will be paid off before he leaves for college...which is another thing 

As a driving and manual transmission enthusiast Dad, how do you say no to that car situation? He could blow that $100 payment on one date night...all hail the AWD manual turbo!!


----------



## p0ke

Here's what I used to drive: 






It was my fiancé's car, until a few weeks ago. The base of the car was so rusted through, welding it to pass the annual road worthiness test would've cost more than 1k&#8364;, so we decided to scrap it. It started having some electrical issues as well, the brake disks were pretty much finished and one of the springs was about to snap too  

... So I bought a new bicycle instead 

Joking aside, I will be buying a replacement car as soon as I can. I'm looking at Ford Focuses of year 2005+-5 at the moment


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Two of my cars in one shot:






04 F150 4x4 Lariat, 5.4l V8.

The 86 BMW 325e is a project car I've had since 2011, that I never got the chance to work on until this year. Brought it down to Austin, and started ordering the parts I need to get it on the road again. Doing a 5 lug swap, M3 limited slip differential, and a Ford 302 V8 w/ Borg-Warner T5 transmission. Seems luthiers are always into cars  Have to keep the E30 in my back yard for now, the city and my HOA aren't big fans of cars with flat tires (the rubber is about 20 years old) and no drivetrain.






That should change next month, after the Dallas International Guitar Festival I'll be installing the 5 lug hardware, and then bolting some E46 wheels I have to it, which have good rubber, and hopefully installing the big V8.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

bulb said:


> I just went on a lot of forums and read up a lot from owners' experiences. It seems to be something that Golf owners just kind of accept in exchange for the bang for buck and performance, especially after an ECU tune.
> 
> I really like the idea of the Golf R, haven't test driven it yet, but I personally stick to more reliable cars.



Ugh....yeah VW reliability is scaring me too. My mom had a Passat back when I was in High School and College and she had nothing but electrical problem after electrical problem (sun roof randomly opening up, windows that wouldn't go back up, and constant check engine lights). I also worked at Enterprise mid-2000s right out of school and heard a lot of horror stories from the local VW dealership that we put all their customers in rentals from. 

Drove an R earlier this week and it was great, granted I couldn't push it much cause of the test drive route, but bang for the buck it is so killer with interior room, cargo, comfort, driving feel, etc. (and the GTI is too for that matter). I'm a little stuck though because I need to have a 4-door with kids, so it really limits what I can get.

Any other suggestions? (335i is out...had one, and the seats were the most uncomfortable things I'd ever been in for longer than 10 minute drives. But dang did it drive good).

Which one's you into besides Porsche Misha?  I can't swing a Panamera! Haha!


----------



## ElysianGuitars

TheShreddinHand said:


> Ugh....yeah VW reliability is scaring me too. My mom had a Passat back when I was in High School and College and she had nothing but electrical problem after electrical problem (sun roof randomly opening up, windows that wouldn't go back up, and constant check engine lights). I also worked at Enterprise mid-2000s right out of school and heard a lot of horror stories from the local VW dealership that we put all their customers in rentals from.
> 
> Drove an R earlier this week and it was great, granted I couldn't push it much cause of the test drive route, but bang for the buck it is so killer with interior room, cargo, comfort, driving feel, etc. (and the GTI is too for that matter). I'm a little stuck though because I need to have a 4-door with kids, so it really limits what I can get.
> 
> Any other suggestions? (335i is out...had one, and the seats were the most uncomfortable things I'd ever been in for longer than 10 minute drives. But dang did it drive good).
> 
> Which one's you into besides Porsche Misha?  I can't swing a Panamera! Haha!



I've got a 2004 Golf TDI that's got 247k miles on it, still on the original transmission. Nothing that I've repaired on it has been outside of standard wear items. Granted, that includes needing a camshaft when I hit 225k, but that's a LOT of miles on the original cam. We also had a 2009 Jetta TDI that got bought back by VW in the scandal deal, but that car was great as well, had around 140k miles on it. We replaced it with a 2011 Golf 2.5SE that has also been solid as hell. 

I think it goes without saying, I like VW  My first VW was a 71 Beetle.



bulb said:


> I just went on a lot of forums and read up a lot from owners' experiences. It seems to be something that Golf owners just kind of accept in exchange for the bang for buck and performance, especially after an ECU tune.
> 
> I really like the idea of the Golf R, haven't test driven it yet, but I personally stick to more reliable cars.



I think going by forum reports on reliability doesn't give one a very accurate picture. Forums are always full of people with issues, because it's an easy way to figure them out.


----------



## JSanta

TheShreddinHand said:


> Ugh....yeah VW reliability is scaring me too. My mom had a Passat back when I was in High School and College and she had nothing but electrical problem after electrical problem (sun roof randomly opening up, windows that wouldn't go back up, and constant check engine lights). I also worked at Enterprise mid-2000s right out of school and heard a lot of horror stories from the local VW dealership that we put all their customers in rentals from.
> 
> Drove an R earlier this week and it was great, granted I couldn't push it much cause of the test drive route, but bang for the buck it is so killer with interior room, cargo, comfort, driving feel, etc. (and the GTI is too for that matter). I'm a little stuck though because I need to have a 4-door with kids, so it really limits what I can get.
> 
> Any other suggestions? (335i is out...had one, and the seats were the most uncomfortable things I'd ever been in for longer than 10 minute drives. But dang did it drive good).
> 
> Which one's you into besides Porsche Misha?  I can't swing a Panamera! Haha!



My wife's TDI Jetta was part of the buyback, and she ended up with a 2017 Outback. Not nearly as fast or sporty as the Jetta was, but she really enjoys driving it. 

If you want something fun to drive that is still good for kids, have you thought about a WRX?


----------



## TheShreddinHand

ElysianGuitars said:


> I've got a 2004 Golf TDI that's got 247k miles on it, still on the original transmission. Nothing that I've repaired on it has been outside of standard wear items. Granted, that includes needing a camshaft when I hit 225k, but that's a LOT of miles on the original cam. We also had a 2009 Jetta TDI that got bought back by VW in the scandal deal, but that car was great as well, had around 140k miles on it. We replaced it with a 2011 Golf 2.5SE that has also been solid as hell.
> 
> I think it goes without saying, I like VW  My first VW was a 71 Beetle.
> 
> 
> 
> I think going by forum reports on reliability doesn't give one a very accurate picture. Forums are always full of people with issues, because it's an easy way to figure them out.



Nice! It always seems that for everyone that had a problem car, there are others with that same manufacturer that ran them forever. Good to hear about your experiences.



JSanta said:


> My wife's TDI Jetta was part of the buyback, and she ended up with a 2017 Outback. Not nearly as fast or sporty as the Jetta was, but she really enjoys driving it.
> 
> If you want something fun to drive that is still good for kids, have you thought about a WRX?



Yes, the WRX (and STI) were on my shortlist but my wife would most likely refuse to learn stick and honestly I sit in Pittsburgh traffic on the way in and out of work. There are days when traffic is light but most days it's pretty heavy, so a stick could get a little tedious. I know there is the CVT but it's soooo much slower than the manual WRX.

And I should mention, I do live well north of the city where there are plenty of fun roads to tear up on the weekends and other times (hence why this would be an all around car not just a boring commuter one ).


----------



## ElysianGuitars

TheShreddinHand said:


> Nice! It always seems that for everyone that had a problem car, there are others with that same manufacturer that ran them forever. Good to hear about your experiences.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, the WRX (and STI) were on my shortlist but my wife would most likely refuse to learn stick and honestly I sit in Pittsburgh traffic on the way in and out of work. There are days when traffic is light but most days it's pretty heavy, so a stick could get a little tedious. I know there is the CVT but it's soooo much slower than the manual WRX.
> 
> And I should mention, I do live well north of the city where there are plenty of fun roads to tear up on the weekends and other times (hence why this would be an all around car not just a boring commuter one ).


What about an Audi, like an A3 or A4?


----------



## sakeido

The Audi tax is so high, I looked at the S3 but it's pretty ridiculous that you pay $15k (CDN) more for what is basically a better looking, less practical Golf R. I don't see any compelling reason to get an Audi over the comparable VW unless you really want to impress other people. 

IMO the warranty is decent enough to get you through the first few years of ownership without any problems. If you are really worried about long term reliability, don't plan to keep it long term... I think the resale market for Golf Rs is going to be very, very good


----------



## KnightBrolaire

https://www.facebook.com/RiffShopAcademy/videos/424427981263864/
funny video on driving a stick shift.


----------



## p0ke

KnightBrolaire said:


> https://www.facebook.com/RiffShopAcademy/videos/424427981263864/
> funny video on driving a stick shift.



I don't really get why people think driving a stick shift is difficult - over here pretty much all cars have manual transmission. My grandpa has an automatic and I don't find it any easier to drive...



sakeido said:


> The Audi tax is so high, I looked at the S3 but it's pretty ridiculous that you pay $15k (CDN) more for what is basically a better looking, less practical Golf R. I don't see any compelling reason to get an Audi over the comparable VW unless you really want to impress other people.



Well, Audi, WV and Skoda (+ maybe some more) are all made in the same factories, so they're essentially the same cars with varying levels of extra equipment (I've heard sound isolation is a major difference between those).


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> Nice! It's funny, growing up the 911 was a really meh car to me, I always thought they just looked way too similar and not special enough. After test driving a whole bunch of Porsches, I totally get the 911 thing, it really is this impossible apex of engineering, craftsmanship, reliability and comfort. And the later versions are just so intuitive and usable every day, it doesn't even feel like a rear engine car....
> 
> The Cayman is pretty damn sick too haha!



It's probably the best daily driver 2dar in existence. Although I have two kids on the way. If I had known I probably would have gotten a Macan turbo. 

It's been great reliability wise. The 335i I had before this went through 4 sets of tires and 2 fuel pumps and then blew the entire cooling system on the turbos. But it was fine after that. Thank god for warranties. 

My buddy bought a mclaren mp12-4c the same time I bought my car. He also has 2 kids. So basically he can't ever ride with both of them at the same time and his car has been in the shop for 6 months out of every year he's own it. 

People are kind of down on the new engines in the 911 and the 918 series but that turbo 4 is a monster. I wouldn't mind a cayman gts. 


The new a3 is supposed to be faster then the golf. But it's hard to beat the golf for the price performance ratio


----------



## Lindmann

diagrammatiks said:


> It's been great reliability wise. The 335i I had before this went through 4 sets of tires and 2 fuel pumps and then blew the entire cooling system on the turbos. But it was fine after that. Thank god for warranties.
> ...
> The new a3 is supposed to be faster then the golf. But it's hard to beat the golf for the price performance ratio


Speaking of the price / performance ratio...

A friend of mine is a BMW tuner. 
He has tuned several 35i enginges per month for years now and it is ridiculous how much power they gain from so little money that has to be invested. 
At least for the N54 engine.

475 HP with stock turbos and only very little changes
700+ HP with upgrade turbos and reasonable changes (costs)
(HP specified in the European EWG standard)

He has done dozens of those kind.
And he hasn't received any reliabability complaints yet.

I'm not too fond of the car itself (135, 335), but the engines are a pretty good bang for the buck.


----------



## diagrammatiks

Lindmann said:


> Speaking of the price / performance ratio...
> 
> A friend of mine is a BMW tuner.
> He has tuned several 35i enginges per month for years now and it is ridiculous how much power they gain from so little money that has to be invested.
> At leat for the N54 engine.
> 
> 475 HP with stock turbos and only very little changes
> 700+ HP with upgrade turbos and reasonable changes (costs)
> 
> He has done dozens of those kind.
> And he hasn't received any reliabability complaints yet.
> 
> I'm not too fond of the car itself (135, 335), but the engines are a pretty good bang for the buck.



Ya the failure points were mainly design flaws and really had nothing to do with reliability. 

I was thinking of dinaning my car before I had to sell it to move overseas. They warranty all the new parts and cover drivetrain related issues. Pretty good deal. 

But ya those engines could get ridiculous amounts of power. The turbo fours aren't bad either. 

Mine was decent for highway cruising. 300 hp stock was still pretty heavy back in 2010. But the sports package and the 20 inch run flats made it terrible for around town driving. Hitting a pothole was like running into a wall and would blow up a 300 dollar tire. That's no fun.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

ElysianGuitars said:


> What about an Audi, like an A3 or A4?



Yes A4 is definitely under consideration. A3 and S3 are too small (backseat for kids....Golf kills it) and a tough sell over the Golf.



sakeido said:


> The Audi tax is so high, I looked at the S3 but it's pretty ridiculous that you pay $15k (CDN) more for what is basically a better looking, less practical Golf R. I don't see any compelling reason to get an Audi over the comparable VW unless you really want to impress other people.
> 
> IMO the warranty is decent enough to get you through the first few years of ownership without any problems. If you are really worried about long term reliability, don't plan to keep it long term... I think the resale market for Golf Rs is going to be very, very good



True true, it would be under warranty for a few years and I could easily sell if it had issues which I would know about by that point. And with my track record on vehicles lately, I'm not keeping them very long term.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

KnightBrolaire said:


> https://www.facebook.com/RiffShopAcademy/videos/424427981263864/
> funny video on driving a stick shift.



That was pretty darn funny!


----------



## diagrammatiks

Looks like my parking lot neighbor bought a new car.


----------



## Furtive Glance

Jesus, that entire parking garage looks pretty stacked.


----------



## kevdes93

Took a big step as an adult and bought my first car totally on my own, 2014 nissan sentra. Nothing fancy but it feels pretty fancy to me


----------



## ddtonfire

Took the Z06 out to some time trials. That car is no joke! I was white-knuckled the whole time. Hit about 120 on the straightaways before I had to slam on the brakes for the slaloms. Also have a comparison between my M3 (which I knew _very_ well) and the Z06 (still learning and have the nannies on) on the same course:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ub7yw4d5D8


----------



## TheShreddinHand

^ sweet man! Nice long course with some good straightaways to get up some speed!


----------



## ddtonfire

Thank you! Yup it's an awesome course but it's tough to put power down with all the marbles!


----------



## soliloquy

i'm getting really frustrated with this situation i'm in.
i HAD a 2011 mini cooper. not the 's' version, nor the clubman, nor any other type of cooper. just the standard.

my parents are in a used car dealership business, and they advised that my car is losing value drastically. and its value will be cut in half once i hit the 100k km threshold. currently i'm at 88k on it. 

i LOVED the cooper. the perfect car for me in several ways except 2 (i'll get into that). it was great for fitting my gear of guitar or amp or photography or groceries. it was perfect for my lumbar support needs. it was great on mileage. it was FUN to drive. looked great. it had a HUGE gas tank that kept me visiting the gas station for about 2.5 weeks at a time, or even more at times; this also allowed me to get 730-800ish km on a full tank. GREAT!!! and because i'm usually a recluse/introvert, i usually dont like people in my car, so the backseat was almost always empty. again, perfect! the only two things i didn't like about it were that it took gold/90 gas, which can be pricey, and also it didn't have any room for a spare tire, nor did it come with it.

so, as such, i am in the hunt for a new car. the new car has to have the same stuff that the cooper had except for the gold gas requirement. there seems to be nothing. nothing that even comes close to it. and i dont get why the cooper fit me so perfectly while other cars are disappointment me in so many ways....


i tried the kia rio. looks good. the ride and everything else about it is lackluster.
i tried the WV tiguan (kinda like a bigger version of a cooper) and this thing takes up platinum gas, and its tank is bigger than the cooper, so it costs more, and mileage was cut in less than half. on a full tank i was doing about 450....
then i tried the mazda 3. okay ride, but no lumbar support. and meh on gas.
my sis has the WV jetta and keeps raving about its gas milage. sure it takes the 87/basic. yet full tank is costing the same as the cooper and its only giving about 500km per tank. 
tried a civic, which is considered very economical car on gas. full tank is about 560ish.
tried the ford focus. same as the jetta. 
tried the toyota corolla, and same thing. small tank, no lumbar support. full tank takes me about 550ish km. 

next i'm gonna try out the wv golf....

is it an industry standard for cars to run about 550ish on a full tank? 
how/why is the cooper able to run so much more? 
why do all other companies make their cars look/preform very similarly, and then the cooper decides to make things VERY unique and different (not saying better...actually in my books, better...)


perhaps the cooper will be the only car for me again.


----------



## diagrammatiks

Well the car will lose value after about 100k
The equity calculation is actually quite complicated but if you estimate your repair costs versus your trade in and new vehicle costs you might still come out ahead? 

Your parents could probably help you figure that out. If you like the cooper just get another cooper. Just keep in mind that that the newer ones will have some changes to the drive train. 

I have no idea in fuel averages either. I've been in china for years and I still can't figure out how long a km is. 

800km per tank sounds amazing though. You should doublecheck that a new or newer cooper gets that. You might have a miracle car.


----------



## dr_game0ver

soliloquy said:


> it had a HUGE gas tank


So not! It's only 40L. My 306 has a 60L.


----------



## Stringee

diagrammatiks said:


> Looks like my parking lot neighbor bought a new car.



Nice!


----------



## Kaff

Just sold my motorcycle and now it's time for a car for a change. I had specified my needs as a4-wheel drive estate with automatic transmission and as an engineer, I felt like the only two decent 4WD systems are Subaru and Audi (torsen based Quattro). I've now set my eye on a 2006 Audi A4 Avant Quattro with 2.0 TFSI engine. Test drove it last weekend and I just couldn't believe I was driving an 11-year old car!!

One of the injectors misfired under hard acceleration and the car goes to the shop on the account of the seller. In two weeks I have a new test drive scheduled and if the misfiring is gone I think we'll do business!


----------



## sakeido

just remember the standard Audi "service position" .... bend over and grab your ankles


----------



## diagrammatiks

Furtive Glance said:


> Jesus, that entire parking garage looks pretty stacked.



Heh. I'm usually parked next to a Bentley arnage. I think? Unless it's a 4 door continental. Next to the cayman is a masarati quottroporte. 






And I saw some new friends today. Haven't seen either of these down here before. 










The lambo is like whatever. You sold your first company and bought a lambo. W/e. That 911 991 turbo s convertible. That's a gentleman's driver car


----------



## Kaff

Finally got a car again. This time it's an Audi A4 Avant Quattro (B7) in mint condition! I'm super happy with the car - each time I get in it I'm amazed that this thing is already 11 years old!!


----------



## MFB

Here's the new whip as of today, 2014 Ford Focus hatchback with just over 41K on the odometer; only one owner, no accidents or anything, she's clean as a whistle.

I initially went in looking for a black 2013 Focus sedan, but after missing the dealers the first day (at their own fault, they had left early even thought they were open till later), it got sold from under me the very next day when I went back. So I kept looking around their lot, talking numbers, and along with some misreadings on their websites about pricing and how it works, I was OK with spending a little bit more on this one given all the OT I've been working since April - 50 hrs a week, every week - so I barely had to take anything out of my house savings. Got my payment to be roughly the same as on my old Altima, which is coincidentally the vehicle that spawned all this by getting totaled on the street from a DUI-driver.

Only thing I really want to do down the road is some tints for the windows and round out the Stormtrooper look


----------



## sakeido

Any of you guys using a dash cam? What model, and do you recommend it? 

Somebody backed into my RX-7 at a yield sign the other day and I figured enough is enough. need to have stuff like that documented so they can fix my car when they fuck it up


----------



## bulb

Ooh I would love some good dashcam recs as well, I don't mind spending good money to get a good one as I feel like it's something that's so useful that you probably shouldn't skimp on it.

In other news I'm super excited because I found a shop that does really high quality wraps and I'm going to wrap my car Gloss Sky Blue. Possibly powder coat the wheels black too haha.


----------



## p0ke

So like I wrote before, our car was scrapped a while ago. We live in the city center with everything at a walking distance, so I haven't really felt the need to get a car for now, but when it starts to get cold I think I might have to buy one to prevent my wife and daughter from freezing to death when going grocery shopping or whatever  It also looks like I might be getting a considerable raise in salary this autumn, so now I'm considering buying something brand new. Still needs to be a fairly small and, above all, convenient car, but anyway.
Thing is, I'd like something that has adjustable 4WD, as in you can choose which wheels are powered. Do any cars apart from Subaru's (which are too expensive) have that feature? I'd like this because my wife is used to driving a front wheel drive, so when she's driving she could set it into that mode. It's also more fuel efficient driving that way. Then, of course I would always drive it in rear wheel drive mode (because it's more fun, lol). And then when the roads get slippery and shit in the winter, we'd use full 4WD. 
Other requirements I have is that the car needs to have four doors, because there's just no way I'm cramming my 1yo daughter into the back seat through the front doors. Not to mention trying to install her seat. A big plus would be if a 4x12" would fit in the boot 

So, any suggestions? In general I've been looking at maybe getting a Ford Focus hatchback. The 2015+ Ford Mondeo models also look really nice, but it's a bit bigger than what I'm looking for.


----------



## dr_game0ver

that's not how 4WD works. What is your budget? Jaguar , BMW, Mercedes made some 4WD sedan and wagon.


----------



## diagrammatiks

Ya that's not really how 4wd works. 
You can get some cars where you can drive with 2 wheels but you can't switch between fwd and rwd.


----------



## poopyalligator

Here is a pic of my Volvo. I love this car


----------



## Crash Dandicoot

How have I never seen this thread? This is my '94 Supra RZ. I'm not a fan of the bodywork / wing / riceness and whatnot (the actual widebody make look okay when photographed but I can assure you is quite shoddy in person), but down the road I'll be changing it. Performance comes first.






















Got the trans and engine yanked out, putting in a Southbend drag clutch + new OEM flywheel. Got the block completely cleaned / honed, installed new Tomei poncams on the top end as well. Once I get some new rod / main bearings and a new oil pump (I'm not risking a 23 year old pump with a tendency to push its seal out) it'll get put back together with a Greddy T88 turbo / manifold setup and an AEM meth kit / 880 injectors, Radium fuel pump / rail / supporting mods with an AEM V2 controlling everything. Most engine upgrade parts (save for the cams) are hand-me-downs from my old man's last setup. Old tech but it should have me seated around 700-800 to the wheels on pump gas comfortably 






As she currently sits; Gonna paint the engine bay prior to engine reinstallation - I can't stand that contrast. Also, totally doing fender exit exhaust with an electronic cutout


----------



## Crash Dandicoot

Sorry for the double post - my image hosting skills are lacking, apparently. Here's what should be in my previous post:


----------



## Kaff

^^ Cool car! I used to own an -88 MK III 3.0T Supra back in the day, but an MK IV was always on my wishlist. Now I'm too old and too practical to get one..


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

^ i just picked up an 88 toyota supra turbo a few weeks back, not as nice as my 95 supra, but still fun to drive.

would post pics but photobucket lol


----------



## Kaff

^Fun cars for sure! Mine came with a rotten frame, as is the case with many cars here in Finland, the land of salty slush roads 6 months each year.. I spent about the same amount of time welding it as I did on the road, but still had a smile every time I drove it!


----------



## Crash Dandicoot

I owned a '90 Mk. III before that one, swapped the 7M-GTE to a 2JZ-GTE - that thing was a blast! Nobody suspected 400+ hp out of a stock looking Mk. III 






That car was awesome... My first car no less!


----------



## bulb

i want an RWB


----------



## sakeido

I want these to get back from the shop so I can put them on my damn car






RX-7 is still a fun adventure. Pulled into the car wash last Friday ... was out cruising because it was 7s Day, buncha kids in their WIP Integras and whatnot in there. All checked out my car, one guy shouted "I love FCs!".... went to roll up my window and it didn't move an inch. Driver's side switch is dead, so now I get to do some low voltage wiring work this weekend so I can drive it again


----------



## Crash Dandicoot

Speaking of RWB, you guys ever see his welds?

https://i.imgur.com/I55LFGR.jpg


----------



## wannabguitarist

Are those exhaust welds him?! That looks like the shit work I had some Craigslist guy do to build me a smog legal exhaust


----------



## p0ke

dr_game0ver said:


> that's not how 4WD works. What is your budget? Jaguar , BMW, Mercedes made some 4WD sedan and wagon.



I'm pretty sure I've read about 4WD systems that allow you to choose which wheels are driving. Anyway, I've been thinking more about it, and I guess it's kinda pointless for me to get a 4WD since I mostly drive in the city anyway, and even for longer trips the roads are super rarely that bad. I don't have any need to go off road etc either 
But yeah, I haven't really thought about the budget for a possible brand new car. I think I'll end up buying a used 2-4 years old one anyway, since cars lose their value damned quickly anyway. And if things don't go my way, I'll just end up buying something as cheap as possible


----------



## dr_game0ver

One of the cheapest solution is the Dacia Sandero 4X4 or the Fiat Panda 4X4. Polaris is also making some fun 4X4 stufs but it is a little more expensive.


----------



## Crash Dandicoot

wannabguitarist said:


> Are those exhaust welds him?! That looks like the shit work I had some Craigslist guy do to build me a smog legal exhaust



Yeah man, he's sorta infamous for the worst welds ever, considering his cost / notoriety.


----------



## p0ke

dr_game0ver said:


> ... or the Fiat Panda 4X4. ...



Had one Fiat already and that was enough  It was nice to drive and all, but they're simply not made to bear the Finnish winter. It's not even the cold that does it, but they put salt on the roads to make the ice melt and if the base isn't properly protected it'll rust. That was the reason for scrapping the car, welding the base to be road worthy again would've cost more than another car. I've heard that Peugeot for example makes their frames and stuff in such a way that the road salt doesn't affect it. 

I don't know if the Dacia or Polaris 4x4 are available here, I don't recall seeing any anyway. But it's true, Dacias are pretty much the cheapest cars you can get, and they don't seem that bad IMO. But we'll see... It'll have to wait until autumn anyway.


----------



## dr_game0ver

that's the problem with living in a country with extreme weather. the only solution i can give you is to regularly power wash the under of your car in the winter to not give time to the salt to "eat" the car.

Dacias are fines but, like every modern cars, built to last 8 years. just don't take the diesel ones. The polaris thing was more of a joke, but if you have the money...


----------



## p0ke

dr_game0ver said:


> Dacias are fines but, like every modern cars, built to last 8 years. just don't take the diesel ones.



Yep, I won't be buying a diesel. Diesel is cheaper than petrol, but then you'd have to pay diesel tax separately, so it gets more expensive in the end anyway. So it's basically only worth it if you drive a lot, which I don't do.
About Polaris, don't they mostly do snowmobiles and stuff like that?  And yeah, once I buy a car of my own I will be taking care of it more. The Fiat wasn't mine, so I only did what had to be done in order to be able to keep driving. The problem with the winter though, is that you can't really wash a car normally when the temperature is below zero (celsius, I don't know what that would be in fahrenheit), so I'd have to have it washed. It's worth the money if it keeps the rust away though.


----------



## bulb

So I was thinking of trying my hand at doing car reviews, kinda from a "I'm just a guy who loves cars but I'm not a a pro driver" kind of view point. Who knows if it will work or be any good, but I figure it doesn't hurt to try and see what comes of it.

Anyways, what kind of things would you guys want to see and not want to see. What should I make sure to do, and what should I avoid? I'm open to all suggestions and ideas!


----------



## JSanta

bulb said:


> So I was thinking of trying my hand at doing car reviews, kinda from a "I'm just a guy who loves cars but I'm not a a pro driver" kind of view point. Who knows if it will work or be any good, but I figure it doesn't hurt to try and see what comes of it.
> 
> Anyways, what kind of things would you guys want to see and not want to see. What should I make sure to do, and what should I avoid? I'm open to all suggestions and ideas!



I like what the guys at Drive Tribe are doing. There are some pros, commentators, and enthusiasts that all mix together. Something along the lines of how the enthusiasts participate could be interesting. The only question would be what differentiates what you do from the many other reviewers out there. 

I like videos of the reviews - long winded waxing poetically about something in a car generally bores me. The sound it makes when you step on the gas pedal, I want to feel it!


----------



## wannabguitarist

Crash Dandicoot said:


> Yeah man, he's sorta infamous for the worst welds ever, considering his cost / notoriety.



Well that's awful. I generally think all of RWB's work is awful on some level, but those welds are plain horrible.


----------



## bulb

Anyone here messed with Autodip for wheels? I want my wheels to be black, and I could get them powdercoated, but that is a permanent change and seems to be around double the cost of getting them professionally autodipped. What do you guys think?


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

bulb said:


> Anyone here messed with Autodip for wheels? I want my wheels to be black, and i could get them powdercoated, but that is a permanent change and seems to be around double the cost of getting them professionally autodipped. What do you guys think?



you may check in your area, but a while back I found a couple guys doing the "mobile car repair/customizing" service. prices were pretty cheap and if you didn't like it, just peel it off.


----------



## wannabguitarist

bulb said:


> Anyone here messed with Autodip for wheels? I want my wheels to be black, and I could get them powdercoated, but that is a permanent change and seems to be around double the cost of getting them professionally autodipped. What do you guys think?



I ran plasti-dipped wheels for a while on my S2K and they held up extremely well. About 8,000 miles and 4 autocrosses without any peeling. Autodip looks like it might be a better product and for $20 bucks a can it's cheaper than powder coating.

Wouldn't hurt to try it yourself. I'm actually waiting to hear back from the company about how it holds up to heat and brake dust at the track. Hoping to replicate Volk bronze on my current wheels.


----------



## bulb

Nice, I think I'm actually going to hold up and just see how the car looks first with the wrap and stock wheels because I found a good place that will powdercoat the wheels for about 500 bucks!


----------



## bulb

What is everyone driving these days, and how do you like it? Let's get some honest reviews, the good and the bad!


----------



## MFB

Got into an accident on Wednesday, got rear-ended and pushed into someone else's car so I've got damage on both sides + a cracked windshield from hitting it with my own head. So, the Focus is going into the shop on Tues, at minimum it needs a new: 

Rear bumper guard
Quarter panel
Gate
Hood re-aligned

We're also gonna buff the front end and see if that's worth replacing as well (probably not, a couple little dings is OK). Hoping that it's only cosmetic repairs that are needed, and nothing got fucked up with the frame/tire walls/etc...


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> What is everyone driving these days, and how do you like it? Let's get some honest reviews, the good and the bad!



I just had two kids and bought a euro/Asian market only Volkswagen mini bus. 

It is literally a bus.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

bulb said:


> What is everyone driving these days, and how do you like it? Let's get some honest reviews, the good and the bad!



what i have/had and the history lol...

16 toyota tacoma texas ed (wifes dd)
95 usdm hardtop supra (new project)
93 jdm rhd hardtop supra (traded for 93 single fd)
93 big single prt built widebody rx7
93 tt rx7 (jdm b13 swap project)
04 nissan 350z (traded for supra lol)
00 ws6 t/a (traded for 350z)
05 bmw z4 (sold)
05 toyota x-runner (my dd)
98 eclipse gs (bought new - ran over by a semi)
98 eclipse gs-t (project)
90 nissan mini truck (life-long project)
88 supra turbo (another new project lol)
05 ninja 636 (traded for tt fd
01 ninja 500 (sold to friend)


----------



## MFB

MFB said:


> Got into an accident on Wednesday, got rear-ended and pushed into someone else's car so I've got damage on both sides + a cracked windshield from hitting it with my own head. So, the Focus is going into the shop on Tues, at minimum it needs a new:
> 
> Rear bumper guard
> Quarter panel
> Gate
> Hood re-aligned
> 
> We're also gonna buff the front end and see if that's worth replacing as well (probably not, a couple little dings is OK). Hoping that it's only cosmetic repairs that are needed, and nothing got fucked up with the frame/tire walls/etc...



Got the quote from the insurance company back, they have a new front end bumper guard as part of it, but not re-aligning the hood, so currently we're looking at $2700 minimum to fix the damage. I'm praying there's nothing mechanical I need to worry about and once we add in any little odds and ends that the autobody shop finds, probably looking at $3K


----------



## bulb

M3CHK1LLA said:


> what i have/had and the history lol...
> 
> 16 toyota tacoma texas ed (wifes dd)
> 95 usdm hardtop supra (new project)
> 93 jdm rhd hardtop supra (traded for 93 single fd)
> 93 big single prt built widebody rx7
> 93 tt rx7 (jdm b13 swap project)
> 04 nissan 350z (traded for supra lol)
> 00 ws6 t/a (traded for 350z)
> 05 bmw z4 (sold)
> 05 toyota x-runner (my dd)
> 98 eclipse gs (bought new - ran over by a semi)
> 98 eclipse gs-t (project)
> 90 nissan mini truck (life-long project)
> 88 supra turbo (another new project lol)
> 05 ninja 636 (traded for tt fd
> 01 ninja 500 (sold to friend)



damn that's one hell of a list!


----------



## bulb

MFB said:


> Got into an accident on Wednesday, got rear-ended and pushed into someone else's car so I've got damage on both sides + a cracked windshield from hitting it with my own head. So, the Focus is going into the shop on Tues, at minimum it needs a new:
> 
> Rear bumper guard
> Quarter panel
> Gate
> Hood re-aligned
> 
> We're also gonna buff the front end and see if that's worth replacing as well (probably not, a couple little dings is OK). Hoping that it's only cosmetic repairs that are needed, and nothing got fucked up with the frame/tire walls/etc...


Dude that really sucks, but at least you are okay! In that situation, does insurance find you at fault for rear ending the car in front of you or is it just the initial guy who hit you who is responsible for everything?


----------



## MFB

bulb said:


> Dude that really sucks, but at least you are okay! In that situation, does insurance find you at fault for rear ending the car in front of you or is it just the initial guy who hit you who is responsible for everything?



Thanks bro. I ended up cracking my own windshield with my head since I wasn't wearing a seatbelt, also hit my mouth which I don't recommend doing.

As far as I know, its 100% on her as I was stopped before she hit me, so I had enough room to stop/not following too close - unlike her; which is what the cop cited her for. I've yet to have anything go to my insurance putting me at fault from the guy ahead of me, and his radiator got damaged so I would have by now for something like that.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

MFB said:


> Thanks bro. I ended up cracking my own windshield with my head since I wasn't wearing a seatbelt, also hit my mouth which I don't recommend doing.
> 
> As far as I know, its 100% on her as I was stopped before she hit me, so I had enough room to stop/not following too close - unlike her; which is what the cop cited her for. I've yet to have anything go to my insurance putting me at fault from the guy ahead of me, and his radiator got damaged so I would have by now for something like that.



make sure to stay on top of your insurance company....both sides will try their best to get out of paying


----------



## wannabguitarist

Hit the track for the first time in 2017 and immediately bested my prior time by a little over a half second. Not sold on my shocks ride after the new valving, but that+lowering vtec (3,600 rpm now instead of 6,000rpm ) definitely made the car faster. There's more time in it too as on track tempts were easily over 100F compared to the nice and cool 70F back in November.

This was at Grange motorsports park. It's a large go-kart track with lap times currently sitting around the mid-low 1:0xxs. Feels more like a high speed auto-cross than a full on race track, but it's a ton of fun. Would have finished in the top three that day but got knocked off the podium by an extremely well built (and driven) LS swapped 240sx.

Hoping to hit Buttonwillow in October with some fresh pads and some minor suspension changes.

EDIT:
Actually, here's a video from last winter: 

The car was fairly loose back then which I kind of preferred over the understeer I struggled with last weekend.


----------



## sakeido

Got the new rims on. Went with Continental ExtremeContact Sport tires... it is a total ripoff of the Pilot Super Sport that costs about $50 less a tire. Very, very impressed with the tires. I had thought going up an inch in rim size, from all season tires to max performance summer tires, things would be much louder and rougher riding, but the ride is actually smoother, quieter, and more controlled.

The reverse mounted LMs look fucking incredible and are the perfect offset for this car. I kind of wish I had non-staggered rims, or could have gotten a 9" front/10" rear set. The 9" rears have a different, flatter face and much more lip than the 8". The center caps didn't fit in the front! Stock dust cover is too big. Trying to source some new ones from Japan so I can get the caps on front & rear... the BBS caps are too sexy to leave off.

Going to have to lower the car a bit more now, though. I went from 225/50R16 fronts to 215/45R17 and they still rub so I need stiffer springs anyway. 

Car needs a wash so bad... finally got the parts in to fix the windows so they roll up again. It is starting to show some rust in a few spots so I'll have to take care of that soon too. I want to just bolt on a bunch of go-fast parts, but I think a restoration and full paint job would be a better move at this point.


----------



## bulb

So in your guys' opinion, who makes the best sounding aftermarket exhausts? And if I were looking to mod my car to improve the sound without going catless, should I upgrade the headers too or is the exhaust enough?


----------



## shadscbr

https://www.dinancars.com/bmw/mseries/

Drop it off at Dinan...Do it all


----------



## bulb

Ah yeah they just do bmw stuff and I actually sold mine a few months back so thats a no go


----------



## sakeido

Best brand changes from car to car but in my experience, the best sounding stuff is usually built by a company dedicated to just one brand. If there is an OE vendor selling aftermarket parts (Mazdaspeed, Ford Racing, Mopar, etc) their exhausts are almost certainly going to the best mix of performance, volume level, and tone. Aftermarket companies can't compete with OEM engineering. 

Or you can find custom exhaust guys just like you can find custom guitar builders... they can build you whatever you want, and you just pick mufflers based on your desired volume level and tone. Some companies will have sample clips of each of their mufflers on the same engine so you can compare them. The cost, around here at least, is the same or less than an off-the-shelf system but we have a lot of talented but out-of-work welders in this province right now.


----------



## shadscbr

bulb said:


> Ah yeah they just do bmw stuff and I actually sold mine a few months back so thats a no go



DOH!...I missed the M3 departure


----------



## shadscbr

I just helped my son put a new honeycomb Quattro grill on his A4


----------



## bulb

sakeido said:


> Best brand changes from car to car but in my experience, the best sounding stuff is usually built by a company dedicated to just one brand. If there is an OE vendor selling aftermarket parts (Mazdaspeed, Ford Racing, Mopar, etc) their exhausts are almost certainly going to the best mix of performance, volume level, and tone. Aftermarket companies can't compete with OEM engineering.
> 
> Or you can find custom exhaust guys just like you can find custom guitar builders... they can build you whatever you want, and you just pick mufflers based on your desired volume level and tone. Some companies will have sample clips of each of their mufflers on the same engine so you can compare them. The cost, around here at least, is the same or less than an off-the-shelf system but we have a lot of talented but out-of-work welders in this province right now.


 Yeah that makes sense. I guess I'll just have to do some research or see if I can find someone who has my car with an aftermarket exhaust at a car meet and compare!


----------



## bulb

shadscbr said:


> DOH!...I missed the M3 departure


Ah yeah I traded it in a few months back, still a wonderful car!


----------



## wannabguitarist

@sakeido I love those wheels. Great color combo. A little bit of camber and gentle rolling of the fenders may help you fit the 225 up there.



bulb said:


> Ah yeah I traded it in a few months back, still a wonderful car!



What are you driving now? There's most likely proven aftermarket setups you can quality samples from. Going catless really helps reduce exhaust drone for some cars as well. Might be worth trying for optimal sound quality and just swapping them back in every two or so years for smog.


----------



## bulb

wannabguitarist said:


> @sakeido I love those wheels. Great color combo. A little bit of camber and gentle rolling of the fenders may help you fit the 225 up there.
> 
> 
> 
> What are you driving now? There's most likely proven aftermarket setups you can quality samples from. Going catless really helps reduce exhaust drone for some cars as well. Might be worth trying for optimal sound quality and just swapping them back in every two or so years for smog.


I have a 991.1 Turbo S, I don't think I can go catless because it will fail emissions and the car is CPO'd so that might affect the warranty. I think a regular bolt-on exhaust with high flow cats would be sick, but I just don't know which brand to go with and who is reputable.


----------



## sakeido

wannabguitarist said:


> @sakeido I love those wheels. Great color combo. A little bit of camber and gentle rolling of the fenders may help you fit the 225 up there.



haha, the fronts are rolled as much as they can: right flat. I'm looking into changing the suspension... I'd have to pull the fenders with it as is, but it sits too high anyways and I want to keep the stock body cuz it's a 10AE. Stiffer springs or larger sway bars should do the trick. Waiting to hear back from Tokico about the highest spring rate I could run with the Blues, because the ride quality right now is outstanding (relatively) 

But I found a smokin deal for a standalone so I think I'm going to do it first... the stock electronics in this car are making me very, very frustrated



bulb said:


> I have a 991.1 Turbo S, I don't think I can go catless because it will fail emissions and the car is CPO'd so that might affect the warranty. I think a regular bolt-on exhaust with high flow cats would be sick, but I just don't know which brand to go with and who is reputable.





Sharkwerks are your boys


----------



## wannabguitarist

Sharkwerks


----------



## bulb

I don't know if I'm sold on the Sharkwerks and I have a shop telling me Tubi is the best, and another one saying to get a Kline with 200 cell cats and this other dude telling me to get the Armytrix, but truthfully they are hard to judge in the videos, and they all just kinda sound like the Turbo S, and the Turbo S is known for a lot of things, but its exhaust note is not one of them if you catch my drift hahah.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Picking an exhaust out is really tough if you can't go hear it person. Honestly, it's fairly similar to trying to buy an amp online with only sound clips . I ran two different setups before I settled on my existing header back system for my car. The first didn't change the tone that, the seconded sounded exotic above 6,000 rpm and made all sort of wonderful pops and crackles upon startup, but hurt to drive long distances with and set off car alarms when it was cold haha.

Drone can really ruin a great exhaust if you have to drive a car everyday or long distances. Everyone's tolerances are different so basing the decision off forum sound clips and some guys saying "yeah it doesn't drone much" isn't the best way to go. With the amount of cash I can see a Turbo system costing it might be worth tracking down local owners or seeing if you get rides in shop cars.

And yeah, turbos don't do much for sound


----------



## Aescyr

sakeido said:


> Car needs a wash so bad... finally got the parts in to fix the windows so they roll up again. It is starting to show some rust in a few spots so I'll have to take care of that soon too. I want to just bolt on a bunch of go-fast parts, but I think a restoration and full paint job would be a better move at this point.


God I love FCs so much, mad jealous.

Done much engine wise? Been thinking of trying to snap one up and do a heavily ported 20B swap. Those engines are getting cheaper here now. 

Won't be for awhile now though, this eats all my money...







It's getting a tune in a few weeks but it should be making 220-230kw at the wheels (350bhp ish?). Where I live is a labyrinth of windy roads so it's a good amount for now. Going to drop the boost slightly and advance timings instead though, smooth power delivery out a bit.

Looking at getting an Evo III whilst I'm overseas next year too. Can only bring one car in every five years under that scheme or I'd get a IV as well. 

Exhaust wise my headers are a custom job, then everything after that is Kakimoto Racing. Sounds pretty good and isn't *that *loud. Great when you put your foot down but doesn't drone on the highway.



bulb said:


> Yeah that makes sense. I guess I'll just have to do some research or see if I can find someone who has my car with an aftermarket exhaust at a car meet and compare!


I've pretty much always had the best experience using local guys with good reputations over big name brands. Notable exception would be Daishin Racing on my bikes, they're amazing. This car already had the Kakimoto setup when I got it otherwise I would've had it done locally.

Tough part is finding out who is actually good in your area.


----------



## sakeido

Aescyr said:


> God I love FCs so much, mad jealous.
> 
> Done much engine wise? Been thinking of trying to snap one up and do a heavily ported 20B swap. Those engines are getting cheaper here now.
> 
> Won't be for awhile now though, this eats all my money...



Not too much. It has a turboback exhaust with the cat deleted, ported wastegate, boost controller and a little piggyback ECU on it to get some more fuel into it. It'll boost 10psi when its cold so it might be up 40 or 50hp on stock with all those mods combined, but it's still not that fast  they only had 197 stock after all.

I've got a line on a Haltech and a guy who will build me a custom harness local so plan is to go standalone then push the stock turbo as far as it'll go. But, I really want to get the car's body totally fixed up and repainted too and I can only do one or the other this year... not sure which way I'll go just yet. A 3 rotor would be awesome and we have two awesome rotary specialists around here that will build them, but they are $$$ in Canada now.

Nice Evo though! I've been seeing a few of those getting imported into Canada now. Very cool cars.. and I love that 4G63 motor


----------



## Aescyr

sakeido said:


> It'll boost 10psi when its cold so it might be up 40 or 50hp on stock with all those mods combined, but it's still not that fast  they only had 197 stock after all.


250hp still sounds like a blast in one of those. They aren't exactly heavy cars.



sakeido said:


> I've got a line on a Haltech and a guy who will build me a custom harness local so plan is to go standalone then push the stock turbo as far as it'll go. But, I really want to get the car's body totally fixed up and repainted too and I can only do one or the other this year... not sure which way I'll go just yet. A 3 rotor would be awesome and we have two awesome rotary specialists around here that will build them, but they are $$$ in Canada now.


Haltech is really popular here (for obvious reasons) and a great piece of kit. I'm most likely going to be putting an Elite 1500 into another project.

The go-to here on 13B-REW for awhile at one stage was pretty much what you've got already plus an intake, front mount intercooler, injectors, and a GT35 or GTX30. Can't imagine it'd be much different for a DEI. From memory with some minor porting people regularly got 300hp+ with that route. Probably easier nowadays with Goopy seals and things like that though. 

I'd say get the body fixed first though if you've got gremlins showing up. The engine will wait for you, the body won't. It'd suck to put money into the engine only to have rust kill it.



sakeido said:


> Nice Evo though! I've been seeing a few of those getting imported into Canada now. Very cool cars.. and I love that 4G63 motor


I'm planning to head over there for a year to catch up with relatives. As long as I stay for twelve months I should be able to bring an Evo III back to Australia with me. I'm putting a bit over 24psi through mine at the moment, but I'd rather be 200kg lighter haha.


----------



## bulb

Car is almost done being wrapped and I think i'm picking her up later today, so excited!!


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

bulb said:


> Car is almost done being wrapped and I think i'm picking her up later today, so excited!!



pics asap please


----------



## bulb

Here are a couple crappy cell phone pics, I'll try to take some proper ones soon.
Of course it started raining pretty much as soon as I picked it up haha.





I had been thinking powdercoating the wheels Satin black, partially because I didn't know how the stock wheels would work. Seeing it now I actually think they definitely work well with the finish, so now I'm torn, what do you guys think?


----------



## bulb

.


----------



## narad

Damn, son.


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> Here are a couple crappy cell phone pics, I'll try to take some proper ones soon.
> Of course it started raining pretty much as soon as I picked it up haha.
> 
> View attachment 55555
> View attachment 55556
> 
> 
> I had been thinking powdercoating the wheels Satin black, partially because I didn't know how the stock wheels would work. Seeing it now I actually think they definitely work well with the finish, so now I'm torn, what do you guys think?



nice what did you actually get? model and specs and options? That's a 991.1 right.


----------



## Joose

New car day! 

Traded in my 2013 Charger R/T with the Road And Track Package for a 2017 Charger R/T 392 Scat Pack with the Super Track Pak in "Green Go"... in-love!!


----------



## bulb

Nice one dude!


diagrammatiks said:


> nice what did you actually get? model and specs and options? That's a 991.1 right.


It's indeed a 991.1 and it's a Turbo S


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> Nice one dude!
> 
> It's indeed a 991.1 and it's a Turbo S



nice. those are going for great prices now. never specced out one of those...
a lot of the options are standard right?
pdk, sport chrono, adjustable pasm, and sport exhaust?

One of my neighbors just got a 718 in that color. It is so sick. The color. meh on the 718.


----------



## shadscbr

Love the blue and the green...congrats to all!!


----------



## bulb

diagrammatiks said:


> nice. those are going for great prices now. never specced out one of those...
> a lot of the options are standard right?
> pdk, sport chrono, adjustable pasm, and sport exhaust?
> 
> One of my neighbors just got a 718 in that color. It is so sick. The color. meh on the 718.


Yeah the idea behind the S variant is that it would have all the features but be cheaper than a fully loaded Turbo and they give you a touch more hp/torque.

So with the Turbo S you get Sport chrono, carbon ceramic brakes, pdcc, torque vectoring, 4 wheel steering, 18 way seats all as standard. The options I have on mine I think are ventilated seats and the moonroof haha. It's a shockingly comfortable everyday car especially considering that it can do 0-60 in 2.8!

As far as the color goes, it's actually slightly lighter than the Miami Blue you are talking about, which is also a blue I absolutely love. I took those pics minutes before it started raining so the color was definitely darker.


----------



## Joose

Tint makes everything better!


----------



## bulb

That looks sick dude!! Love the color!


----------



## wannabguitarist

@bulb and @Joose repping wonderful retina searing colors. The world needs more bright cars

Pulled my hardtop out of storage today to buff and restore the clear coat. Was planning on putting it up for sale but now that it's back on the car I'm having second thoughts.






I'm considering a wrap instead of respray (phone camera hides the issues). Mexico blue or a deep shade of green are the current front runners.


----------



## Joose

bulb said:


> That looks sick dude!! Love the color!


 Thank you, sir! Bright colors on cars are the best, as you already know with that unbelievably purdy Turbo S. That wrap came out perfect.


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> Yeah the idea behind the S variant is that it would have all the features but be cheaper than a fully loaded Turbo and they give you a touch more hp/torque.
> 
> So with the Turbo S you get Sport chrono, carbon ceramic brakes, pdcc, torque vectoring, 4 wheel steering, 18 way seats all as standard. The options I have on mine I think are ventilated seats and the moonroof haha. It's a shockingly comfortable everyday car especially considering that it can do 0-60 in 2.8!
> 
> As far as the color goes, it's actually slightly lighter than the Miami Blue you are talking about, which is also a blue I absolutely love. I took those pics minutes before it started raining so the color was definitely darker.



The torque vectoring is super nice. That wasn't an option yet on my c2s that year, I don't think. 
Sweet ride. The last turbo S i got to drive was the last 997 that came out and that was already balls to the wall crazy. 
I feel you on the exhaust change on the turbos though. Did you ask on reenlist for opinions yet? I'd like to know too


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Damn Misha, gorgeous!

Joose, freakin' love that green. And the scat pack has to be the best deal around for the power you get. If I didn't live in the rustbelt I'd get one of those. Although, maybe winter tires would get me through. I'd debadge the back though!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Qualifying my statement above regarding the best deal on the scat pack and the power you get for the price as it pertains to 4-door sedans!


----------



## sakeido

bulb said:


> Here are a couple crappy cell phone pics, I'll try to take some proper ones soon.
> Of course it started raining pretty much as soon as I picked it up haha.
> 
> View attachment 55555
> View attachment 55556
> 
> 
> I had been thinking powdercoating the wheels Satin black, partially because I didn't know how the stock wheels would work. Seeing it now I actually think they definitely work well with the finish, so now I'm torn, what do you guys think?



sick color! that 991 body style is so sick. Porsche finally perfected it after all these years. and personally I'd be stoked to have one of the very few vehicles that can take a Tesla off the line  

my 2 cents even though the factory wheels look good I'd still get an aftermarket set just to get yourself apart from the crowd.. then you can keep the factory rims for winter or track use or something. I don't think your winters in DC get all that rough but real deal summer tires lose a ton of traction in cold weather, below +5 celsius or so and even Pilot Super Sports are not something you wanna be driving on in bad conditions

only thing with the 991, the handling is so dialed in I wouldn't want to change anything about my wheels and tires. I wouldn't be looking to go for a lower offset for a more flush or poke look because it'll fuck with it too much.. wheel shopping is not quite as fun when you are just looking for direct replacements.


----------



## bulb

sakeido said:


> sick color! that 991 body style is so sick. Porsche finally perfected it after all these years. and personally I'd be stoked to have one of the very few vehicles that can take a Tesla off the line
> 
> my 2 cents even though the factory wheels look good I'd still get an aftermarket set just to get yourself apart from the crowd.. then you can keep the factory rims for winter or track use or something. I don't think your winters in DC get all that rough but real deal summer tires lose a ton of traction in cold weather, below +5 celsius or so and even Pilot Super Sports are not something you wanna be driving on in bad conditions
> 
> only thing with the 991, the handling is so dialed in I wouldn't want to change anything about my wheels and tires. I wouldn't be looking to go for a lower offset for a more flush or poke look because it'll fuck with it too much.. wheel shopping is not quite as fun when you are just looking for direct replacements.


Thanks dude, 
And yeah I can't agree more, I love the car as my daily, but it's just scary fast, it's so fast that when I drove it up to test drive the F-Type R, that felt actively slow and heavy to me, lesson learned.

I'd dig an aftermarket set for the car, but Vossen/HRE sets will run me 7-10k for the wheels alone, and I feel like the cheaper stuff will just make the car heavier. I want to be careful to mess with the balance of the car, because as it sits, it's perfect for me. I'm sure it could be tweaked to be better by someone who knows what they are doing, but I'm not that guy haha. I think for now the next thing I will do is just get the wheels powdercoated satin black, and for the winter, I'll probably just rely on the Gf's car haha, it's not too bad in my area, but as you said, cold weather is not friendly to the P-Zeros that are currently on there.


----------



## diagrammatiks

The only parts I'd get for a turbo would be something approved by ruf. The stock wheels are really light already. you should have ceramic disk brakes as well which means you'd want to only pair that with the really nice stuff.

the f-type r is a turtle in comparison..mainly because of how the engine makes power. superchargers just feel different. But it's also significantly slower. When you're in those numbers .6 of a second is forever. 

I saw this guy when I came home today. I swear the person that parks next to me has to own a car rental company or something. Rolls Phantom. 1 Million USD after taxes base price here.


----------



## bulb

I test drove the 2017 R8 V10 Plus today, figured I might as well share my honest thoughts!

Pros:
- Absolutely incredible fit and finish, the comfort is top notch. Maybe the best and most comfortable seats I have ever sat in when it comes to sports/supercars.
- Blurs the line beautifully between a sports and supercar by being very tame, intuitive and accessible at low speeds and in comfort more, but opening up and becoming a raging beast with the touch of a button.
- Engine and exhaust have the sound you would expect out of a NA V10.
- The tech on the car is truly next gen, the cockpit is very spacious and everything is very driver-centric without being obnoxious
- Even sport mode is comfy for every day use
- Gotta mention the tech again, really next level. It's crazy how it can make even new cars feel dated by comparison.
- As much as pictures struggle to do it justice, it really looks beautiful in person, riding the line between having presence and still being somewhat understated. This is for people who want something that performs like (or even slightly better) than a standard Huracan, but don't want the looks, which in my book is a massive plus!

Cons (mainly compared to my Turbo S):
- Even though the car is fast, and it is fast, it doesn't feel as fast as the insane acceleration and "warp-speed" feeling you get from a Turbo S. I have a bad feeling that my car has ruined a lot of other cars for me just off of the way it accelerates.
- As much as the NA engine is incredible, I'm quickly reminded how finicky they can be as you really need to learn the car's gearing and ideal revs for torque if you want to get the most out of it. This is a fault only in comparison to the Turbo S which seems to have massive pull at almost any gear and rpm.
- The handling, although still amazing, feels a little less precise than the Turbo S, very sharp turn in, but almost immediately followed by understeer and then correction by torque vectoring.
- The cabin seems designed to mute the engine/exhaust noise, which is a bit of a shame with such a great sounding engine. I'd imagine an aftermarket exhaust might help.
- The car rides a little lower, which just means in practical daily use, I'd have to be a touch more careful. Haven't had to sweat any bumps or driveways in the Turbo S.

Still processing how I feel about it, the car is available for a pretty damn good price, so I'm not sure if I should move on it or not. I'll have a better idea after I sleep on it!


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> I test drove the 2017 R8 V10 Plus today, figured I might as well share my honest thoughts!
> 
> Pros:
> - Absolutely incredible fit and finish, the comfort is top notch. Maybe the best and most comfortable seats I have ever sat in when it comes to sports/supercars.
> - Blurs the line beautifully between a sports and supercar by being very tame, intuitive and accessible at low speeds and in comfort more, but opening up and becoming a raging beast with the touch of a button.
> - Engine and exhaust have the sound you would expect out of a NA V10.
> - The tech on the car is truly next gen, the cockpit is very spacious and everything is very driver-centric without being obnoxious
> - Even sport mode is comfy for every day use
> - Gotta mention the tech again, really next level. It's crazy how it can make even new cars feel dated by comparison.
> - As much as pictures struggle to do it justice, it really looks beautiful in person, riding the line between having presence and still being somewhat understated. This is for people who want something that performs like (or even slightly better) than a standard Huracan, but don't want the looks, which in my book is a massive plus!
> 
> Cons (mainly compared to my Turbo S):
> - Even though the car is fast, and it is fast, it doesn't feel as fast as the insane acceleration and "warp-speed" feeling you get from a Turbo S. I have a bad feeling that my car has ruined a lot of other cars for me just off of the way it accelerates.
> - As much as the NA engine is incredible, I'm quickly reminded how finicky they can be as you really need to learn the car's gearing and ideal revs for torque if you want to get the most out of it. This is a fault only in comparison to the Turbo S which seems to have massive pull at almost any gear and rpm.
> - The handling, although still amazing, feels a little less precise than the Turbo S, very sharp turn in, but almost immediately followed by understeer and then correction by torque vectoring.
> - The cabin seems designed to mute the engine/exhaust noise, which is a bit of a shame with such a great sounding engine. I'd imagine an aftermarket exhaust might help.
> - The car rides a little lower, which just means in practical daily use, I'd have to be a touch more careful. Haven't had to sweat any bumps or driveways in the Turbo S.
> 
> Still processing how I feel about it, the car is available for a pretty damn good price, so I'm not sure if I should move on it or not. I'll have a better idea after I sleep on it!
> 
> View attachment 55954
> View attachment 55955



I feel like the only car that you are going to like after that turbo S has to be at least a mclaren 570s.

But, if you have the money...cars are like guitars right...you just gotta have that one v10 in the garage.

also depending on how much you love your porsche you might be ruined forever. you might never feel ok driving an na car ever again.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

bulb said:


> I test drove the 2017 R8 V10 Plus today, figured I might as well share my honest thoughts!
> 
> Pros:
> - Absolutely incredible fit and finish, the comfort is top notch. Maybe the best and most comfortable seats I have ever sat in when it comes to sports/supercars.
> - Blurs the line beautifully between a sports and supercar by being very tame, intuitive and accessible at low speeds and in comfort more, but opening up and becoming a raging beast with the touch of a button.
> - Engine and exhaust have the sound you would expect out of a NA V10.
> - The tech on the car is truly next gen, the cockpit is very spacious and everything is very driver-centric without being obnoxious
> - Even sport mode is comfy for every day use
> - Gotta mention the tech again, really next level. It's crazy how it can make even new cars feel dated by comparison.
> - As much as pictures struggle to do it justice, it really looks beautiful in person, riding the line between having presence and still being somewhat understated. This is for people who want something that performs like (or even slightly better) than a standard Huracan, but don't want the looks, which in my book is a massive plus!
> 
> Cons (mainly compared to my Turbo S):
> - Even though the car is fast, and it is fast, it doesn't feel as fast as the insane acceleration and "warp-speed" feeling you get from a Turbo S. I have a bad feeling that my car has ruined a lot of other cars for me just off of the way it accelerates.
> - As much as the NA engine is incredible, I'm quickly reminded how finicky they can be as you really need to learn the car's gearing and ideal revs for torque if you want to get the most out of it. This is a fault only in comparison to the Turbo S which seems to have massive pull at almost any gear and rpm.
> - The handling, although still amazing, feels a little less precise than the Turbo S, very sharp turn in, but almost immediately followed by understeer and then correction by torque vectoring.
> - The cabin seems designed to mute the engine/exhaust noise, which is a bit of a shame with such a great sounding engine. I'd imagine an aftermarket exhaust might help.
> - The car rides a little lower, which just means in practical daily use, I'd have to be a touch more careful. Haven't had to sweat any bumps or driveways in the Turbo S.
> 
> Still processing how I feel about it, the car is available for a pretty damn good price, so I'm not sure if I should move on it or not. I'll have a better idea after I sleep on it!
> 
> View attachment 55954
> View attachment 55955



Nice summary Misha. I've seen a few around my way and they sound incredible. Going way back, but did you ever get or drive the GTR? How did you feel about those?


----------



## Kyle-Vick

bulb said:


> Here are a couple crappy cell phone pics, I'll try to take some proper ones soon.
> Of course it started raining pretty much as soon as I picked it up haha.
> 
> View attachment 55555
> View attachment 55556
> 
> 
> I had been thinking powdercoating the wheels Satin black, partially because I didn't know how the stock wheels would work. Seeing it now I actually think they definitely work well with the finish, so now I'm torn, what do you guys think?



I would powdercoat the wheels black. Black wheels make everything look nicer, and unless you are going to spend the coin on something forged and legit, that would be your best bet. The current wheels on there are pretty bad ass, so they would look good black. Only thing with powder coating wheels is some people say the ovens used to cure the powder can mess with the heat treat on forged wheels, but tons of people do it with zero issues. I dont think anyone has proof of it being an issue, only speculation. 

My wife and I are expecting a little one anytime so we just picked her up a fast mom wagon. 2014 Jeep SRT, we build Jeeps, so this was fitting.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Ok guys, just booked one of those xtreme drive experiences. Which of these three would you choose:

Lamborghini Gallardo LP560
Audi R8 V10
Porsche 911 GT3

I think they're all pretty similar in terms of acceleration numbers in a straight line but anyone with experience with these have opinions on handling between these three? Which one can punch out of a turn quickest? Or are they also all pretty similar in terms of ride and handling?
Fastest car I've owned/driven is a 15' BMW 335i w/ xdrive so this will be quite the different experience!! Tough choice!


----------



## diagrammatiks

TheShreddinHand said:


> Ok guys, just booked one of those xtreme drive experiences. Which of these three would you choose:
> 
> Lamborghini Gallardo LP560
> Audi R8 V10
> Porsche 911 GT3
> 
> I think they're all pretty similar in terms of acceleration numbers in a straight line but anyone with experience with these have opinions on handling between these three? Which one can punch out of a turn quickest? Or are they also all pretty similar in terms of ride and handling?
> Fastest car I've owned/driven is a 15' BMW 335i w/ xdrive so this will be quite the different experience!! Tough choice!



I'm biased but the gt4 is easily the best car out of those. 

That being said everyone should drive a lambo at least once so probably the lambo


----------



## man jerk

I got to drive a Gallardo Superlagerra this summer and it was monsterous. My first time in an exotic car so I don't have anything to compare it to. The sound alone was amazing. Still hear it in my dreams.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

man jerk said:


> View attachment 56007
> I got to drive a Gallardo Superlagerra this summer and it was monsterous. My first time in an exotic car so I don't have anything to compare it to. The sound alone was amazing. Still hear it in my dreams.



Very cool! I was leaning Lambo but after watching several videos of the track this is held on it really seemed like the GT3 was perfect for this. That and the lambo was only available at 8am or 9am and that seems a little early in the morning for late October in Pittsburgh for a track time. But maybe I'm wrong and the track and tires would be plenty warm. Ah well, went with the 911. Couldn't have gone wrong with any of them really!


----------



## bulb

TheShreddinHand said:


> Very cool! I was leaning Lambo but after watching several videos of the track this is held on it really seemed like the GT3 was perfect for this. That and the lambo was only available at 8am or 9am and that seems a little early in the morning for late October in Pittsburgh for a track time. But maybe I'm wrong and the track and tires would be plenty warm. Ah well, went with the 911. Couldn't have gone wrong with any of them really!



Honestly dude if you are going to a track it's probably the correct car, Porsche has the strongest racing pedigree and the 911 is a car that has been refined over half a decade, the gallardo/R8 are no slouches by any means, but as cliche as it sounds, there is just something about the 911. When I was car shopping I wanted to avoid it so badly because I just felt it was such a predictable move, and all it took was one spirited test drive to understand why everyone uses the 911 as the benchmark for a good sports/supercar.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

bulb said:


> Honestly dude if you are going to a track it's probably the correct car, Porsche has the strongest racing pedigree and the 911 is a car that has been refined over half a decade, the gallardo/R8 are no slouches by any means, but as cliche as it sounds, there is just something about the 911. When I was car shopping I wanted to avoid it so badly because I just felt it was such a predictable move, and all it took was one spirited test drive to understand why everyone uses the 911 as the benchmark for a good sports/supercar.



Excellent! Makes me happy about my choice!


----------



## NickLAudio

Got a new daily driver...





.




.




.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Went to Buttonwillow, covered car in a fine layer of dust(seriously, this shit got everywhere )





After 3 track days and 6,000 miles I've used up probably 65% of the Federals RSRRs I was running; 200tw on a daily is stupid. I don't want to waste any more heat cycles commuting or die once it starts raining so I picked up a second set of wheels to run on the street. Going to paid these a dark bronze and mount some Pilot Super Sports I have laying around in the garage.


----------



## sakeido

6,000 miles in an S2000? Nice. I only put a little under 1,300 miles on the RX-7 all summer. It goes into the shop for a Haltech Elite 1000 standalone within a week or so though... going to improve the stock tune and get ready for 300whp. And I really gotta find a new trunk seal. I don't drive the car very much because I stink like exhaust every time I get out.

Still trying to decide if I am going to kit the car out, change to the post-facelift bumpers & trim, or do a resto-mod build... it being a 10th Anniversary Edition makes me want to resto, but then I see stuff like this and I want to go nuts


----------



## bulb

Here are some macro shots of the 488, lighting in the garage is less than ideal but I did my best and exported them in wallpaper size in case you guys dig:
https://imgur.com/a/RkogF


----------



## wannabguitarist

@sakeido I've actually put on 11,000 this year. More than doubled the miles on the car since I bought it 3/2015 (36k-77k). It's too fun not to drive 

The front fenders and bumper on that RX7 are sick. I say build your car the way you want, resale and collectability be damned.

Also, wtf Bulb. Congratulations


----------



## p0ke

Bought a car the other day. I ended up buying a really cheap one because I just bought a house for 150k so I didn't want any more debt right now 





It's a 1999 Ford Focus 1.4 hatchback. It feels pretty good considering I paid 700€ for it. It only came with one set of tires which were really old winter tires that had had the spikes removed so they could be used as summer tires, so I had new winter tires installed yesterday. 
In Finland winter tires are mandatory (which is completely reasonable considering how slippery it can get when the temp goes below 0*C or even way more + with snow and ice) and then you have to change to summer tires in the spring because the winter spikes wear out the roads much more. So you basically have to have two sets of tires.
Anyway, my mother in law had an almost identical Focus that was scrapped last year, but she still has her summer tires in storage, so I'm getting those for free. I don't know if they're any good, but at least I don't need to buy another set of rims.

It also doesn't have a stereo, but it has a 2din slot with all the cables ready, so I just ordered an Android based stereo for it that can be used for navigation, reverse camera etc. + everything typical Android devices can do.

EDIT: Oh and looks like my wife already dumped a pile of rubbish into it (bags in the front seat)


----------



## bulb

wannabguitarist said:


> Also, wtf Bulb. Congratulations :yesway:


Yeah I guess I didn't post about it here, got it a little over a month ago, threw some miles on it, but when I get back from tour I'm pretty much gonna have to hibernate it, entertaining the idea of a R8 v10 plus to hold me over till the summer, or maybe I need to move to somewhere with better weather and roads haha.[/user]


----------



## TheShreddinHand

So as an update, driving the 911 GT3 on the track was awesome! Thing was glued to the track and sounded so darn good. Unfortunately those 3 laps were up way too quick. Wish they offered a ten lap option or something, haha!

On another note, what is anyone’s opinion on the Audi S4 (14’-16’)? It really checks off the boxes for what I need (4 door sedan, AWD, can be civilized for commutes but still fun as heck when you want to tear it up!). Anyone own or know someone that owns one?


----------



## p0ke

Argh, here's what you get for buying a cheap piece of shit car: my heater stopped working, just as it's starting to get really fucking cold here... Checked all the related fuses, they're ok, so the next step seems to be to remove the glove compartment and check the resistor in there... Hopefully that's the problem and not the motor. The good part with having a cheap and very common car is that the parts are cheap even if I'd end up having to replace the whole heater.


----------



## maliciousteve

There's a second fuse box behind the glove compartment that may lead to the problem with the heater. 

I also recommend keeping an eye on the thermostat housing, they would fail often. Easy to replace but a pain if stuck in freezing weather or engine overheats. Had that problem with my old Focus.


----------



## gunch

How much does a power steering pump cost to replace on a 98 nissan pathfinder/inifinti qx4. I'm starting to leak and it's just drinking fluid


----------



## p0ke

maliciousteve said:


> There's a second fuse box behind the glove compartment that may lead to the problem with the heater.
> 
> I also recommend keeping an eye on the thermostat housing, they would fail often. Easy to replace but a pain if stuck in freezing weather or engine overheats. Had that problem with my old Focus.



Yeah, I've googled this a fair bit and seems like there's a bunch of options for what could be causing the problem. As far as I can tell, the second fuse box doesn't contain any heating-related fuses, but I might as well check that anyway. There is a fuse for recirculated air / AC, but my car doesn't have AC and the recirculated air works, so that can't really be it, I guess.
The actual heater fan is apparently located behind the glove compartment, along with its resistor, so I guess I'll start with taking those out and plugging a 9V battery into the fan to see if it works, and if it does, then I'll measure the resistor with a multimeter to see if that's broken. If both of those are intact, then the problem pretty much has to be in the switch, and I don't know how difficult that will be to replace. Probably not that bad. Or it could be a broken or corroded power cable somewhere, I guess.


----------



## p0ke

Blah, more funny things with the car  The wires going from the gear stick to the transmission snapped, so it won't go into gear anymore  So we towed the car to our friends' garage, and they'll fix it, I just hope it won't be expensive. They've still got my mother in law's old Focus that's going to be scrapped standing in their yard, so at least the parts will be coming from that. They'll fix the heater too, so after that, hopefully it'll be Ok until I trade the whole car for a newer one...


----------



## sakeido

Could be worse bro... took my car into the shop for a full standalone engine management system. Our baseline pass was 207whp at 9psi of boost, which were phenomenal numbers... but it turns out my car had low fuel pressure and was running a very lean AF, 14:1, in a boosted rotary which typically should run between 10.5 and 11.5.

So we compression tested it, and it turns out I have a bad apex seal. Really it's a miracle the car ran at all, but this is a major bummer. I'm revising my power goal up (way up); if the motor is going to be in pieces anyways, I'm going to go for lightweight, balanced rotors and a huge street port so I can make good power all the way to 8,500rpm. I'm running 320 treadwear, 255 width tire so I think 250whp will do for this year, in a 2,700 pound car. Next year... maybe 350 at the wheels.

I hate cars, but damn do I love them too. The Tesla Roadster unveil just highlights that gas powered cars really are on their last legs. I'm glad I bought the RX-7, but I wish it wasn't a piece of shit. The most Italian car Japan ever made....


----------



## Furtive Glance

sakeido said:


> I'm glad I bought the RX-7, but I wish it wasn't a piece of shit.



I think that's the official motto of every rotary fan I know, haha.


----------



## p0ke

Yep, could be worse for sure. My car's fixed now, the problem was that the transmission wires had snapped, as I suspected. The wires on the old focus were too rusty, so I had to buy new ones and the repair ended up costing 350€... But hey, at least the car feels awesome to drive now, the gear stick used to be quite stiff and now it feels like driving a brand new car  I also didn't have a spare tire, and now I got one from the old focus. Oh and they fixed the heater as well - again, as I suspected, the switch was broken. 

So now the car is in pretty good shape. I drove about 400km this weekend and it seems to be pretty fuel efficient too - I put 47l (about 12 gallons) of petrol into it on Friday and the fuel gauge didn't even nudge during the whole drive. I'm used to spending about half a tank on that trip


----------



## sakeido

tfw when you get your motor completely rebuilt with all new parts and your super exuberant, happy, optimistic mechanic says "yeah man it'll be a great build, it'll last you like
.....
....
....
..
.

five or six years"

#rotarylife

I shoulda paid way more up front and got a left hand drive FD. or maybe just traded in my truck and gotten a Golf R


----------



## bulb

Thinking about getting a used 2017 Audi S3 as a second/winter friendly car. 

Test drove a ‘15 and loved it but I want dat virtual cockpit and adaptive cruise haha. 

Anyone here have one? Thoughts?


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> Thinking about getting a used 2017 Audi S3 as a second/winter friendly car.
> 
> Test drove a ‘15 and loved it but I want dat virtual cockpit and adaptive cruise haha.
> 
> Anyone here have one? Thoughts?



It's a fun car.
Audi's fwd biased awd is what it is.
The 2017 is super powerful. But it's a tiny tiny car for the price.
I think the wrx is still the more fun car to drive. Cockpit of the audi is nicer tho.

My personal favorite in that size is the benz gla43 amg though. That car is just so silly. I almost pulled the trigger on it for my wife but she hated how small the car was. Ended up buying her a C instead.


----------



## xzacx

diagrammatiks said:


> *My personal favorite in that size is the benz gla43 amg though.* That car is just so silly. I almost pulled the trigger on it for my wife but she hated how small the car was. Ended up buying her a C instead.



Love this car - it's what I have in the back of my mind to look at first for my next one. I'm a small car kind of person - in and out of the city too much for something much bigger - I haven't driven one yet, but looks just perfect for what I want.


----------



## shadscbr

Big +1 on AMG...and you have to try a used AWD Tesla, the instant torque is addictive


----------



## TheShreddinHand

diagrammatiks said:


> It's a fun car.
> Audi's fwd biased awd is what it is.
> The 2017 is super powerful. But it's a tiny tiny car for the price.
> I think the wrx is still the more fun car to drive. Cockpit of the audi is nicer tho.
> 
> My personal favorite in that size is the benz gla43 amg though. That car is just so silly. I almost pulled the trigger on it for my wife but she hated how small the car was. Ended up buying her a C instead.



I sat in one after test driving a 2017 A4 and 2015 S4 and also felt that the 3 was too small. Really sweet looking car but was a little too small for me and I’m only 5-10.


----------



## penguin_316

I drove a 2017 Nissan GTR Premium a couple of months ago. For the past few years I’ve had a 2016 scat pack challenger, so similar power levels as the GTR.

The biggest difference would be the grip the GTR has on the pulls, definitely lean you back in the seat a bit. With proper tires my scat pack pulls almost as hard though, I dunno the grip difference/all wheel drive is next level.

The GTR is all about modding though, who wants a stock GTR. Drop the extra $60k and get like 2000hp or something dumb 

I’m leaning towards maybe $28k in mods for like 1,000hp on pump gas.

PS- GTRs are quite compact inside for me anyway, 6’1”...will still buy one though haha.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

penguin_316 said:


> I drove a 2017 Nissan GTR Premium a couple of months ago. For the past few years I’ve had a 2016 scat pack challenger, so similar power levels as the GTR.
> 
> The biggest difference would be the grip the GTR has on the pulls, definitely lean you back in the seat a bit. With proper tires my scat pack pulls almost as hard though, I dunno the grip difference/all wheel drive is next level.
> 
> The GTR is all about modding though, who wants a stock GTR. Drop the extra $60k and get like 2000hp or something dumb
> 
> I’m leaning towards maybe $28k in mods for like 1,000hp on pump gas.
> 
> PS- GTRs are quite compact inside for me anyway, 6’1”...will still buy one though haha.



Stock GTR should be helluva lot quicker than a scat pack. Isn’t like 2.9 vs 4.2 for the 0-60 times? And of course grip like u mentioned

In other news, on my way to get my S4 now!!


----------



## penguin_316

TheShreddinHand said:


> Stock GTR should be helluva lot quicker than a scat pack. Isn’t like 2.9 vs 4.2 for the 0-60 times? And of course grip like u mentioned
> 
> In other news, on my way to get my S4 now!!



I’m sure it is faster off the line no doubt, but the pulls in random gears while driving felt similar. Honestly, they tamed them down quite a bit in the last few models. Paddle shifting it felt pretty damn good though. Them downshifts 

Sorry, my challenger has drag radials in the rear, should have mentioned.


----------



## bulb

TheShreddinHand said:


> I sat in one after test driving a 2017 A4 and 2015 S4 and also felt that the 3 was too small. Really sweet looking car but was a little too small for me and I’m only 5-10.



I drove the S4 and S5 as well as the S3, I liked the S4, but it wasn't as fun to drive as the S3 and didn't feel as sporty. Honestly the S3 is more than enough space for what I need. The S5 I was actually pretty disappointed with, the engine was cool, but the car felt heavy and I absolutely hated the steering. The S3 really blew me away with how genuinely fun it was to drive and how nimble and quick on it's feet it felt.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

penguin_316 said:


> I’m sure it is faster off the line no doubt, but the pulls in random gears while driving felt similar. Honestly, they tamed them down quite a bit in the last few models. Paddle shifting it felt pretty damn good though. Them downshifts
> 
> Sorry, my challenger has drag radials in the rear, should have mentioned.



Sweet! I’ve never driven either of them so I really can’t talk, haha!



bulb said:


> I drove the S4 and S5 as well as the S3, I liked the S4, but it wasn't as fun to drive as the S3 and didn't feel as sporty. Honestly the S3 is more than enough space for what I need. The S5 I was actually pretty disappointed with, the engine was cool, but the car felt heavy and I absolutely hated the steering. The S3 really blew me away with how genuinely fun it was to drive and how nimble and quick on it's feet it felt.



Awesome! I really really like the looks of the S3 and did want it but with 2 kids and needing more trunk space it just didn’t make sense for me personally. You only need to throw a couple guitars in the back so you’re set Misha! . Ill try and get some pictures of my S4 up this weekend. Loving it so far! Much more comfortable than my 335 was and feels quicker too.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Pics!!

View media item 512View media item 511View media item 510View media item 509View media item 508View media item 507View media item 506View media item 505View media item 504


----------



## sakeido

heart Audis. the S4 is by far the best lookin of the small German cars right now... not crazy about the new Mercedes, even with the AMG appearance package and the BMW 3 series is handsome outside but the interior is so, so bad 

RX-7 engine rebuild is done, dyno tuning it today. Ended up having to get two new housings, but all the rest of the parts were basically mint. It was a weird build, previous owner probably put it together in his backyard and he did it wrong... very wrong. It was amazing the car ran at all, honestly. Got a mild street port on it, fixed some exhaust leaks, full standalone engine management system, some bigger fuel injectors... should be up like 80whp on the stock car with any luck.


----------



## shadscbr

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio might be worth a look...and it's Maranello related


----------



## sakeido

sakeido said:


> heart Audis. the S4 is by far the best lookin of the small German cars right now... not crazy about the new Mercedes, even with the AMG appearance package and the BMW 3 series is handsome outside but the interior is so, so bad
> 
> RX-7 engine rebuild is done, dyno tuning it today. Ended up having to get two new housings, but all the rest of the parts were basically mint. It was a weird build, previous owner probably put it together in his backyard and he did it wrong... very wrong. It was amazing the car ran at all, honestly. Got a mild street port on it, fixed some exhaust leaks, full standalone engine management system, some bigger fuel injectors... should be up like 80whp on the stock car with any luck.



lmao so like an hour after I posted this, the motor lost compression. we built it with aftermarket apex seals instead of OEM mazda ones... they've been run with great success on some cars, but not mine. at least the aftermarket seals don't fail catastrophically, destroying housings, like the Mazda ones do... just gotta pull the motor and rebuild, y'know, nbd 

never forget 






at least it never, ever left the shop that built it, so they are covering all the repair work but damn do I ever feel bad for the guy. he never pushed the tune even slightly and the seals still melted down... they must have been improperly made

the power curve was awesome though. 210whp and it made peak torque for just over 2,000rpm, before the closed loop boost control was even dialed in. with that the turbo should spool a couple hundred rpm sooner so (gasp!) I'll have a rotary that actually makes some torque when all is said and done


----------



## TheShreddinHand

sakeido said:


> heart Audis. the S4 is by far the best lookin of the small German cars right now... not crazy about the new Mercedes, even with the AMG appearance package and the BMW 3 series is handsome outside but the interior is so, so bad
> 
> RX-7 engine rebuild is done, dyno tuning it today. Ended up having to get two new housings, but all the rest of the parts were basically mint. It was a weird build, previous owner probably put it together in his backyard and he did it wrong... very wrong. It was amazing the car ran at all, honestly. Got a mild street port on it, fixed some exhaust leaks, full standalone engine management system, some bigger fuel injectors... should be up like 80whp on the stock car with any luck.



Couldn’t agree with you more. It’s the rear end of the new MB C’s that bothers me. I was looking at a C400/450/43 but they were few and far between and still priced a few thousand above the S4. Had the 335i and agree the interior is really dated and they have the narrowest, most uncomfortable (hard) seats ever!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

sakeido said:


> heart Audis. the S4 is by far the best lookin of the small German cars right now... not crazy about the new Mercedes, even with the AMG appearance package and the BMW 3 series is handsome outside but the interior is so, so bad
> 
> RX-7 engine rebuild is done, dyno tuning it today. Ended up having to get two new housings, but all the rest of the parts were basically mint. It was a weird build, previous owner probably put it together in his backyard and he did it wrong... very wrong. It was amazing the car ran at all, honestly. Got a mild street port on it, fixed some exhaust leaks, full standalone engine management system, some bigger fuel injectors... should be up like 80whp on the stock car with any luck.



Couldn’t agree with you more. It’s the rear end of the new MB C’s that bothers me. I was looking at a C400/450/43 but they were few and far between and still priced a few thousand above the S4. Had the 335i and agree the interior is really dated and they have the narrowest, most uncomfortable (hard) seats ever!


----------



## bulb

Soooo now I’m thinking about just saying fuck it and getting a Nardo Grey RS3 haha...


----------



## TheShreddinHand

bulb said:


> Soooo now I’m thinking about just saying fuck it and getting a Nardo Grey RS3 haha...



Haha! Now that’s the spirit!


----------



## bulb

Slept on it and I just can't justify taking the hit on a new german car. Found an awesome spec '16 S3 Prestige at a fair price today and it was great on the test drive, may move in that direction as I really need a good daily beater/winter car that's fun to drive.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Nice! Keep us posted.


----------



## shadscbr

Used Macan or Cayenne Turbo could be a contender to the S3 + some utility


----------



## lelandbowman3

In case anyone's interested:
2019 Toyota Supra.
Shhhhhhh...


----------



## MFB

lelandbowman3 said:


> In case anyone's interested:
> 2019 Toyota Supra.
> Shhhhhhh...



You mean the 2019 Gazoo Supra


----------



## bulb

Pulled the trigger on the S3!

It's a bit trickier to find ones with Adaptive Cruise (Prestige package), but man what an awesome feature. Got a decent deal on this all things considered, it's CPO until 2022 and Maintenance is covered until 2021, has clear bra on the whole front and mirrors and paint protection on the rest of the car. The tires are brand new and the brakes have most of their life so I shouldn't have to pay for anything during the time I plan on keeping the car.

Got this so I could have a fun daily that would also be a fun little road trip car too. Now that weather is in the 30-40 degree range here the 488 is basically useless and just living on its trickle charger until spring most likely...

Anyways the drive home was a lot of fun, I have to say they really killed it on the chassis, the car handles and moves so nimbly, the AWD system seems to work well and I'm a fan of the interior. The one thing I missed out on with this being a 2016 is the awesome Virtual Cockpit. But the plan is to keep this car for a year or two and upgrade to an RS3 once those start to depreciate, and I'll find one with the Adaptive Cruise/Virtual Cockpit combo.

















shadscbr said:


> Used Macan or Cayenne Turbo could be a contender to the S3 + some utility



The Macan is probably the best driving SUV I have ever tried, but used with the features I want they end up being in the high 40 low 50k range. The Cayenne is just a bit big for my taste. I wanted something sporty and fun to drive, and the S3 is just that. 4 doors, 5 seats and a real trunk is more utility than I have had in quite a while hahah.


----------



## lelandbowman3

MFB said:


> You mean the 2019 Gazoo Supra


Everything my distributors are telling me is that it's still under the Toyota badge.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

bulb said:


> Pulled the trigger on the S3!
> 
> It's a bit trickier to find ones with Adaptive Cruise (Prestige package), but man what an awesome feature. Got a decent deal on this all things considered, it's CPO until 2022 and Maintenance is covered until 2021, has clear bra on the whole front and mirrors and paint protection on the rest of the car. The tires are brand new and the brakes have most of their life so I shouldn't have to pay for anything during the time I plan on keeping the car.
> 
> Got this so I could have a fun daily that would also be a fun little road trip car too. Now that weather is in the 30-40 degree range here the 488 is basically useless and just living on its trickle charger until spring most likely...
> 
> Anyways the drive home was a lot of fun, I have to say they really killed it on the chassis, the car handles and moves so nimbly, the AWD system seems to work well and I'm a fan of the interior. The one thing I missed out on with this being a 2016 is the awesome Virtual Cockpit. But the plan is to keep this car for a year or two and upgrade to an RS3 once those start to depreciate, and I'll find one with the Adaptive Cruise/Virtual Cockpit combo.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Macan is probably the best driving SUV I have ever tried, but used with the features I want they end up being in the high 40 low 50k range. The Cayenne is just a bit big for my taste. I wanted something sporty and fun to drive, and the S3 is just that. 4 doors, 5 seats and a real trunk is more utility than I have had in quite a while hahah.



Nice! Love it! Still haven’t had the chance to really open up my S4 but took a couple backroads with some twists and turns the other day and forgot how fun driving can be! Love the car!


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> Pulled the trigger on the S3!
> 
> It's a bit trickier to find ones with Adaptive Cruise (Prestige package), but man what an awesome feature. Got a decent deal on this all things considered, it's CPO until 2022 and Maintenance is covered until 2021, has clear bra on the whole front and mirrors and paint protection on the rest of the car. The tires are brand new and the brakes have most of their life so I shouldn't have to pay for anything during the time I plan on keeping the car.
> 
> Got this so I could have a fun daily that would also be a fun little road trip car too. Now that weather is in the 30-40 degree range here the 488 is basically useless and just living on its trickle charger until spring most likely...
> 
> Anyways the drive home was a lot of fun, I have to say they really killed it on the chassis, the car handles and moves so nimbly, the AWD system seems to work well and I'm a fan of the interior. The one thing I missed out on with this being a 2016 is the awesome Virtual Cockpit. But the plan is to keep this car for a year or two and upgrade to an RS3 once those start to depreciate, and I'll find one with the Adaptive Cruise/Virtual Cockpit combo.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Macan is probably the best driving SUV I have ever tried, but used with the features I want they end up being in the high 40 low 50k range. The Cayenne is just a bit big for my taste. I wanted something sporty and fun to drive, and the S3 is just that. 4 doors, 5 seats and a real trunk is more utility than I have had in quite a while hahah.



man to live in the states and to be able to buy cpo cars and trade in after two years.

that color is hot. lets get a juggernaut in that color.


----------



## zarg

didn't know there's so many folks into guitars and cars like me! kind of blown away that misha hangs out here, big fan. anyways, I got a new ride a few months ago too and now I'm at 13k KMs and I'm still very very happy. It pretty much has the whole option list included and drives just great. the design (inside and outside) reminds me a lot of audi which is awesome, since I love them, but at a lower price point. I plan on getting an audi or merc in about 2 years or so.

it's a '17 Seat Leon FR ST


----------



## frogman81

bulb said:


> But the plan is to keep this car for a year or two and upgrade to an RS3 once those start to depreciate, and I'll find one with the Adaptive Cruise/Virtual Cockpit combo.



Legit question here - Bulb have you (or anyone) compared this style of ownership (buying low mileage and trading frequently) with leasing? Any comments on the pros/cons of each? I'm guessing a 2 year lease term would increase the monthly payments over the more conventional 3-4 year term...?

Sweet car btw


----------



## sakeido

Leasing you are paying for the most expensive years of owning a car when all the depreciation is happening, including the 20%+ just for driving off the lot.

Buying a lease return vehicle you get something that's very low miles, has already gone through the steepest part of its depreciation, was probably well optioned by the previous owner, and is still well within the factory warranty period.

The payments could work out in leasing's favor in some cases or in buying in others. The trick is, anybody can get a lease. Having the credit to finance the entire value of a car can be tricky for some people or some cars. Trading frequently is no big deal if you got a nice car to start and there is demand for it. You will take a hit every time, sure, but your cost per mile will probably work out to be quite low


----------



## frogman81

sakeido said:


> Leasing you are paying for the most expensive years of owning a car when all the depreciation is happening, including the 20%+ just for driving off the lot.
> 
> Buying a lease return vehicle you get something that's very low miles, has already gone through the steepest part of its depreciation, was probably well optioned by the previous owner, and is still well within the factory warranty period.
> 
> The payments could work out in leasing's favor in some cases or in buying in others. The trick is, anybody can get a lease. Having the credit to finance the entire value of a car can be tricky for some people or some cars. Trading frequently is no big deal if you got a nice car to start and there is demand for it. You will take a hit every time, sure, but your cost per mile will probably work out to be quite low



Yes I suppose it would be hard to generalise one option as “better” since there are so many variables. My wife recently leased a nice MB SUV. We looked at buying certified pre-owned but didn’t want to own a Mercedes outside the warranty period (we planned on her keeping it for 4-5 years). We never really considered buying used and trading as frequently as Bulb is talking, which makes me curious as to whether it would have been a good option for us. It’s such a hassle to sell/buy cars, but if you’re just trading up at a dealer you have a relationship with, that takes a lot of the hassle away.


----------



## diagrammatiks

It's definitely much easier to feel like you got a good deal outright buying a new or used vehicle. The sticker says x, the kbb is y, you get a certain percentage off of x you feel happy.

It's much harder to do that with a lease if you can't work out that math. But you can save quite a bit of money if you are willing to really dig down in the terms and you are really not that particular about what car you are driving.

Leasing has one big advtange in that you get to switch out cars every 2 years or so. You definitely pay for that advantage but it's one that a lot of people really want.


----------



## p0ke

Phew, picked my car up from the workshop yesterday, hopefully it'll be fine for a while this time... The water pump had blown, and that's why it was overheating. Plus the charger belt was squeeling because the blown pump was essentially hanging on it  So now it doesn't make any weird noises (besides working ... ). Also, they replaced the timing belt (I wonder if that's the right word, that's what Google translate is telling me... ), which was done in 2004 according to the service book of the car. It's supposed to be changed every 160 000 km or 8 years, whichever comes first, so it should've been replaced in 2012  In terms of mileage it would've still been fine for another 20 000 km if it was changed at exactly 160k (Or maybe it should be 160 Mm, Megameters  ), but yeah, now it's done and I don't need to worry about it for a long time.
So now I've had to repair the car for 650€... which isn't that bad to be fair, but considering I paid 700€ for the whole car ...  Anyway, 1600€ (I also bought new winter tires for 250€) for the whole car is still cheap. 
The next step will be to install my new Android-stereo for it, I'm kinda stoked about that because I know that's something I can handle myself. I'm just gonna have to buy an ISO-extension cable, the previous owner had cut all the wires and now they're just hanging in there. So I figured if I buy the extension cable, I get both male and female plugs and I can hook the male-ones into the car and female ones onto the new stereo's harness (which also has open wires at the other end), so when I change cars at some point the next owner gets the normal ISO-plugs in the car and I can just plug my stereo directly into the next car. So win-win


----------



## dr_game0ver

Some timing belt kit also include the water pomp. 650 is a pretty good price if you consider that, on some newer cars, you have to take the engine out, which cost twice what you've paid.


----------



## p0ke

dr_game0ver said:


> Some timing belt kit also include the water pomp. 650 is a pretty good price if you consider that, on some newer cars, you have to take the engine out, which cost twice what you've paid.



Yeah, that's how I try to think. And yeah, they said that normally when the water pump is replaced the timing belt + related stuff are also pretty much always replaced/tightened/etc. because those parts need to be removed to reach the water pump anyway.
And 650 wasn't what I paid for this repair, that's two repairs combined (the transmission wires snapped roughly a month ago). A friend of ours is doing the repairs, so it's basically off the books, so that's why it's a fair bit cheaper. The parts obviously cost whatever they normally cost.


----------



## bulb

frogman81 said:


> Legit question here - Bulb have you (or anyone) compared this style of ownership (buying low mileage and trading frequently) with leasing? Any comments on the pros/cons of each? I'm guessing a 2 year lease term would increase the monthly payments over the more conventional 3-4 year term...?
> 
> Sweet car btw



I like good deals, and I don't mind getting a car that's a couple years old. Typically with german/sports/exotics the first 18 months are horrendous for depreciation. So if you get a car that's 2-3 years old you will get a significant discount on what feels like a new car, and generally they still should have warranties and even maintenance plans sometimes, making your cost of ownership low. In the case of the S3, I got a certified pre owned, which means the car actually has 6 years of warranty from the original sell date, and it came with 5 years of free maintenance too, so that was very attractive, and the car cost about 20k less than it would have if I had gone for a new one.  

A lease usually works out to be the same or worse as buying a new car and taking the depreciation hit, so leasing or buying a new car are generally not super attractive to me. 

The only exception I made for this was for the 488 but that's because of how weird Ferrari is with their market, and how difficult it usually is to buy a new car from them. 

So if you want to do this for the least amount of money, I suggest financing. Find a good deal on a used car with a spec you like, maybe 2-3 years old. If you can, throw the cash you would have spent on the car, or at least the worth of one year of payments into a Vanguard index fund so that money can grow against the financed interest, then just finance the car with a nice delta of good monthly but low interest rate. If you have good credit you may not need to put money down. 

Then if you are like me and don't plan on keeping the car for the entire term of the lease, you can trade it in towards something else, and in MD you will only pay taxes on the difference in trade in value and the new car, which is nice.

Sure this isn't going to make you money, but hell, cars are my vice. Probably should have gotten into drugs, they are way cheaper haha.


----------



## bulb

Also on a completely separate side note. I kinda want to have a fun and fast manual car and not spend a ton of money on it. So a buddy and I are gonna be doing an RX8/1JZ build probably in March. Gonna use it as an opportunity to learn a lot more about how cars work, and how to work on them! Gonna swap in a G35 transmission and aim to get about 450-500 whp. Already bought the Car and the engine and we are going to try to continue to get good deals on parts to keep the cost low without hurting quality or reliability!


----------



## zarg

bulb said:


> Probably should have gotten into drugs, they are way cheaper haha



be glad that you didn't get into guitars and gear, that would have been ba..... oh wait.



bulb said:


> RX8/1JZ build probably in March



would you make a youtube video series with updates about it? sounds really fun and interesting to watch!

on topic: 
I'd also suggest going for cars that are a bit older, especially 1-3 year owned cars are were you can get the best value. I think leasing is a very interesting option, since you can either buy the car at the end of the lease or trade it in for something new and at least over here you can lease CPO cars as well, which takes away taking that big depreciation hit.


----------



## bulb

I'd still argue in most cases you are better off financing a used car than leasing it.


----------



## sakeido

bulb said:


> Also on a completely separate side note. I kinda want to have a fun and fast manual car and not spend a ton of money on it. So a buddy and I are gonna be doing an RX8/1JZ build probably in March. Gonna use it as an opportunity to learn a lot more about how cars work, and how to work on them! Gonna swap in a G35 transmission and aim to get about 450-500 whp. Already bought the Car and the engine and we are going to try to continue to get good deals on parts to keep the cost low without hurting quality or reliability!



my 2 cents, register the car in a state with very lax emissions/registration requirements, and build a rotary. even after having to do a total engine build from scratch with my FC (twice, actually, which is a great story /s -- I could have had a 996 Carrera for less), it was substantially cheaper than an LS swap and definitely much, much cheaper than a JZ swap.

I know you already have the motor but if you can find a good rotary specialist, man, these engines are something else. You can spool enormous turbos like it's nothing. The sounds my car makes are absolutely unreal - every single drive in this thing is a total fucking blast. The JZ is awesome motor and everything, but an RX car (of any generation) is front mid-engined just like the Mercedes-AMG GT-R and if you want to track something, they are almost impossible to top. The RX-8 has double wishbones up front, aka. basically the most ideal suspension setup you can hope for. Keep it 50/50 weight distro and they are so hard to beat around a circuit. You swap a 1JZ, you are putting almost 100 pounds in front of the front axle centerline and the handling will never be the same after that.

and dude, for real. FUCKING LOOK AT THIS







that's a 20B three rotor build and it spools a GTX45R (79mm!!!!) turbo like nothing 



zarg said:


> be glad that you didn't get into guitars and gear, that would have been ba..... oh wait.
> 
> 
> 
> would you make a youtube video series with updates about it? sounds really fun and interesting to watch!
> 
> on topic:
> I'd also suggest going for cars that are a bit older, especially 1-3 year owned cars are were you can get the best value. I think leasing is a very interesting option, since you can either buy the car at the end of the lease or trade it in for something new and at least over here you can lease CPO cars as well, which takes away taking that big depreciation hit.



when I bought my Tacoma, I actually leased the first 3 years and then bought it out. I didn't save enough money so I paid the balloon payment on my line of credit, which was about 5.25% interest at the time. So in the end, looking back on the terms Toyota Financial offered at the time, I actually took a big hit on interest. It's been a while since I did the Excel spreadsheet math for what my actual cost of ownership was, but iirc financing with zero down for 72 months payment would have been cheaper than what I did, which was $5k down on a 36 month less, then financing the balloon payment and paying that off over (iirc) 2 years.

Leasing is a great option if you are big into the keeping up with the Joneses style of appearing affluent. If you are actually looking for your lowest cost per mile, financing a lease return vehicle wins in almost every case, especially with German cars which depreciate very very heavily for the first 2 years, then very lightly after that.

But I don't want to own any German car that's more than 5 years old. Especially Audi! They are great looking, very nicely finished cars, but at first when people explained the Audi "service position" to me I thought it was a joke, riffing on the service cost of an old German car. It's actually the normal way to maintain those cars, ripped straight from the factory service manual - basically, you take everything in front of the front bumper support beam off the car then do all your routine maintenance. But knowing the cost of assuming the service position, I thought it was a metaphor for literally just grabbing your ankles and letting the mechanics fuck you in the ass...


----------



## diagrammatiks

sakeido said:


> my 2 cents, register the car in a state with very lax emissions/registration requirements, and build a rotary. even after having to do a total engine build from scratch with my FC (twice, actually, which is a great story /s -- I could have had a 996 Carrera for less), it was substantially cheaper than an LS swap and definitely much, much cheaper than a JZ swap.
> 
> I know you already have the motor but if you can find a good rotary specialist, man, these engines are something else. You can spool enormous turbos like it's nothing. The sounds my car makes are absolutely unreal - every single drive in this thing is a total fucking blast. The JZ is awesome motor and everything, but an RX car (of any generation) is front mid-engined just like the Mercedes-AMG GT-R and if you want to track something, they are almost impossible to top. The RX-8 has double wishbones up front, aka. basically the most ideal suspension setup you can hope for. Keep it 50/50 weight distro and they are so hard to beat around a circuit. You swap a 1JZ, you are putting almost 100 pounds in front of the front axle centerline and the handling will never be the same after that.
> 
> and dude, for real. FUCKING LOOK AT THIS
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> that's a 20B three rotor build and it spools a GTX45R (79mm!!!!) turbo like nothing
> 
> 
> 
> when I bought my Tacoma, I actually leased the first 3 years and then bought it out. I didn't save enough money so I paid the balloon payment on my line of credit, which was about 5.25% interest at the time. So in the end, looking back on the terms Toyota Financial offered at the time, I actually took a big hit on interest. It's been a while since I did the Excel spreadsheet math for what my actual cost of ownership was, but iirc financing with zero down for 72 months payment would have been cheaper than what I did, which was $5k down on a 36 month less, then financing the balloon payment and paying that off over (iirc) 2 years.
> 
> Leasing is a great option if you are big into the keeping up with the Joneses style of appearing affluent. If you are actually looking for your lowest cost per mile, financing a lease return vehicle wins in almost every case, especially with German cars which depreciate very very heavily for the first 2 years, then very lightly after that.
> 
> But I don't want to own any German car that's more than 5 years old. Especially Audi! They are great looking, very nicely finished cars, but at first when people explained the Audi "service position" to me I thought it was a joke, riffing on the service cost of an old German car. It's actually the normal way to maintain those cars, ripped straight from the factory service manual - basically, you take everything in front of the front bumper support beam off the car then do all your routine maintenance. But knowing the cost of assuming the service position, I thought it was a metaphor for literally just grabbing your ankles and letting the mechanics fuck you in the ass...



The cynic is gonna say that these german cars are engineered so that you have to get them get replaced after the warranty ends and they aren't made to last as long. But i dunno if it's really a tail wagging the dog situation. Is there really any point in designing to last if most of you customers are gonna switch after 2 years anyway?

That's the biggest problem with barely being able to afford a used exotic. The maintenance costs will just eat your face.

I bought my first bmw for 11k with 80,000 miles on it. It might it to 110,000 before needing a complete engine and transmission rebuild. 

My second one I bought used for 32 after trade in. In the 60,000 miles I had it, it needed 2 high pressure fuel pumps. The turbo intercoolers went out and needed to be completely replaced. It ate an entire set of run flat tires every 6 months. 

My buddy's McLaren is even more hilarious. You can look up some youtube videos warning against buying a used mp4-12c. That car is notorious for being a complete wtf. Every single part is proprietary and custom made. Only McLaren can repair it. My friend's car sits in his garage now. In the 1 year that he was actually using it as a daily driver it needed to be in the shop for 4 months.


----------



## dr_game0ver

That as to be one of the most "rich people problem" post i have ever read on this forum...


----------



## diagrammatiks

dr_game0ver said:


> That as to be one of the most "rich people problem" post i have ever read on this forum...



you know you are in the car thread right.

Although I do realize I forgot the point to my story.

So the point is that I kept my second car way too long. Right after the warranty ended my car was appraised at a trade in value of 15k. I drove it for 2 more years and had 8k in service costs. If i had taken that trade-in plus the 8k and added 7k I could have been in another CPO with a warranty good for 5 years. I eventually the car after 2 for 10k but i would have definitely spent another 7k in service if i had driven it for another 3.


----------



## frogman81

bulb said:


> I like good deals, and I don't mind getting a car that's a couple years old. Typically with german/sports/exotics the first 18 months are horrendous for depreciation. So if you get a car that's 2-3 years old you will get a significant discount on what feels like a new car, and generally they still should have warranties and even maintenance plans sometimes, making your cost of ownership low. In the case of the S3, I got a certified pre owned, which means the car actually has 6 years of warranty from the original sell date, and it came with 5 years of free maintenance too, so that was very attractive, and the car cost about 20k less than it would have if I had gone for a new one.
> 
> A lease usually works out to be the same or worse as buying a new car and taking the depreciation hit, so leasing or buying a new car are generally not super attractive to me.
> 
> The only exception I made for this was for the 488 but that's because of how weird Ferrari is with their market, and how difficult it usually is to buy a new car from them.
> 
> So if you want to do this for the least amount of money, I suggest financing. Find a good deal on a used car with a spec you like, maybe 2-3 years old. If you can, throw the cash you would have spent on the car, or at least the worth of one year of payments into a Vanguard index fund so that money can grow against the financed interest, then just finance the car with a nice delta of good monthly but low interest rate. If you have good credit you may not need to put money down.
> 
> Then if you are like me and don't plan on keeping the car for the entire term of the lease, you can trade it in towards something else, and in MD you will only pay taxes on the difference in trade in value and the new car, which is nice.
> 
> Sure this isn't going to make you money, but hell, cars are my vice. Probably should have gotten into drugs, they are way cheaper haha.



Just realised I was rude and didn’t reply/thank you for the detailed response! I totally agree with your points. The only exception I might make is that trading frequently incurs more frequent costs of giving back to the dealer for wholesale value and buying something new for retail. Kinda like frequent stock trading and incurring a commission each time, you know? If you have a good dealer/salesperson I’m sure that can be minimised. Your RX8 build sounds pretty sick.


----------



## diagrammatiks

frogman81 said:


> Just realised I was rude and didn’t reply/thank you for the detailed response! I totally agree with your points. The only exception I might make is that trading frequently incurs more frequent costs of giving back to the dealer for wholesale value and buying something new for retail. Kinda like frequent stock trading and incurring a commission each time, you know? If you have a good dealer/salesperson I’m sure that can be minimised. Your RX8 build sounds pretty sick.



you'd want to minimize that by going cpo when you trade in. dealers have a huge incentive to get those used cars off the lot.


----------



## frogman81

diagrammatiks said:


> you'd want to minimize that by going cpo when you trade in. dealers have a huge incentive to get those used cars off the lot.


Why is that? Not questioning the truth in your statement, I'm just curious why they'd want to let them go for less profit margin than anything else on the lot - especially if they've got a little more work invested in them than just peeling off the wrappers?


----------



## MoonJelly

After 15+ years of driving 15+ year old cars, I finally got a newish one. I had not one, but _two _vehicles die on me this last weekend, and I thought, I'm done.

Ye Olde Jeepe that finally bit the dust at 218k:





The squeaky clean 2016 machine:





It's so fancy it almost drives itself. I went from manual windows and door locks to this


----------



## narad

Here's to another 218k!


----------



## MoonJelly

Ha yeah, honestly I might get that or more. Subarus are supposed to be super reliable and I have a warranty up to 150k. I'm driving so much with my new job (80 mile commute altogether), I couldn't justify another older car. Hoping to get 7-10 years out of it, anyway.


----------



## p0ke

I'm really happy to say that my Focus is finally working as it should... Well, pretty much. I'm gonna need to take a part of the dashboard out to reattach a wire that's come of, it's the one that opens the hatches for hot air to blow into the windshield. Without that, the windshield gets all foggy and I always need to have a roll of paper with me to wipe it by hand 
Another problem I had was with the Android stereo I ordered - I made all the connections, even ended up installing ISO-harnesses into the car and female ISO-harnesses onto the stereos harness so I can just replace the stereo, pretty much plug and play... Then I took the stereo out of its' box and removed the protective film of the display... And turns out the display was broken :/ It's basically split in the middle, and it responds to touches below the split only... So I contacted the seller and he said he'll send me a new display for it, but I don't know how long that's gonna take to arrive + how I'm gonna replace it (he said I'd need to take it to a shop to be done, so we'll see... ). Good thing is, since I installed the ISO-harnesses into the car, I could just plug our Fiat's original stereo in there for now, so now I at least have something to listen to. It's nothing fancy but at least it has a CD-player and works in general. The car's aerial sucks though, so I'm gonna have to replace that sometime. Should be a pretty easy fix, I'll buy one that you glue onto the windshield and attach that to the original wires that go through the top of the car... 
Then I also don't have a rear window wiper on the car  I'll probably get the motor from my mother in law's old Focus which is waiting to be scrapped, but I don't know how difficult that will be to install.

Anyways, I'm pretty much gonna have to wait until spring before I do anything on the car, as it's the coldest (and darkest... ) time of the year around here now and I sure as hell am not gonna start fixing my car outside at -7 degrees (Celsius).


----------



## wannabguitarist

How does everyone's car hobby affect their gear hobby? I've been eyeing those new PRS Waring CEs, but after seeing the $2,500 price I decided to bin that idea. On the flipside, after moving to stiffer spring rates I've got around $2,500 invested in my shocks.

Spending more than $800 on a piece of gear is out of the question in my eyes, but I don't even question vehicle modifications in that range


----------



## sakeido

wannabguitarist said:


> How does everyone's car hobby affect their gear hobby? I've been eyeing those new PRS Waring CEs, but after seeing the $2,500 price I decided to bin that idea. On the flipside, after moving to stiffer spring rates I've got around $2,500 invested in my shocks.
> 
> Spending more than $800 on a piece of gear is out of the question in my eyes, but I don't even question vehicle modifications in that range



pretty much the same here

I was looking at buying a Parker Maxxfly 7 string before I got the RX-7 and thought "nah it's too much money, I could have a car instead" not realizing that the car was going to cost me 4 times what the guitar woulda been... so far 

still gotta get some new gauges, AFR controller, EGT probe, maybe new coilovers... need a second job


----------



## p0ke

More fun stuff with the Focus  Nothing major this time though. The driver side windshield wiper started to become a bit sluggish and started to get entangled with the passenger side one. So I googled and found a pretty easy solution: tighten the bolt that attaches it to the motor. So I did, but the damned bolt was so corroded (no surprise there really, it's probably been there since '99) it snapped. Now it's working and feels pretty tight, but it will loosen and come of eventually. So the next operation will be to take the whole assembly apart and replace the bolt.


----------



## bulb

Test drove some cars the past few days, not necessarily thinking of getting out of anything yet, but just seeing what's out there:

911 GTS - Very fun, they somehow made the engine sound better than it should for a turbo, 911s just handle so damn well and are so easy to drive, I still kinda miss the Turbo S. It's quick, but I think I'm becoming desensitized to speed, definitely not scary fast but that might have just been the cold and lack of grip? This is the 2WD version, and it was 30 degrees out, so I wasn't really pushing it too hard, but it still gripped the road a lot better than I thought it would given the rubber and weather...

F-Type SVR - This thing pulls, has an incredible sounding engine and feels like somewhere between a sports car and muscle car. It's heavy, and with it being cold out I didn't really get to push the handling or get a real feel for it, but it seemed competent for sure. Interior was very nice, and the seats seem A LOT more comfortable than the R that I tried. The price they are asking is actually pretty reasonable for what it is as well. Really glad this car is AWD haha.

BMW M2 - The DCT version. Good DCT in this car, I love the chassis, so tight and fun. I think I just love small lightweight cars, they are just inherently fun. Really dig the engine in this. The car is quick, fun and responsive too. I don't know if the steering is electric or not, but despite it feeling heavy, it's not quite as connected as you would expect, still good overall, and the car itself is definitely the only M car that is remotely of interest to me right now.


----------



## DudeManBrother

I think that my E46 M3 is among the greatest sports cars ever made. It’s not over the top at 333 bhp, but it’s fast and balanced. The 6 speed manual transmission has tight, quick throws into gear; and brings a smile to my face when I take it for a spin. I have a 2016 335i M sport as well, which is cool, but electronic steering kills the feel. Plus I love that my M3 has a dipstick for checking oil; I hate relying on the electronic sensor from my previous E90, and now this 335. 
I have considered selling the E46 to make room for something wild like a GT3; but that would probably be best utilized at a track, and I’d be way more worried about driving it around town.


----------



## Furtive Glance

The E46 M3 was my dream car for a good portion of high school.


----------



## diagrammatiks

DudeManBrother said:


> I think that my E46 M3 is among the greatest sports cars ever made. It’s not over the top at 333 bhp, but it’s fast and balanced. The 6 speed manual transmission has tight, quick throws into gear; and brings a smile to my face when I take it for a spin. I have a 2016 335i M sport as well, which is cool, but electronic steering kills the feel. Plus I love that my M3 has a dipstick for checking oil; I hate relying on the electronic sensor from my previous E90, and now this 335.
> I have considered selling the E46 to make room for something wild like a GT3; but that would probably be best utilized at a track, and I’d be way more worried about driving it around town.



you legit have the best car ever made.
I'd learn to drive stick just for that car. Good condition ones are getting harder to find. But that's a car I'd definitely want for collection purposes. and the original 360 modena spyder.

do you have the runflats on your 335? worst tires ever made.
The 335 is almost faster in a straight line then the e46 but it feels like a family car made to go fast. the e46 m3 feels like a legit race car.


----------



## DudeManBrother

diagrammatiks said:


> you legit have the best car ever made.
> I'd learn to drive stick just for that car. Good condition ones are getting harder to find. But that's a car I'd definitely want for collection purposes. and the original 360 modena spyder.
> 
> do you have the runflats on your 335? worst tires ever made.
> The 335 is almost faster in a straight line then the e46 but it feels like a family car made to go fast. the e46 m3 feels like a legit race car.


I took the run flats off right away. They’re heavy and ride like shit. And yes, when you engage the sport mode on the 335 it does probably go faster in a straight line, but forget about feeling the ass end of the car taking high speed turns, even with the M sport package. The Real M on the other hand; just murders corners. I can slip the rear out at anytime and feel completely in control. I put a full titanium exhaust (‘53 telecaster money there lol) on it like 5 years ago; and I don’t believe I’ve turned the radio on since


----------



## dr_game0ver

Electric steering is sh*t!! You can't feel anything, when you go over a bumpy road the wheels goes left & right and constantly need ajustements making every journey quite stressful... But they are cheaper, lighter and because you don't need a pump, more economical (or more power for the engine).


----------



## wannabguitarist

dr_game0ver said:


> Electric steering is sh*t!! You can't feel anything, when you go over a bumpy road the wheels goes left & right and constantly need ajustements making every journey quite stressful... But they are cheaper, lighter and because you don't need a pump, more economical (or more power for the engine).



The EPS in my decade old car is actually pretty great. Bad EPS systems are bad, but this blanket "EPS is shit!" stuff is just purists clinging to old tech.

The constantly needing adjustments over bumpy roads is not an EPS issue. Sounds like that car potentially has alignment or suspension problems that should get looked at.


----------



## dr_game0ver

wannabguitarist said:


> The constantly needing adjustments over bumpy roads is not an EPS issue. Sounds like that car potentially has alignment or suspension problems that should get looked at.


Nope! The problem is that the system doesn't offer enough resistance to keep the wheels straight, so you end up driving like a character from a 50' movie.



wannabguitarist said:


> The EPS in my decade old car is actually pretty great. Bad EPS systems are bad, but this blanket "EPS is shit!" stuff is just purists clinging to old tech.


Good for you! I will fully admit that i haven't tried on more higher end cars but on entry level, it is a complete disaster. It is like making love with a strap-on blindfolded. You get no informations on the surface or the grip. I've played arcade games that gives you a better, more realistic feeling than that...


----------



## sakeido

dr_game0ver said:


> Nope! The problem is that the system doesn't offer enough resistance to keep the wheels straight, so you end up driving like a character from a 50' movie.



No... it is more likely you have an alignment issue. This is a safety problem and unless your car is Russian, it won't have come like this from the factory.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=4

Driving into a parking curb too hard could throw off your caster. Not enough positive caster will make your steering very light and require constant adjustments to keep driving straight


----------



## dr_game0ver

...you know on a normal car, the steering is really light at low speed, like on a parking, and becomes harder as the speed increased, like the BMW system, well here, it stays soft all the time.

You know what it's like? When you go off road on a big ol' truck with big ol' wheels, and the steering is all over the place? It's like that!
And no it is not an alignment problem, it is just a crap system.


----------



## MoonJelly

wannabguitarist said:


> The EPS in my decade old car is actually pretty great. Bad EPS systems are bad, but this blanket "EPS is shit!" stuff is just purists clinging to old tech.
> 
> The constantly needing adjustments over bumpy roads is not an EPS issue. Sounds like that car potentially has alignment or suspension problems that should get looked at.



Can confirm, some cars' EPS ... _reeeeeally bad ... _I drove a 2005 Malibu when it was brand new, and it made a 90 degree turn out of the blue at 30 mph, on a perfectly flat road. Yeah, those were recalled.

My new-ish Subaru has given me ZERO issues though. 2015 was the first year they stopped using rack & pinion steering on the Legacy, apparently they were just waiting until the EPS was 'right', and I would say it retains about 90% of the feel of the 2014 I also test drove, before I bought the 2016.


----------



## bulb

Yay NCD!


----------



## _MonSTeR_

Did you trade the Ferrari *and* the S3 for this, did you keep the S3 as a runaround, or are you starting a collection?


----------



## bulb

_MonSTeR_ said:


> Did you trade the Ferrari *and* the S3 for this, did you keep the S3 as a runaround, or are you starting a collection?


Nah traded the 488 for this, kept the S3 as my daily because it's such a killer little car. It's funny, I was telling someone earlier but I have never been a huge Audi guy, I never thought I would own one, let alone two hahah.


----------



## zarg

bulb said:


> Nah traded the 488 for this, kept the S3 as my daily because it's such a killer little car. It's funny, I was telling someone earlier but I have never been a huge Audi guy, I never thought I would own one, let alone two hahah.



damn, congrats man. very purdy. Do you have the optional sports exhaust? those things sound absolutely mental. No need for an aftermarket exhaust. I assume its the regular quattro model, not the RWS? or is it? 
I assume Tosin made you think about one?


----------



## bulb

zarg said:


> damn, congrats man. very purdy. Do you have the optional sports exhaust? those things sound absolutely mental. No need for an aftermarket exhaust. I assume its the regular quattro model, not the RWS? or is it?
> I assume Tosin made you think about one?


It's the v10 plus so the sport's exhaust is standard, and yeah it already sounds insane with the valves open! Yeah it's the Quattro. I knew Tosin loved the R8 but he has the Gen 1, this is the Gen 2.


----------



## JEngelking

Congrats Mish. That blue though... I'll be in my bunk.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Congrats Misha! Would be awesome if after you've had some time with it you give a comparison of this vs. the 911. And videos would be awesome too!


----------



## NateFalcon

Here’s a cool Lola Ford I finished fabbing the exhaust for...330 horses at the wheels and about 875lbs!!...ferociously fast...


----------



## NateFalcon




----------



## JEngelking

Man, that is seriously cool!


----------



## ddtonfire

Congrats Misha! 

@NateFalcon that's just scary.


----------



## NateFalcon

No...that’s fun.These 952 Porsche’s are scary...I do a lot of fab work on euro-sleds, indy’s etc...these are spooky to drive!!


----------



## shadscbr

^^ So cool!! Looking at those orange racks, i'm hoping this is what my Home Depot looks like in the afterlife


----------



## NateFalcon

Here’s my buddy’s personal Mugen-powered Formula 1 (wheels off, on rollers)...never been wrecked (rare) with only about a dozen practice laps on it...the engine alone is worth a couple million. Mugen factory motors are next to impossible for even the richest guys to get their hands on...this is a beautiful car. I wish this stuff were mine, but it’s still a lot of fun working on ‘em!


----------



## bulb

NateFalcon said:


> View attachment 59592
> View attachment 59593
> Here’s my buddy’s personal Mugen-powered Formula 1 (wheels off, on rollers)...never been wrecked (rare) with only about a dozen practice laps on it...the engine alone is worth a couple million. Mugen factory motors are next to impossible for even the richest guys to get their hands on...this is a beautiful car. I wish this stuff were mine, but it’s still a lot of fun working on ‘em!



Holy crap all those cars are awesome!!!


----------



## bulb

TheShreddinHand said:


> Congrats Misha! Would be awesome if after you've had some time with it you give a comparison of this vs. the 911. And videos would be awesome too!



Haven't had it for long, but I'll try to get some videos filmed. I actually wrote this super in-depth comparison to the 488 since it's the last car that I had and the one I traded in for the R8. As far as comparing it to the 911, it's actually more similar than it is different in a daily setting, except the 911 I had was way more incognito and understated (which I loved, though that changed a bit when I had it wrapped bright blue haha). They both have awesome AWD systems, but they handle and feel a little different when you push them. The 4 wheel steering on the 911 really helps it feel sharp, and the way the turbos rush in make it feel so damn fast. That car launches like nothing else honestly. The cabin on the R8 though is probably the coolest thing ever, especially with the Virtual Cockpit. I really feel like the R8 is the beautiful middle ground between a high end 911 and something like the 488. Owning a supercar is a pain but the performance is awesome, sports cars are easy to live with but don't excite like a supercar. I feel like the R8 straddles that line beautifully. 

I might as well paste that write up here in case anyone is interested in some thoughts between the 488 and R8:

This is a long post, so here goes:

I haven't had the R8 for a day even yet, so my thoughts are very preliminary. I did get a chance to open up a different R8 on a test drive on some twisty roads, so I do have a little context.

With that said, let's start with the areas the Ferrari is definitely better: 1. The sensation of speed. The R8 is very fast, but the 488 feels a little faster under full acceleration, likely due to the turbos and extra torque, and the way it kicks in is very unique because it's mapped to increase through the gears. Interesting note is that it seems they are neck and neck in an actual drag race.


The handling on the 488 is the best I have yet to experience. But Mid Engine and Rear Wheel drive is the perfect combo for the best turn in, and Ferraris are designed to have incredible handling. The R8 seems to have slightly less sharp steering, and is definitely a touch understeer prone. But this is nitpicking, it's still supercar handling, if the 488 is 10/10 the R8 is 9/10.


The ride. Bumpy road mode on the Ferrari is a bit of engineering witchcraft. It actually soaks up the bumps beautifully. The R8 V10 Plus doesn't have adjustable damping. With that said the ride is good for what it is, but the Ferrari's can be better.


The Emotion. This is a hard category to describe, and is perhaps a reason why no matter what Ferrari does, people will likely always love them. Even though I have more than my fair share of qualms with the brand, I love the 488. It makes me feel feelings when I open the car up. When I sat in the seat I sometimes wondered if I should keep it after all. This is an intangible, it's the culmination of everything, but the 488 is the single most exciting car I have ever driven. More than the Turbo S, more than the GT3RS, more than the 570GT, more than the R8. This is where the car is purely Italian, and in this category I want Italian.

With that said, the R8 is better in pretty much every other category:


Brakes. I always felt the brakes felt wooden on the 488, and apparently I'm not the only one. I thought it was strange because both cars are carbon ceramic, but this car brakes so much more confidently and you don't need to stand on the pedal to get what you need from it. Also the 488's brakes would squeak like crazy and would chirp a lot which was annoying.


The sound. The 488 actually sounds great, but god a high revving NA v10 with the valves open just sounds plain better.


The Quattro system. I live in the Northeast and it's been a cold winter. It's still cold. The fact that this AWD system works the way it does means that this car grips and launches even when the weather isn't Cali weather.


The Interior and Tech. God the Virtual Cockpit is cool. The interior of the 488 is unique and kinda exotic, maybe feels special in it's own way, but the R8's interior is just so much more inviting and comfortable. The seats are super comfy, and it's very easy to get a great driving position.


The NA response. I know the 488 was tuned to have no turbo lag, and it really doesn't, but there is still something more immediate about how the R8 responds, it sorts "snaps" and the AWD is so welcome in those moments. It's so easy to use this power in quick bursts in real world driving without upsetting the balance of the car.


Living with the car. This is probably the predictable category but it's a big one. NO TRICKLE CHARGER NEEDED IF YOU LEAVE IT FOR A WEEK! Much less parking anxiety! Shorter doors and it's not super wide so it's easy to park and get in and out of. It doesn't attract nearly as much attention. Man this is a big one for me. This is DEFINITELY a lot more daily friendly even if the frunk is hilariously small. The reverse camera is placed in a normal position and actually shows you a useful image. The infotainment system is full featured and intuitive. You have normal stalk controls like on a normal car! YOU CAN PUT GUILT FREE MILES ON THE CAR AND AUDI WONT ROLL BACK YOUR MILES!!


The costs. Even if the 488 comes with 7 years of free maintenance and 3 years of warranty, the insurance was about double the cost, and the parts on the car are probably 3-4 times the price of the equivalent R8 costs.


The sound system. I'm not even that picky about sound, I'm not an audiophile. With that said the 488 had maybe the single worst sound system I have ever heard in a car. I didn't have the JBL system, but I heard that the 5k system in that car made it only the second worst system I would ever hear. The Bang and Olufsen system in the R8 isn't groundbreaking, but I dig the way it sounds, it's definitely good enough for me to enjoy, and it's easily a thousand times better than either of the 488's systems.


The luxury and quality. God the cabin is just so much nicer on the R8. The build quality of everything is just so much better. The 488 was brand new and had a driver's side door mirror that shook and weird bumps on the dashboard. "It's an Italian car" they say. "It's a Ferrari" they say. Well in Germany, you would get fired for allowing those things to pass. The inside of the car looks like a luxury coupe's interior. The design is very elegant, understated and functional. Very German, and in this category, I want German.

Here are things that are on par with both cars:


Transmission. Both cars have the quickest dual clutch shifting I have experienced. I don't know that it can be faster. You feel the paddle click, and the gear has changed. The Ferrari can be super dramatic in Race mode, but the Audi is the smoothest. That's down to taste. I'd say Ferrari in Auto mode seems to be a touch better than the Audi at picking gears, very PDK like in that quality, but both shift quicker than PDK.


Fuel Economy, I haven't done a direct comparison, but the stats list them as comparable. The 488 doesn't even tell your your mpg, just your range. If I shifted my own gears (it short shifts like crazy in auto mode) that range tanked haha. I'm sure it's the same with the v10 in the R8.


Cabin Space. Both cars have surprisingly roomy cabins, you definitely don't feel claustrophobic in either, it's actually kind of impressive.


Driving position. Both cars you would imagine have great driving positions. I'd actually give Audi the slight edge here, but that's nitpicking. I found I was always adjusting the 488's steering wheel, and the best position always blocked my view of the turn signals. But both are still fantastic.


The engine in the back. There is just something about seeing an engine under a glass cover. Absolutely gorgeous. Makes the car sound great, makes the car handle great. Super impractical for normal people, and totally worth it. Love that that R8 V10 Plus comes with a Carbon Fiber bay standard. That's a 12k option on the 488, which mine didn't have.


The actual drivability of both cars. Even though the 488 seemed a lot more intimidating to drive, if you got past that and drove it around in auto mode, it was surprisingly civilized and normal to just drive around. Both cars have better than expected ground clearance, though the 488's overhang makes it a bit more likely to scrape on sharp angles. The R8 obviously rules in this category as well, it just seems a lot more normal. In fact, if you were just driving the car around not knowing what it was, you might assume it's just a 2 seater luxury car. Either way, both of these are shockingly good here.

Anyways, that's my little essay and those are my thoughts!


----------



## NateFalcon

bulb said:


> Holy crap all those cars are awesome!!!


Thanks, I’m stoked for you!! rear-engines have a fun throw in the corners...keep us posted


----------



## diagrammatiks

how's dealing with the r8 as a daily driver compared to the Ferrari. 
ferrari insurance premiums are notorious for capping your driving limit.


----------



## bulb

diagrammatiks said:


> how's dealing with the r8 as a daily driver compared to the Ferrari.
> ferrari insurance premiums are notorious for capping your driving limit.


I wrote this in the write up, but the R8 is a TON easier to live with. Didn't have driving limits with my insurance, but it was more than double the cost with the 488.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Thanks Misha, awesome write up and really appreciate it. I just have the S4 for now, but the wife knows once the kids are schooled and out of college, it's gonna be game on for a supercar! haha!


----------



## bulb

TheShreddinHand said:


> Thanks Misha, awesome write up and really appreciate it. I just have the S4 for now, but the wife knows once the kids are schooled and out of college, it's gonna be game on for a supercar! haha!


Well for what it's worth, the S4 is a sick car, and by the time you are in the market, supercars will be even better!!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

bulb said:


> Well for what it's worth, the S4 is a sick car, and by the time you are in the market, supercars will be even better!!



For sure! I actually look forward to my commute to and from work because it's just that fun to drive but still comfortable. Looking forward to the crappy weather ending so I can hit some non-potholed empty roads soon! If I'm ever in the NOVA/DC area I'm hitting you up Misha to hit some back roads!


----------



## sakeido

list of things already ordered for the 2018 Driving Season
- new Fortune 500 coilover suspension
- AWR race car camber adjuster bits and bushings 
- Perfect Tuning multifunction gauge, which will let me fulfill a lifelong dream of having an actual "Danger to Manifold" warning pop up on my dashboard
- Haltech wideband O2 & EGT controllers 

debating going for a full 3" turboback stainless exhaust... need to fix that anyway cuz the existing one is leaky as fuck and might actually kill me, if I could go on a long enough drive without running out of gas. car still only got 10mpg after tune


----------



## bulb

caught a decent one on a fun backroad run


----------



## DudeManBrother

bulb said:


> caught a decent one on a fun backroad run


I’m not typically an Audi fan; but that color and wheel combo just works in magnificent ways. Stunner


----------



## EverDream

bulb said:


> caught a decent one on a fun backroad run



F*ck that's sexy!!


----------



## _MonSTeR_

sakeido said:


> - Perfect Tuning multifunction gauge, which will let me fulfill a lifelong dream of having an actual "Danger to Manifold" warning pop up on my dashboard



Just... "yes"...


----------



## wannabguitarist

Finally got my shocks back from Ohlins USA. The guy that rebuilt and revalved them last year screwed them up and the car rode like shit (rear skipped a lot). I thought everything was fine until I rode in my friends car with an identical setup on track and his S2000 didn't feel like it was trying to kill us . Even after Ohlins confirmed the valving was bad the original shop refused to refund me, but whatever. I'll chalk it up to a couple hundred dollar learning experience. Just happy to have the car handling as it should.





I also added a set of Sakebomb Garage's lower cup to the rear shocks. These will allow me to run extra preload in the rear without increasing my ride height. Additional preload increases the amount of travel before bump stop contact=better ride and more predictable handling. The old Ohlins cups have now been regulated to guitar tech work


----------



## NateFalcon

Make guitar wall hangers out of the old cups...


----------



## wannabguitarist

NateFalcon said:


> Make guitar wall hangers out of the old cups...



Great idea! I'd have to figure out how to do that without modifying the cups permanently. If I ever part the car out or try a different setup Ohlins resale is much better with the original bits.


----------



## sakeido

@wannabguitarist are those Swift springs on your coilovers? Fortune wanted to upsell me on those, saying it would improve ride quality and whatnot, but I didn't want to spend an extra $400 USD just on springs 

I wish Ohlins still made their suspension for the FC... Fortune assembles their shocks in the US and dynos everything to ensure the dampers are good, but they still use made in Taiwan components. A properly German or Japanese setup would probably be better


----------



## wannabguitarist

@sakeido the front springs are Swift, while the rears are the standard Ohlins/Eibach springs. Ohlins ships the coils with 10k/8k Eibach springs F/R, but most people run 12k/10k springs on dual duty cars so I swapped the front springs to the rear and picked up a set of Swifts. I have no idea if they improve ride quality, but the Swifts are lighter than the Eibach springs and the set of 11k/9k Hypercos I also have. It'd be nice to run Swift F/R but like you said $400 is a lot for just springs.

I've heard great things about the Fortune 500 setup for the S2000 and I track with a guy that runs Fortune 500s on his LS6 swapped S13. The car is stupid fast and handles very well. Almost makes me think I bought the wrong car sometimes


----------



## Konfyouzd

Time to upgrade my car game. Looking for something fun but still relatively reliable and "decent" on gas (I typically get pretty bad mileage regardless bc I like to lay into the accelerator).

Currently looking at the following (all 2018):
-Toyota 86
-Subaru BRZ (almost same as the last but some slight differences)
-Ford Mustang Fastback ecoboost
-Ford Mustang Fastback GT
-Honda Civic SI (oddball I know)

They're all roughly in the same price range except the GT which isn't terribly far off depending on how I spec the others .

Really wanting something RWD which is why most of the ones mentioned are but I've also been wanting to play w forced induction 

Thoughts?


----------



## dr_game0ver

The 86 and Mustang are two different cars. Id' go with a V6 Mustang. The 86 will be a better "fun" car but the Mustang will be easier to live everyday with.
Have you also looked at Subaru ans Infinity?


----------



## Konfyouzd

dr_game0ver said:


> The 86 and Mustang are two different cars. Id' go with a V6 Mustang. The 86 will be a better "fun" car but the Mustang will be easier to life everyday with.
> Have you also looked at Subaru ans Infinity?


Only Subaru I looked at was the BRZ which is basically the 86. Not a huge fan of the WRX anesthetics but I know it's a fun drive. Forgot all about Infiniti.


----------



## wannabguitarist

If you get a Mustang get the GT, I don't see the point in bothering with the Ecoboost. Sure it'll put up better numbers than the BRZ/FRS but it'll feel totally different while doing so. A car of that size deserves/need power. If you can comfortably afford it a Mustang GT with one of the performance packs is one of the best options available right now. Looks great, goes fast, can track without extra mods.

The BRZ/FRS would be my next choice. Very capable cars, and great to learn on because you don't have enough power to kill yourself . You can probably find reliable turbo or supercharger kits but after that money you're back in Mustang GT territory.

Civic SIs are great, but if you want RWD, get RWD


----------



## Konfyouzd

Have you driven a BRZ/86? I hear they feel a bit weak in the midrange but are strong down low and around 5.5k. Kinda reminds me of my old type s but probably handles a bit better.

I was trying to convince myself to not spend money on a GT but kinda only want it more now


----------



## wannabguitarist

Konfyouzd said:


> Have you driven a BRZ/86? I hear they feel a bit weak in the midrange but are strong down low and around 5.5k. Kinda reminds me of my old type s but probably handles a bit better.
> 
> I was trying to convince myself to not spend money on a GT but kinda only want it more now



I drove a few when I was shopping for my S2000 a few years ago. Great cars and I'm fairly certain you can tune that midrange dip out. 

Have you considered the ND Miata? There's supposed to be a power bump coming soon which should make the car pretty damn quick (155 to 180hp in a 2,400lbs car).


----------



## Konfyouzd

wannabguitarist said:


> I drove a few when I was shopping for my S2000 a few years ago. Great cars and I'm fairly certain you can tune that midrange dip out.
> 
> Have you considered the ND Miata? There's supposed to be a power bump coming soon which should make the car pretty damn quick (155 to 180hp in a 2,400lbs car).


The miata comes up a lot w good reason but I'm just not a fan of the looks I like the lines of the 86 more. 

I also drove an older one and they feel like they're probably a little smaller on the inside than the 86 but I could be wrong on that. They drive nice and I love the shifter if they kept that similar, but the looks and the coziness aren't quite for me


----------



## wannabguitarist

The newer cars are bigger on the inside, but if you don't like the looks don't bother


----------



## Konfyouzd

wannabguitarist said:


> The newer cars are bigger on the inside, but if you don't like the looks don't bother


When you mentioned it I looked at mazdas site just to do it. The MX-5 RF is HOT.


----------



## broj15

The VERY bad: Found out today that the reason my '99 m3 won't start is cuz the engine is locked up. Guess that means all this bread I've been saving up for a tattoo/new gear is gonna go towards a new car.

The silver lining: looking at getting a hatchback/station wagon of some sort to do a lil touring, and at the very least easily transport my 2x15 cab lol.


----------



## wannabguitarist

broj15 said:


> The VERY bad: Found out today that the reason my '99 m3 won't start is cuz the engine is locked up. Guess that means all this bread I've been saving up for a tattoo/new gear is gonna go towards a new car.
> 
> The silver lining: looking at getting a hatchback/station wagon of some sort to do a lil touring, and at the very least easily transport my 2x15 cab lol.



Ouch. S52s are not cheap


----------



## broj15

Yeah for a used engine I'm assuming I'm looking at atleast $2.5k and then another $2-3k to have it put in so at that price I know I can get a decent used car that fits my current needs better than the bimmer. I mean I drove it for 6 years and put over 100,000 miles on it so I can't complain too much. It was good car, but all good things must come to an end.


----------



## Konfyouzd

So... What are you looking at getting? Like which hatch / wagon?

Those old school BMW wagons are sexy.


----------



## wannabguitarist

broj15 said:


> Yeah for a used engine I'm assuming I'm looking at atleast $2.5k and then another $2-3k to have it put in so at that price I know I can get a decent used car that fits my current needs better than the bimmer. I mean I drove it for 6 years and put over 100,000 miles on it so I can't complain too much. It was good car, but all good things must come to an end.



I personally would do the swap/fix the M3. Those are rising in value and are generally excellent cars. I miss mine:


----------



## broj15

Fixing the m3 is totally out of the question (don't have the cash to make it happen & I am adamantly opposed to getting a loan from the banks), plus I've been mulling over getting rid of it for the better part of a year now. Being a coupe and having little to no back seat or trunk space has been extremely inconvenient for alot of reasons. 

As far as what I'm looking at right now, nothing European (as much as I want some kind of VW wagon). Looking at Ford taurus & focus hatchbacks/wagons or Subarus & Honda's. I'll tell y'all my main priorities if you can make any suggestions of what models to look out for. 

- Parts are cheap & readily available for any repairs down the line. I've done a little work under the hood since I got the m3, and I like being able to work on my car independently, but the cost of maintenance on a bimmer is too high for me right now.

- enough trunk/backseat/storage space to comfortably haul gear & or people. I'd atleast like to be able to fit my 2x15, head, bass and one other person in the car at the same time. 

- ATLEAST 20 mpg in the city. And fvck paying for premium like I have been for the m3. 

- available for sub $3k with less than 150k miles on it. I don't mind a rebuilt motor if it's been maintained, and aesthetics and "being fun to drive" aren't really a priority right now.

Those are my main for concerns/current budget right now.


----------



## dr_game0ver

Honda Accord Wagon.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

^ found out today the subaru doesn't make a wrx hatch anymore...was looking on getting an awd commuter car i could carry supplies in.

also, i had a bmw z4, every time i had to take it to the dealer, it was $500 or more to do any service work to it. got rid if it and a got an xr. ive got nearly 180k on it.


----------



## broj15

M3CHK1LLA said:


> ^ found out today the subaru doesn't make a wrx hatch anymore...was looking on getting an awd commuter car i could carry supplies in.
> 
> also, i had a bmw z4, every time i had to take it to the dealer, it was $500 or more to do any service work to it. got rid if it and a got an xr. ive got nearly 180k on it.



Yeah I've just really gotten tired of spending almost double on parts... Not to mention having to wait 2-5 days every time I ordered something because very few places carry import parts especially for an older, relatively obscure model (I think they only imported less than 5000 e36 m3's per model year, but I could be wrong).


----------



## NateFalcon

I was a bimmer guy for 15+ yrs, there’s still things I miss about my turbo’d and modded e21’s but the 36’s and beyond...maintenance nightmares, I’ll never go back...I’m starting a 60’-63’ falcon “bubbleback” build (go figure lol)


----------



## NateFalcon

*dblpst


----------



## Konfyouzd

Drove a GT and man do I want one now. Say a used frs at a dealer and asked to test drive it but was told I can't drive it unless they know I'll buy it today. Chicken and egg?

So I'm off to Toyota directly across the street

Edit: Would you believe Toyota was worse? I walked in and the girl at the country noticeably rolled her eyes at me then just walked away. Then they told me they had no 86s even though I passed an FRS entering the dealership. This always happens when I go to dealerships. But I did get to rock a GT for a bit and it's nicer than the others by a significant margin anyway. Spilled milk eh?


----------



## bulb

Konfyouzd said:


> Drove a GT and man do I want one now. Say a used frs at a dealer and asked to test drive it but was told I can't drive it unless they know I'll buy it today. Chicken and egg?
> 
> So I'm off to Toyota directly across the street
> 
> Edit: Would you believe Toyota was worse? I walked in and the girl at the country noticeably rolled her eyes at me then just walked away. Then they told me they had no 86s even though I passed an FRS entering the dealership. This always happens when I go to dealerships. But I did get to rock a GT for a bit and it's nicer than the others by a significant margin anyway. Spilled milk eh?



I guess it's all down to them being afraid of joyriders. It's a shame. Maybe see if you can go with a friend who has a nice car and claim it's yours. Or see if Carmax has one, they are usually pretty lax with their test drive policy.

It's funny though, it's kinda about what you show up in. Back when I was showing up in a beat up old acura SUV I couldn't test anything, but I showed up to a McLaren dealer with the 488 I had at the time and the let me do a nice long test drive of a lightly used 570GT, didn't even ask for my ID/insurance hahah.


----------



## Konfyouzd

bulb said:


> I guess it's all down to them being afraid of joyriders. It's a shame. Maybe see if you can go with a friend who has a nice car and claim it's yours. Or see if Carmax has one, they are usually pretty lax with their test drive policy.
> 
> It's funny though, it's kinda about what you show up in. Back when I was showing up in a beat up old acura SUV I couldn't test anything, but I showed up to a McLaren dealer with the 488 I had at the time and the let me do a nice long test drive of a lightly used 570GT, didn't even ask for my ID/insurance hahah.


Honestly that could be true. When I drove an RSX-S I kept it very clean and sales ppl were much friendlier.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

broj15 said:


> Yeah I've just really gotten tired of spending almost double on parts... Not to mention having to wait 2-5 days every time I ordered something because very few places carry import parts especially for an older, relatively obscure model (I think they only imported less than 5000 e36 m3's per model year, but I could be wrong).



the only thing that ive found worse is my supra. if a front lip for 350z costs $200, and $500 for bimmer, it will be $800 for my car.
it's jokingly referred to as the "supra tax" lol


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

bulb said:


> I guess it's all down to them being afraid of joyriders. It's a shame. Maybe see if you can go with a friend who has a nice car and claim it's yours. Or see if Carmax has one, they are usually pretty lax with their test drive policy.
> 
> 
> 
> It's funny though, it's kinda about what you show up in. Back when I was showing up in a beat up old acura SUV I couldn't test anything, but I showed up to a McLaren dealer with the 488 I had at the time and the let me do a nice long test drive of a lightly used 570GT, didn't even ask for my ID/insurance hahah.



not trying to throw out the race card, but i'm half filipino and half white. so in texas everyone thinks im a mexican lol.

but if you start off the conversation with "i'm looking to put 10k down"...it always works regardless of what you drive up in...though it does help


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> I guess it's all down to them being afraid of joyriders. It's a shame. Maybe see if you can go with a friend who has a nice car and claim it's yours. Or see if Carmax has one, they are usually pretty lax with their test drive policy.
> 
> It's funny though, it's kinda about what you show up in. Back when I was showing up in a beat up old acura SUV I couldn't test anything, but I showed up to a McLaren dealer with the 488 I had at the time and the let me do a nice long test drive of a lightly used 570GT, didn't even ask for my ID/insurance hahah.



Can’t believe you didn’t end up buying the 570


----------



## Konfyouzd

M3CHK1LLA said:


> not trying to throw out the race card, but i'm half filipino and half white. so in texas everyone thinks im a mexican lol.
> 
> but if you start off the conversation with "i'm looking to put 10k down"...it always works regardless of what you drive up in...though it does help


It's interesting. I bet that would have worked. I told Ford I was looking to get a GT without the spoiler around this time next month and was curious to see what they had in stock. Instantly gave me the keys to 2 cars.

I'm not even mad the other two thought I might be a joyrider. I simply wish they'd used more tact. When I walked into the show room at Mazda the guy asked me if I was with the service department...

Excellent sales ppl...


----------



## bulb

M3CHK1LLA said:


> not trying to throw out the race card, but i'm half filipino and half white. so in texas everyone thinks im a mexican lol.
> 
> but if you start off the conversation with "i'm looking to put 10k down"...it always works regardless of what you drive up in...though it does help


yeah but i look like i did 9/11 and not even the fun porsche kind


----------



## bulb

diagrammatiks said:


> Can’t believe you didn’t end up buying the 570


I honest to god just preferred the R8. The McLaren is a really really cool car, but now having driven the 570GT and the 570S it just never gave me that "I need to have this" kind of feeling. 

Even the R8 didn't quite give me that at first, but something stuck with me and then I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Few things about the 570:
1. The doors. As cool as they look, they draw SO much attention, and I'd be really nervous in tight spots, there's no way to open them halfway, you open them and kinda hope they don't hit anything.
2. The Turbo Lag. It's really noticeable, moreso than my 911 Turbo honestly, and somehow didn't feel quite as satisfying. The instant response of the NA v10 in the R8 is pretty damn addictive.
3. The sound. At least in the cabin, both cars were kinda muted sounding, maybe it's the turbos? Then again the AMG GTS is a Turbo V8 and has one of the best engine sounds ever.
4. The interior. It's super cool and space age, the carbon fiber monocoque does make it a bit trickier to get in and out, but the driving position is nice and the dashboard is definitely cool, but not super intuitive. I also kinda hated how laggy the rear view camera was, it sounds like silly nitpicking, but I drive the R8 every chance I get, and that awesome rear camera is sick.
5. The look. I have to say it kinda looks better in pictures than it does in person, which is weird because it's usually the opposite. I thought the 12C was very meh in pics but in person it looks incredible, and in person I actually think it looks better than the 570. 

With all of that said, these are super nitpicky complaints. But the R8 spoke to me, is much easier to live with, has a much more luxurious and comfortable interior and just makes so much more sense as a daily supercar. 

Really tempted to get that VF Engineering supercharger kit that gives it 800hp, supposedly nudges it a bit in that hypercar direction haha.

Also I should mention I am in no way hating on McLaren, the next car I'm pining for is that 720S haha.


----------



## MFB

bulb said:


> yeah but i look like i did 9/11 and not even the fun porsche kind



You look like Tay Zonday's darker cousin at best


----------



## Konfyouzd

Looks like I'm ab to try and trade my GTI for a 2017 Toyota 86...


----------



## Konfyouzd

bulb said:


> yeah but i look like i did 9/11 and not even the fun porsche kind


----------



## bulb

talk me out of the vf800 supercharger for my r8 please


----------



## Konfyouzd

Mine!


----------



## Konfyouzd

bulb said:


> talk me out of the vf800 supercharger for my r8 please


Do it.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

Konfyouzd said:


> View attachment 60636
> 
> 
> Mine!



congrats....and nice color choice btw


----------



## Konfyouzd

Thanks man!


----------



## JEngelking

Konfyouzd said:


> View attachment 60636
> 
> 
> Mine!



Dang, jealous! That looks awesome. I've got an '06 tC right now and I've been looking around at cars (mostly for fun, I certainly don't need a new one but the temptation is real ) and an FRS/BRZ/86 is pretty appealing, gets about the same fuel economy but looks way more fun to drive haha.


----------



## sakeido

NateFalcon said:


> View attachment 60589
> View attachment 60588
> I was a bimmer guy for 15+ yrs, there’s still things I miss about my turbo’d and modded e21’s but the 36’s and beyond...maintenance nightmares, I’ll never go back...I’m starting a 60’-63’ falcon “bubbleback” build (go figure lol)



any more pics of that first one? wicked lookin car. I still have a stack of a hundred or so Popular Hot Rodding mags at home too... always liked the builds those guys featured


----------



## Konfyouzd

JEngelking said:


> Dang, jealous! That looks awesome. I've got an '06 tC right now and I've been looking around at cars (mostly for fun, I certainly don't need a new one but the temptation is real ) and an FRS/BRZ/86 is pretty appealing, gets about the same fuel economy but looks way more fun to drive haha.


It is VERY fun. That said when I had my RSX-S I used to date a girl w an 05 tC. I remember that being a really fun car to drive too.and quicker than the specs would suggest.


----------



## wannabguitarist

bulb said:


> talk me out of the vf800 supercharger for my r8 please



You can pay for a lot of track days and tires with the money spent on the supercharger. Car already has more power and grip than someone can actually use on the street 



Konfyouzd said:


> It is VERY fun. That said when I had my RSX-S I used to date a girl w an 05 tC. I remember that being a really fun car to drive too.and quicker than the specs would suggest.



Congrats on the 86! Great color choice too.


----------



## JEngelking

Konfyouzd said:


> It is VERY fun. That said when I had my RSX-S I used to date a girl w an 05 tC. I remember that being a really fun car to drive too.and quicker than the specs would suggest.



Aw man, when I bought my car I actually almost bought an RSX-S. Low miles, really clean, and bone stock as far as I could tell but I didn't get to it in time. 

Yeah, the tC is decently fun to drive, it's got some pep to it. Main issue is it's too much weight for the HP it's got, 160 HP and it weighs around 2,900 pounds. I've considered taking out the back seats to lighten it up a bit and maybe get a little better fuel economy on my commute but I haven't been bothered enough yet.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

wannabguitarist said:


> You can pay for a lot of track days and tires with the money spent on the supercharger. Car already has more power and grip than someone can actually use on the street



I agree.


----------



## Konfyouzd

I bet running a half mile in that thing would be nuts though


----------



## sakeido

Konfyouzd said:


> I bet running a half mile in that thing would be nuts though



not as nuts as running half miles with twin turbos though


----------



## NateFalcon

sakeido said:


> any more pics of that first one? wicked lookin car. I still have a stack of a hundred or so Popular Hot Rodding mags at home too... always liked the builds those guys featured


Here’s s couple more...I like the upside-down front bumper lol


----------



## dr_game0ver

"Which Falcon is best Falcon"


----------



## NateFalcon

dr_game0ver said:


> "Which Falcon is best Falcon"


Millennium Falcon?...if you’re serious, they’re all awesome!


----------



## MFB

dr_game0ver said:


> "Which Falcon is best Falcon"


----------



## sakeido

NateFalcon said:


> View attachment 60660
> View attachment 60659
> 
> Here’s s couple more...I like the upside-down front bumper lol



I have never seen BBS LMs on a muscle car before... that is glorious. mesh wheels best wheels confirmed

The bumper is pretty clever hahah, kinda turns it into a chin spoiler


----------



## NateFalcon

Notice also the lack of lugnuts and the racing spindle setup...


----------



## Konfyouzd

sakeido said:


> not as nuts as running half miles with twin turbos though


On the same motor?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not challenging your opinion I've just seen things go either way depending on the event and/or motor in question.

I've seen some supercharged Coyote 3s smoke some twin turbo Coyote 3s but that may come down to tuning and driving skill...

The closest I've been to an Audi is my GTI so I'm ignorant here. I simply know an R8 is a beast alone and to supercharge is to take beastness and create more beastness... 

I also know turbos are more efficient but I know some engines don't take as well to them as others so I was curious.


----------



## sakeido

Konfyouzd said:


> On the same motor?
> 
> Don't get me wrong, I'm not challenging your opinion I've just seen things go either way depending on the event and/or motor in question.
> 
> I've seen some supercharged Coyote 3s smoke some twin turbo Coyote 3s but that may come down to tuning and driving skill...
> 
> The closest I've been to an Audi is my GTI so I'm ignorant here. I simply know an R8 is a beast alone and to supercharge is to take beastness and create more beastness...
> 
> I also know turbos are more efficient but I know some engines don't take as well to them as others so I was curious.



the Audi V10 is also in the Lamborghini Gallardo/Huracan, and those guys have been going insanely fast with twin turbos. Underground Racing has run 256mph in the half mile with twin turbos in a Huracan so if ultimate speed is the goal, turbo is the way to go. I think they make kits that'll put down over 2,000 horse at the wheels on built motors 

Superchargers have their own advantages tho, the boost builds a lot more predictably and you don't muffle that amazing exhaust note which with an engine like that, is a big priority


----------



## goobaba

bulb said:


> I guess it's all down to them being afraid of joyriders. It's a shame. Maybe see if you can go with a friend who has a nice car and claim it's yours. Or see if Carmax has one, they are usually pretty lax with their test drive policy.
> 
> It's funny though, it's kinda about what you show up in. Back when I was showing up in a beat up old acura SUV I couldn't test anything, but I showed up to a McLaren dealer with the 488 I had at the time and the let me do a nice long test drive of a lightly used 570GT, didn't even ask for my ID/insurance hahah.



I think its really down to the individual dealer. In my experience they have tried to up sell me on the car, for example I went to drive a Camaro SS and they wanted me to take out the Z/28 instead. At a different dealer they wanted me to take out a Corvette instead. On the other hand a third dealer wanted my social security number and multiple references and I said "no thanks" and left.


----------



## bulb

sakeido said:


> the Audi V10 is also in the Lamborghini Gallardo/Huracan, and those guys have been going insanely fast with twin turbos. Underground Racing has run 256mph in the half mile with twin turbos in a Huracan so if ultimate speed is the goal, turbo is the way to go. I think they make kits that'll put down over 2,000 horse at the wheels on built motors
> 
> Superchargers have their own advantages tho, the boost builds a lot more predictably and you don't muffle that amazing exhaust note which with an engine like that, is a big priority


Yeah the thing about this supercharger kit is that by it's very nature it only sort of changes the car's behavior as you get aggressive. So apparently VF pride themselves on the fact that it doesn't affect the car negatively in how good of a daily driver it normally is, but when you punch it, it kicks in predictably. And as much as I know for ultimate power Twin Turbo is the way to go, I think 800hp/600tq is more than enough for me haha, plus I don't lose the amazing engine sound nor do I have to deal with turbo lag. I would assume the response is about as instant as it is now, and god that car can just snap off the line or at speed.


----------



## bulb

goobaba said:


> I think its really down to the individual dealer. In my experience they have tried to up sell me on the car, for example I went to drive a Camaro SS and they wanted me to take out the Z/28 instead. At a different dealer they wanted me to take out a Corvette instead. On the other hand a third dealer wanted my social security number and multiple references and I said "no thanks" and left.


That's definitely a good point. I think my case isn't helped by the fact that I have always dressed like a poor person haha.


----------



## goobaba

bulb said:


> That's definitely a good point. I think my case isn't helped by the fact that I have always dressed like a poor person haha.


 
Ha yeah I'm amazed at the respect leather shoes gets me vs Vans


----------



## ZombieDank

This is the car I've been working on for the past few years. It's one of the few V6 Chargers rolling around with a Vortech Supercharger. Yeah.. she's weird.. but lots of fun!


----------



## broj15

OK, so after shopping around for the past week or so, I've got my eye on a 2007 Dodge caliber. It has 120k miles on it and they only want $1600. No check engine light, couple door dents, and a missing plastic hubcap on the back passenger tire. All issues I could overlook for the price. So with that in mind, do y'all know anything about these cars I should look at specifically? Any issues theyre known to have that would be cropping up soon? I'm looking bro get atleast another 4 years/100k miles out of it.


----------



## broj15

Edit: double post.


----------



## Konfyouzd

bulb said:


> That's definitely a good point. I think my case isn't helped by the fact that I have always dressed like a poor person haha.


Ditto


----------



## sakeido

broj15 said:


> OK, so after shopping around for the past week or so, I've got my eye on a 2007 Dodge caliber. It has 120k miles on it and they only want $1600. No check engine light, couple door dents, and a missing plastic hubcap on the back passenger tire. All issues I could overlook for the price. So with that in mind, do y'all know anything about these cars I should look at specifically? Any issues theyre known to have that would be cropping up soon? I'm looking bro get atleast another 4 years/100k miles out of it.



the Caliber is... not so good man. The platform it was built to replace, the Dodge Neon, is actually a more solid car but they have all been driven completely into the ground by now and have gotten to be pretty hard to find. 

If you are looking for a beater and expect to do work on it, maybe the Caliber would be okay, but parts for the Caliber are actually rare-ish because they never sold that many and therefore more expensive. If the form factor was what you liked about it - small, low to the ground wagon with a big trunk - the PT Cruiser is actually a better car because those were built on the Neon platform so parts are EVERYWHERE. Also, people really turned on that car so they tend to get rid of them really cheap. The Caliber is slightly bigger, if I remember right. 

One car of that type to avoid at all costs is the Chevrolet HHR. Total lemons, do not buy.


----------



## MoonJelly

You speak da tru-true.

You want something that's cheap and everywhere, get a Versa.


----------



## broj15

Thanks for the advice y'all. The caliber sold out from under me this weekend, so maybe that was a blessing in disguise. I'm pretty well versed on imports n whatnot, but I don't know shit about "practical" cars so shopping for one has been a nightmare and is super overwhelming.


----------



## wannabguitarist

broj15 said:


> Thanks for the advice y'all. The caliber sold out from under me this weekend, so maybe that was a blessing in disguise. *I'm pretty well versed on imports n whatnot*, but I don't know shit about "practical" cars so shopping for one has been a nightmare and is super overwhelming.



The majority of imports  I'd go buy a Civic, Corolla, Accord, or Camry. There are thousands of them out there, they run forever if treated right, and replacement parts are cheap.

What are you doing with the M3? Ever figure out why the engine gave out?


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Yeah, stick with Honda and Toyota if you want practical that will last a long time.


----------



## Carrion Rocket

broj15 said:


> Thanks for the advice y'all. The caliber sold out from under me this weekend, so maybe that was a blessing in disguise. I'm pretty well versed on imports n whatnot, but I don't know shit about "practical" cars so shopping for one has been a nightmare and is super overwhelming.



If you need a daily to get to and from work:
Honda Civic
Toyota Camry

If you have a family:
Honda Accord
Nissan Altima
Toyota Corolla

Any of those will last you years if you know how to perform any general maintenance.


----------



## dr_game0ver

Edd is back.


----------



## p0ke

Took a pretty nice photo of my Focus the other day:







Yep, you can see that the registration plate is a little bit bent (apparently the previous owner ran into something ...) and there's some rust protection spray on the side, but other than that I'd say it looks pretty good for a 700€ car 

Oh and I also put the summer tires on a couple of weeks ago - couldn't be bothered doing it myself since a local carwash does it for 19€ and I don't have a proper jack yet. Anyway, I got those tires for free from my mother in law, and they're almost like brand new


----------



## dr_game0ver

700? not bad. What engine do you have in?


----------



## p0ke

dr_game0ver said:


> 700? not bad. What engine do you have in?


It's a 1.4, don't know much more about it. I recall reading some document about it saying it has 65bhp - not much, but enough to do 150km/h and it's pretty fuel efficient too for such an old rust bucket.


----------



## r33per

NCD! New motor for the missus: Fiat 500X Cross Plus. She's delighted.

We were hoping that the old one (2005 Renault Clio) would last another year, but the cost to fix just the brakes - never mind the next service and MOT - was getting into double the value of the car...


----------



## broj15

wannabguitarist said:


> The majority of imports  I'd go buy a Civic, Corolla, Accord, or Camry. There are thousands of them out there, they run forever if treated right, and replacement parts are cheap.
> 
> What are you doing with the M3? Ever figure out why the engine gave out?



I had a BMW specialist look at it and all they could say was that "some part inside the engine gave out" and that now the engine is seized up and needs replaced/rebuilt. I got in touch with a place that is willing to come tow it away and pay me $1500 for it. 



Carrion Rocket said:


> If you need a daily to get to and from work:
> Honda Civic
> Toyota Camry
> 
> If you have a family:
> Honda Accord
> Nissan Altima
> Toyota Corolla
> 
> Any of those will last you years if you know how to perform any general maintenance.



I don't have a family but I have a 2x15 and I'd like to add another to my rig, so I'm looking for some kind of station wagon or crossover/small SUV that has rear seats that fold down. Right now I'm in contact with a guy who has an 02 Ford Taurus wagon. It has 130k miles on it but it appears to be very well maintained and he only wants 1200. He says he's not available till Saturday but hopefully I can look at it before anyone else does.


----------



## diagrammatiks

broj15 said:


> I had a BMW specialist look at it and all they could say was that "some part inside the engine gave out" and that now the engine is seized up and needs replaced/rebuilt. I got in touch with a place that is willing to come tow it away and pay me $1500 for it.
> 
> 
> 
> I don't have a family but I have a 2x15 and I'd like to add another to my rig, so I'm looking for some kind of station wagon or crossover/small SUV that has rear seats that fold down. Right now I'm in contact with a guy who has an 02 Ford Taurus wagon. It has 130k miles on it but it appears to be very well maintained and he only wants 1200. He says he's not available till Saturday but hopefully I can look at it before anyone else does.




ah yes the ole bmw mystery engine fubar


----------



## MoonJelly

broj15 said:


> I don't have a family but I have a 2x15 and I'd like to add another to my rig, so I'm looking for some kind of station wagon or crossover/small SUV that has rear seats that fold down. Right now I'm in contact with a guy who has an 02 Ford Taurus wagon. It has 130k miles on it but it appears to be very well maintained and he only wants 1200. He says he's not available till Saturday but hopefully I can look at it before anyone else does.



 Don't buy a Taurus, they have reliability issues over 100k and it's been that way for 15+ years (especially the transmissions). If you want cheap/reliable wagon buy a Volvo. Also a big fan of the Passat wagon but you've got to make sure if it's a B4 gen (99-05) that the kinks have been worked out first (if it sounds like a sewing machine, don't buy). I would say Accord or Camry wagon as well but they are not as easy to find.


----------



## sakeido

you may have a Kiesel guitar, but do you have a Keisel suspension? 

lol what are the odds...


----------



## broj15

Well, back again and the saga continues lol. The Taurus didn't work out (again, another blessing in disguise) and I'm onto the next lead! I currently live in st. Louis, while my parents are right outside of Louisville so we've been shopping around on Craigslist/the Facebook market place in both regions. They spotted something in Thier area and said they'd drive it to me. Here's the details on it. 

-1998 Subaru outback
-170k miles
-clean title
-No KNOWN issues under the hood (no check engine/status/warning lights)
-4 new tires
-Recently replaced front end (including struts, ball joints, tie rods, steering boots, brakes, and hub bearings)
-Some rust on both rear fenders
-has had some cosmetic repair done to the front driver side. Guy claims it was deer damage (very common in the area) and the frame is straight. All the other body panels line up well. 
-2.5L DOHC (worth mentioning cuz I've read the head gaskets can be problematic)
-$1750 firm

It was mother's day so my dad didn't get to drive it (the guy had family over and it was blocked in by 4 cars), but the guy turned it on and let it idle for about 10 minutes and popped the hood. He said there were no "bad engine noises" or knocks that he could hear, all fluid levels seemed fine, and the oil didn't smell like it was burning. He said he said he scheduled to test drive it on wednesday when he gets off work and see how it goes. 

So given the above information, what do y'all think. Does it sound like a good buy or something to avoid? The slightly high miles and possible head gasket issues have me apprehensive, but I've also heard of subarus going to 300k easily if they're well maintained.


----------



## MoonJelly

The Outbacks are a mixed bag. It's a big plus if the front suspension has been done recently as those are a pain to work on (i.e. costly for labor). AC is also an expensive fix if it goes out. Overall they're very solid though, and they have a die-hard fanbase that can answer any question for the DIY mechanics out there.


----------



## bulb

What, in your opinion, would be the best overall track car aside from a Miata for under 30k total?


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> What, in your opinion, would be the best overall track car aside from a Miata for under 30k total?



depends on what you mean by track.
if you are getting started doing autocross or track-days...it's probably still a Miata since it doesn't have enough power to wtf kill you

actually thinking about it...it's just a Miata.

you could spend a little more and do a focus rs or a wrx sti but those cars will kill you in ways the Miata won't.

the focus/fiesta st can do track stuff. and so can a vw gti...

but the answer is still a Miata.

You can also get an e46 m3 for way under 30k now...but maintenance costs wise..it still loses to a newer Miata.

oh ya toyota 86/subaru brz series


----------



## shadscbr

Used Ariel Atom or KTM X-Bow? Lotus? C7? What a fun equation to solve


----------



## goobaba

Early C6 Corvette for 20k, then 10k worth of tires to smoke


----------



## broj15

Well, for those of you keeping up with it and giving advice (which was helpful and much appreciated) I'm now the proud owner of a 2002 focus zx5. 154k miles but it runs and drives great. Fluid levels were all fine, it looked clean under the hood, no obvious leaks (it was raining when I test drove it so I was able to easily check for any oil leaks underneath), interior is super clean and the tires are nearly new. Only con is that it looks like it's accumulated several shopping carts/car doors over the past 15 years. Lots of little dents n dings, but nothing that woulda been caused by a major accident. And plus it was only $1200, which was waaaaay below my budget. The cosmetic stuff doesn't bother me too much and it seems like the car was well taken care of otherwise. The guy I bought it from has owned it since 2005 and him n his wife were both very nice and he seemed like the kind of old head who really keeps up with the maintenance.

Either way, I couldn't be happier and I feel like I made a sound investment. It gets great gas mileage, it seems reliable, and it can haul all the gear/people I'd need it to.


----------



## broj15

Double post


----------



## p0ke

broj15 said:


> 2002 focus zx5



Ha, that's nearly the same car I have, except mine is a few years older and has been driven a bit more. That one apparently has a bigger engine too. But the chassis is basically the same.

The rear end of my Focus started rattling a fair bit sometime ago, and my wife started telling me to take it to a workshop to have the exhaust fixed. But I googled first instead and managed to figure out that it was the boot rattling and not the exhaust. So I put some tape on the lock pin, and that insulated it enough to make it a lot more quiet. A more permanent fix would be to open the screws and align the lock mechanism properly, but I don't have the time right now. Anyway, FYI, this apparently is really common on the Focus MK1 models.


----------



## wannabguitarist

bulb said:


> What, in your opinion, would be the best overall track car aside from a Miata for under 30k total?



S2000, C5 Z06, regular C5, spec Miata, spec E30

The Corvettes are significantly faster than the other cars listed, very cheap for the performance level offered, and quite reliable when prepped properly. The downside is significantly higher running costs (larger brakes and tires which are burned up more quickly due to higher speeds reached on track).

I love my S2000 and if you're making a dedicated track car you can get one fairly cheap if you don't mind some minor issues that shouldn't affect on track performance or safety (salvage title or rough exterior). On the west coast you can also track the car on most tracks in 100% stock form as the factory roll hoops are quite strong (this is irrelevant if depending on your height). If you are going the dedicated track car route a roll bar, harness, and racing seat install is not that complicated due to the large community and aftermarket. That being said, it's still more expensive to purchase and run than a Miata. Far more interesting to drive though.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

bulb said:


> What, in your opinion, would be the best overall track car aside from a Miata for under 30k total?



350z, rx7 fc and you can also find fd's too, just go to look.


----------



## wannabguitarist

I love RX7s but one of the biggest concerns for a track car is reliability, even more so if you're also going to drive the car home after the day ends. Reliability is not a rotary strong suit


----------



## sakeido

wannabguitarist said:


> I love RX7s but one of the biggest concerns for a track car is reliability, even more so if you're also going to drive the car home after the day ends. Reliability is not a rotary strong suit



lol no it isn't, but mine's still going. 800 whole km on the new build hah... if you premix and are only driving the car on track, and taking care of it seriously, it'll actually last for a decent amount of time

plus it looks like oil is going much higher, fuel costs will be a concern after a certain point. it blows my mind every time I drive my car just how bad of mileage it gets - never thought I'd complain about something like that, but jesus fuck it's stupid

on the flip side, you can easily find RX-7s that have already been LS swapped for under $30k. an FD with an LS is an extremely fast car that handles really well... FC somewhat less so cuz its MacPherson struts and a multi-link rear instead of dual A-arms front and rear, but probably still way faster than everything else


----------



## bulb

The RX8 I'm building will probably be a good one, and with the 1JZ should be reliable too! But when I went to the track a couple weeks ago I rode with a dude in his C7 Z06 and was absolutely fucking blown away by the performance on that car. So now I kinda want one.

If this year goes really well, maybe I'll sell the RX8 reward myself with a fun manual Z06 as a track car. Or maybe a 997 C2S.


----------



## sakeido

the C5 Z06 are downright cheap these days but I always liked the C6 more. you can get certain trim packages on that car that include the wide body and big brakes off the Z06 car, then throw some aero parts on it so it actually has downforce

the Grand Sport is usually the best one to build into a track car because it doesn't have too much horsepower, but it does have the wide body and handling bits off the Z cars, but they also have held their value really well and haven't dipped below $30k yet afaik

if you go C5 the non-Z06 body style is (imo) way more attractive and is more aerodynamic. they didn't use it for the Z06 because the hardtop chassis was stiffer, but if you are building a track car, a good roll cage will stiffen up a normal Corvette real nice. the non-Z06s haven't held their value at all and a dirt cheap, real good platform for a build... that's the body that got built into the C5R after all


----------



## bulb

yeah but c7


----------



## goobaba

Well if you're gonna go bananas get a 997 GT3

The Z06 will undoubtedly be cheaper in the long run though


----------



## 7 Dying Trees

diagrammatiks said:


> You can also get an e46 m3 for way under 30k now...but maintenance costs wise..it still loses to a newer Miata.


Maintenance costs on these is very very steep. I should know, had one for 18 months now, and pretty much everything that could wear out has worn, or needed replacing.

On the other side, they are awesome cars, and if they've had the horror jobs done then it'll last nicely. Well worth overhauling the suspension with new uprated arbs and some quality coilovers (bilsteins et all). Makers a great roadcar/occasional track day machine. 

Going full track on these you'd want to replace water pump, ditch the viscous fan and go full electric (mishimoto) etc etc.

I absolutely love mine, even if it is a massive money pit. I've got mine as fast road car with an eye of getting onto the track, problem is, it is my daily, and as such I cannot justify putting a half cage in it as I still want to lug around gar/guitars in it.


----------



## philkilla

bulb said:


> yeah but c7



You've been bitten by the big cube bug haven't you Misha..


----------



## bulb

philkilla said:


> You've been bitten by the big cube bug haven't you Misha..


big cube?


----------



## philkilla

bulb said:


> big cube?



Lol, excuse my shorthand. Big cubic inch V8's.

If you ever get the chance to ride or drive any V8 car with an aggressive cam it may change your life. Something about a real lopey idle that makes the hairs on your neck stand up.


----------



## sakeido

Got the Fortunes in finally. Car is officially stanced lol.. after I get the alignment straightened out. It toed in a lot in the rear, and I actually have positive camber up front now. But the bolts are 30+ years old and completely frozen, so I gotta let a shop adjust those things... not going start fucking around with that in my garage.

been a long time since I turned any wrenches. It was frustrating, but fun. Got a lot more plans now. 

coilovers themselves are absolutely unreal. They said they'd ride like stock and I thought they were lying, but they weren't. Ride is super plush on the low settings, and gets maximum race mode on the high ones. Really, really awesome pieces


----------



## wannabguitarist

That looks great! Hopefully the bolts can just be broken loose and you don't have to deal with any torn bushings. Corrosion on alignment bolts is a pain in the ass.


----------



## DudeManBrother

Totally random find while cleaning out my basement! I forgot I had these haha the 1/74 scale set I never even took out of the packages. Too bad all the characters weren’t in the box too. I think at least both the Takahashi Bros came with the RX7’s but don’t remember about the R32 and 86


----------



## ddtonfire

Did the Lone Pine Time Trials again this year in my C6 Z06, thought I'd post it here. Hit around 120 on those straights before the slalom.

I completely corded my tires on this run. They were old and I was hoping I could get a full weekend out of them, but alas, two runs and I was done. Still ended up in the top ten out of some sixty cars.


----------



## wannabguitarist

@ddtonfire my buddy has ran that a few times and said the surface was hell on tires. Looks like fun!


----------



## ddtonfire

@wannabguitarist It's a blast! Definitely a bit more intense than an autocross but not quite as much as a track. What car does your friend run if I may ask?


----------



## wannabguitarist

ddtonfire said:


> @wannabguitarist It's a blast! Definitely a bit more intense than an autocross but not quite as much as a track. What car does your friend run if I may ask?



He runs a Silver 2002 Tran-Am WS6 that's been heavily modified. Automatic but modified somehow with paddles, extensive suspension mods, and I'm pretty sure it also has a LS2. The car is a monster and quicker than my S2K around a really short tight track. Doesn't hurt that he knows how to drive.


----------



## ddtonfire

I definitely remember that car - it sounded awesome!


----------



## bulb

Test drove a 720S and wrote up a thing for my fb car group, let me know if you guys want me to post it here and I'll copy it over!


----------



## DudeManBrother

bulb said:


> Test drove a 720S and wrote up a thing for my fb car group, let me know if you guys want me to post it here and I'll copy it over!


I’d read it. That must’ve been quite the experience


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

DudeManBrother said:


> Totally random find while cleaning out my basement! I forgot I had these haha the 1/74 scale set I never even took out of the packages. Too bad all the characters weren’t in the box too. I think at least both the Takahashi Bros came with the RX7’s but don’t remember about the R32 and 86
> View attachment 62598
> 
> View attachment 62599


----------



## bulb

Manual Gt3 or Gt4? Discuss!


----------



## shadscbr

997 GT3 Mezger engine....4.0 if anything goes


----------



## DudeManBrother

Shouldn’t even be a question. GT3 all day e’ry day. 

I’ll say that the gt4 is the sexiest Cayman by far, and it probably makes a lot more sense as a car for general road driving, but the GT3 is legendary.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

GT3 for sure!!


----------



## illimmigrant

Hi all, I just posted this on the market place, but wanted to share it here for a better outreach.
Mercedes Benz CLS550 lease swap, for anyone interested.

Thread: http://www.sevenstring.org/threads/2017-cls-550-lease-swap.331343/

Page: http://www.swapalease.com/lease/details/2017-Mercedes-Benz-CLS-Class.aspx?salid=1234970


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## bulb

They say the new gt4 will have the gt3 engine. Gt4 has the perfect chassis, gt3 has the perfect engine. Might be the car to beat. 

If my year goes well, I might have to. I may not actually have any control in this situation.


----------



## goobaba

bulb said:


> They say the new gt4 will have the gt3 engine. Gt4 has the perfect chassis, gt3 has the perfect engine. Might be the car to beat.
> 
> If my year goes well, I might have to. I may not actually have any control in this situation.



Maybe same engine but they will never let it have the same horsepower as the GT3. Porsche needs to just let the Cayman team off the leash like Chevrolet did with Camaro team. They are purposefully stopping the Cayman from being better than the 911 to protect it's prestige. Nobody cares Porsche! Just build the best car you can! There is room for both to be great!


----------



## bulb

goobaba said:


> Maybe same engine but they will never let it have the same horsepower as the GT3. Porsche needs to just let the Cayman team off the leash like Chevrolet did with Camaro team. They are purposefully stopping the Cayman from being better than the 911 to protect it's prestige. Nobody cares Porsche! Just build the best car you can! There is room for both to be great!



Yeah you aren’t wrong, but given the nature, size and weight of the Cayman, it may still be the quicker car!


----------



## goobaba

bulb said:


> Yeah you aren’t wrong, but given the nature, size and weight of the Cayman, it may still be the quicker car!



But imagine how it would be with that extra 100hp?! It could be like a modern 458.


----------



## goobaba

Looking at Porsche prices and I had no clue the base 911 was $35k more than the base Cayman! That is for sure a prestige luxury premium.


----------



## Given To Fly

goobaba said:


> Maybe same engine but they will never let it have the same horsepower as the GT3. Porsche needs to just let the Cayman team off the leash like Chevrolet did with Camaro team. They are purposefully stopping the Cayman from being better than the 911 to protect it's prestige. Nobody cares Porsche! Just build the best car you can! There is room for both to be great!



For the record, I believe the Porsche 919 is the best car Porsche can build. I realize it is a race car but it is too fast not to mention. If you are unaware of what I'm talking about, Youtube might have something about the car. 

I doubt Chevrolet lost any Corvette sales to the Camaro ZL1. In the grand scheme of things, if a Cayman were made to be equal with the 911, both cars would cost the same, look the same (its true), and simply be redundant. I do not think Porsche would see competition within their own product line as a good thing. 

Misha, I am not on Facebook anymore which is an accomplishment that took years to achieve. However, this means I can not read your 720s test drive experience. I only have 1 question: was the salesperson British? If so, that is what I call a "dangerous financial situation." Their accent makes everything sound like a good idea.


----------



## goobaba

Given To Fly said:


> I doubt Chevrolet lost any Corvette sales to the Camaro ZL1. In the grand scheme of things, if a Cayman were made to be equal with the 911, both cars would cost the same, look the same (its true), and simply be redundant. I do not think Porsche would see competition within their own product line as a good thing.



That was my point. Porsche is purposely holding back the Cayman so that it fits sunggly into their product portfolio. Therefore the answer to the question GT3 vs GT4 will always for the near future be GT3.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Not the best pictures but I finally got my car back on the road. Lost interest for a while after I got a shitbox to commute in. Rebuilt shocks, tweaked ride height (1.5mm lower all around), fresh ball joints, and a very aggressive track alignment. The car isn't a daily anymore and I have two sets of wheels so no need to worry about tire life.






Bronze on black is such a classic look. Slightly more aggressive fitment so I decided to run 245/40/17 PSS all around instead of the 255s I run on my track wheels.





I can't stop driving and looking at the car now, which kind of defeats the purpose of getting the shitbox commuter


----------



## sirbuh

bulb said:


> Test drove a 720S and wrote up a thing for my fb car group, let me know if you guys want me to post it here and I'll copy it over!



Novelty wears off pretty quickly. 
Cayman all the way.


----------



## bulb

Thinking of going in another direction, waiting for the price to drop on the gt3 as more hit the used market, upgrading the S3 to the new M5.

Test drove the new M5 today and was very impressed! Blindingly quick, doesn’t feel nearly as big as it is somehow, but very comfy and smooth to drive, not jerky and the tech is just next level.


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> Thinking of going in another direction, waiting for the price to drop on the gt3 as more hit the used market, upgrading the S3 to the new M5.
> 
> Test drove the new M5 today and was very impressed! Blindingly quick, doesn’t feel nearly as big as it is somehow, but very comfy and smooth to drive, not jerky and the tech is just next level.



the specs on the new m5 look amazing.
that being said...speaker engine sounds yes/no?


----------



## bulb

diagrammatiks said:


> the specs on the new m5 look amazing.
> that being said...speaker engine sounds yes/no?


Total speaker engine sounds, sounds like gran turismo. Definitely disappointing, but it's about the only disappointing thing about it. I'm going to test out the E63S and see how that fares.


----------



## Given To Fly

bulb said:


> Thinking of going in another direction, waiting for the price to drop on the gt3 as more hit the used market, upgrading the S3 to the new M5.
> 
> Test drove the new M5 today and was very impressed! Blindingly quick, doesn’t feel nearly as big as it is somehow, but very comfy and smooth to drive, not jerky and the tech is just next level.[/QUOTE



Not the i3?  That would be going in another direction...at a safe and comfortable saunter.


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> Total speaker engine sounds, sounds like gran turismo. Definitely disappointing, but it's about the only disappointing thing about it. I'm going to test out the E63S and see how that fares.



I feel like most cars in that price range are good enough now that I shouldn't have to deal with video game sounds and 50 million M badges. 

The e63s looks really good. Their interior design is so much better then bmw right now. 

I miss having access to trade-ins and cheap msrp. The e63s wagon I was eyeing is 300,000 usd after taxes and fees here. 

Might have to slum it with the c63s wagon next year.


----------



## bulb

diagrammatiks said:


> I feel like most cars in that price range are good enough now that I shouldn't have to deal with video game sounds and 50 million M badges.
> 
> The e63s looks really good. Their interior design is so much better then bmw right now.
> 
> I miss having access to trade-ins and cheap msrp. The e63s wagon I was eyeing is 300,000 usd after taxes and fees here.
> 
> Might have to slum it with the c63s wagon next year.


M badges don't bother me, and fake engine sound I can live with in the daily, if I want engine sound I drive the R8 haha. The Merc interior definitely looks more luxurious, but the M5 has some really cool tech and although I have yet to drive the Merc, I have read that the M5 is the better driving car of the two. Still definitely going to try out the Merc and I'm sure one of them will speak to me more than the other.


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> M badges don't bother me, and fake engine sound I can live with in the daily, if I want engine sound I drive the R8 haha. The Merc interior definitely looks more luxurious, but the M5 has some really cool tech and although I have yet to drive the Merc, I have read that the M5 is the better driving car of the two. Still definitely going to try out the Merc and I'm sure one of them will speak to me more than the other.



the bmw is still going to be the better driver but in a car class that big...
I dunno. If you can track it, it's one thing. Other then that it's just cool points. I don't know if I'd be comfortable tracking two cars that big.


----------



## sirbuh

diagrammatiks said:


> I feel like most cars in that price range are good enough now that I shouldn't have to deal with video game sounds and 50 million M badges.
> 
> The e63s looks really good. Their interior design is so much better then bmw right now.



Similar calculus here. First time in a while I am without a BMW of some sort.
Went over to the darkside. 
M coupes competed but end of the day MB AMG was more compelling.


----------



## Given To Fly

goobaba said:


> That was my point. Porsche is purposely holding back the Cayman so that it fits snuggly into their product portfolio. Therefore the answer to the question GT3 vs GT4 will always for the near future be GT3.



Sorry, I missed the question and was only replying to why Porsche would be holding back the Cayman. Porsche is holding the Cayman exactly where Porsche designed the Cayman to be held. Germans like having all their "ducks in a row." They like order, rules, and obeying those rules. This is why you can drive 200 mph on the Autobahn, why buses are never late, and why they almost never design or build anything that sucks. To Porsche, a snug product portfolio is how a product portfolio should be.

If it sounds like I'm stereotyping Germans, I am, but I think most Germans would not be offended because they know they like order, rules, and obeying those rules. The result is a higher level of quality in everything they do. If they can not do something well, they usually do not pursue it. (The electric guitar is a good example of that.) The Cayman could certainly be faster, but that is not its purpose as far as Porsche is concerned. Nice car though. 

I am rather impressed with how civil this conversation is at the moment. Sometimes SSO is less than civil to put it lightly. Hearing about Misha's car buying experience is kind of fun.


----------



## I play music

https://en.kalashnikov.media/photo/technology/kontsept-elektricheskogo-superkara-cv-1
Kalashnikov building electric cars now. I'm a fan. Not only do I love how this looks, but I also hope for something low-tech that just works without stupid software problems that modern cars are often plagued with.


----------



## narad

Given To Fly said:


> Porsche is holding the Cayman exactly where Porsche designed the Cayman to be held. Germans like having all their "ducks in a row." They like order, rules, and obeying those rules. This is why you can drive 200 mph on the Autobahn, why buses are never late, and why they almost never design or build anything that sucks. To Porsche, a snug product portfolio is how a product portfolio should be.
> 
> If it sounds like I'm stereotyping Germans, I am, but I think most Germans would not be offended because they know they like order, rules, and obeying those rules. The result is a higher level of quality in everything they do. If they can not do something well, they usually do not pursue it. (The electric guitar is a good example of that.)



What a load, on both points. Companies have their product lines exactly where they design them to be because _creating a profit-generating product line is a thing that companies do. _Not because their employees wait for the green light to cross even when no one is around.


----------



## Given To Fly

narad said:


> What a load, on both points. Companies have their product lines exactly where they design them to be because _creating a profit-generating product line is a thing that companies do. _Not because their employees wait for the green light to cross even when no one is around.



I do not think anyone thought Porsche was a charity. 
If you know "employees wait for the green light to cross even when no one is around," that will offer valuable insight into how the company created "a profit-generating product line" in the first place. I feel like we are telling each other things we already know though. 

With that said, I like the idea I Play Music suggested: "a car that just works without stupid software problems that modern cars are often plagued with." I would not describe the car as "low-tech" because "tech" can mean the materials the car is made from to the computer on wheels known as a Tesla. Ideally, the fewer things that can break the better. I'm not holding my breath...


----------



## bulb

All I can say is Cayman GT4.
I'm on a list now. I'm very far down on that list. They will probably never call me.
But I tried


----------



## bulb

Oh Test drove a GT3 today, very fun car, definitely a bit rough for daily use with the bucket seats, it was the PDK version (they didn't have the manual) 
That engine definitely needs to rev to about 6k ish before you feel the real power, but then it's like VTEC kicked in yo.
Seriously though the way that engine sounds from 6-9k is something else.
Dunno if I'd part with the R8 for it, but now all I can think about is that engine being in the GT4.


----------



## dr_game0ver

Just get yourself an old air cooled 911 Turbo.


----------



## jaxadam

dr_game0ver said:


> Just get yourself an old air cooled 911 Turbo.



:highfive:


----------



## diagrammatiks

The gt4 is the better driving car. It's true.


----------



## DudeManBrother

GT3 would probably be a terrible daily, but for track use and occasional late night cruise, faggetaboutit


----------



## bulb

I dunno, the more I test drive other cars, the more I love my R8. Probably will test out a Performante soon to see if that's going to be a noticeable or positive difference when not near the limit of the car.
Maybe I'll stick with the R8 and upgrade the S3 to something. Gonna test out the E63S this week, we will see how that stacks up to the M5!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Keep us posted misha, always cool to hear your take on stuff. My bud doctaM3 has a performante (purplemante) and it’s insane!


----------



## diagrammatiks

Jalopnik just linked a story that they are going to turbo the gt3. Damn horsepower wars. If they turbo the gt3. That leaves the gt4 as the purist car unless the turbo that too.


----------



## DudeManBrother

Man talk about unnecessary. GT3 dominates in corners with perfect brakes, handling, and the ability to accelerate out of the apex. Slapping a turbo on could really alter that magic for a bit more speed on straight sections.


----------



## bulb

diagrammatiks said:


> Jalopnik just linked a story that they are going to turbo the gt3. Damn horsepower wars. If they turbo the gt3. That leaves the gt4 as the purist car unless the turbo that too.


I thought the whole point of gt2/gt3 was gt3 was na and gt2 was turbo?


----------



## bulb

TheShreddinHand said:


> Keep us posted misha, always cool to hear your take on stuff. My bud doctaM3 has a performante (purplemante) and it’s insane!


Ooh nice, have you ridden in it? What did he have before?

It would undoubtedly be faster in canyons/at the track if you are at the limit. However until I get some more instruction and find a good track and some twisties, I'm not really near the limit of the R8 ever. So now I have to wonder if it would be a smart move for real life, because the R8 is so easy to live with, and it's already too fast haha.


----------



## _MonSTeR_

bulb said:


> I thought the whole point of gt2/gt3 was gt3 was na and gt2 was turbo?



It is, but the current EU legislation makes it very hard for companies to make performance cars (or any cars really) that pass the various exhaust emissions tests and still get anywhere near the performance they are expected to have. If this upcoming GT3 isn't turbocharged, it'll likely be the last one that isn't.


----------



## diagrammatiks

blame the government!

 they took my naturally aspirated engines


----------



## wannabguitarist

bulb said:


> I thought the whole point of gt2/gt3 was gt3 was na and gt2 was turbo?





_MonSTeR_ said:


> It is, but the current EU legislation makes it very hard for companies to make performance cars (or any cars really) that pass the various exhaust emissions tests and still get anywhere near the performance they are expected to have. If this upcoming GT3 isn't turbocharged, it'll likely be the last one that isn't.



The GT3 was designed for the FIA GT3 class with the street cars fulfilling homologation requirements. The original GT2 (993) was used the the GT2 class in the mid 90's but hasn't had a motorsports version since. Porsche will probably have to move the current GT3 cars to turbochargers to stay competitive; if that happens the street car will also have to move to turbos. 

Emissions regulations probably do play a part in these changes, but staying competitive on the track is also a big driver.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

bulb said:


> Ooh nice, have you ridden in it? What did he have before?
> 
> It would undoubtedly be faster in canyons/at the track if you are at the limit. However until I get some more instruction and find a good track and some twisties, I'm not really near the limit of the R8 ever. So now I have to wonder if it would be a smart move for real life, because the R8 is so easy to live with, and it's already too fast haha.



I have not been lucky enough to ride in it but have talked to him a few times about it and my kids got to sit in it, haha! I agree with your assessment though, because it's going to be harsher for real life driving compared to the R8 and of course theirs the attention it will draw moreso than the R8 (to each his own on that piece though).

I think last I checked he has 3 lambos and a BMW i8. His green lambo I think is an Aventador but I could be mistaken....hard to keep up! Give him a follow on Instagram!


----------



## bulb

TheShreddinHand said:


> I have not been lucky enough to ride in it but have talked to him a few times about it and my kids got to sit in it, haha! I agree with your assessment though, because it's going to be harsher for real life driving compared to the R8 and of course theirs the attention it will draw moreso than the R8 (to each his own on that piece though).
> 
> I think last I checked he has 3 lambos and a BMW i8. His green lambo I think is an Aventador but I could be mistaken....hard to keep up! Give him a follow on Instagram!



Ah that makes sense. Worst part about the Ferrari was the attention honestly. People taking pics WHILE driving, just a lot of unsafe stuff to snag a pic. The R8 tends to attract a lot less attention which is nice, and the 911 was invisible!


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

i called my toyota sales guy ive bought 2 tacomas from to put down a deposit on the new supra. he said that they could not take a deposit at this time because they did not have enough info on pricing or details about the car itself. he did not see the supra listed on the 2019 roster so it would not be at the dealer anytime soon. he said it would prob be in the 2020 line-up. 

in their sales meeting there was concern there would not be enough supras built to supply the demand that they believe they are going to have. apparently they have had huge interest in the car and a lot of people have inquired on purchasing one. i was assured that i would be the first one called when they had any coming in and have first choice since ive been asking about it for over a year and a half lol.

im both excited and scared because we still don't know what it will look like, cause its still in camo...


----------



## sakeido

newbies to the track game shouldn't be in anything faster than a Miata

The new Supra's platform mate looks pretty good. The BMW Z4.. nice blend of Mercedes and Fiat styling with hardly any BMW in it. Not sure what the Supra is going to look like... the racing version is an eyesore and most new Toyotas/Lexuses are absolutely horrendous. Even camo'd up that rear end view does not look promising at all. WTF is up with that roofline


----------



## bulb

sakeido said:


> newbies to the track game shouldn't be in anything faster than a Miata



I couldn't disagree more, my only two track days have been in a 488 and an R8 and they were both incredible. Not only could I see what those cars are REALLY capable of, but they were so easy to work with that I could really focus on learning and fine tuning the line. You can start slow and keep it smooth and slowly build up speed in those cars just as you would in a slower car.

Obviously the Miata is great at the track, and I did ride along in an instructor's Fiat 500 Abarth which was an absolute blast, so you definitely don't NEED a crazy car at the track to have a great time, but to suggest you shouldn't be in anything faster as a newbie is demonstrably wrong.


----------



## bulb

And in semi related news, Tosin's been driving his buddy's Performante in the canyons and has me hyped. Gonna test drive one soon, maybe a fun next move, if I can figure out a way to make this damn Dallas car insurance not so godawfully expensive haha.


----------



## sakeido

bulb said:


> I couldn't disagree more, my only two track days have been in a 488 and an R8 and they were both incredible. Not only could I see what those cars are REALLY capable of, but they were so easy to work with that I could really focus on learning and fine tuning the line. You can start slow and keep it smooth and slowly build up speed in those cars just as you would in a slower car.
> 
> Obviously the Miata is great at the track, and I did ride along in an instructor's Fiat 500 Abarth which was an absolute blast, so you definitely don't NEED a crazy car at the track to have a great time, but to suggest you shouldn't be in anything faster as a newbie is demonstrably wrong.



to suggest that extremely fast stock cars are safe for track days is what is demonstrably wrong

https://jalopnik.com/driver-killed-at-road-atlanta-track-event-1722117428

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a8608/on-the-brink-danger-of-track-day-instruction/

http://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/18513/driver-dead-instructor-injured-after-track-day-crash

https://www.reviewjournal.com/local...ibuted-to-fatal-speedvegas-crash-experts-say/

https://acf.posthaven.com/is-high-performance-driving-safe

Randy Pobst, paraphrased, "new cars are scary. They hit race car speeds without race car protection"

Every racing series ever in the history of the sport you start in slow cars and you work your way up. No driving instructor ever has said it is better to start in a faster car. The most common introduction to HPDE are two much slower versions of racing (autocross and karts). But hey when you've got a lot more money than sense, have at er


----------



## I play music

sakeido said:


> to suggest that extremely fast stock cars are safe for track days is what is demonstrably wrong
> 
> https://jalopnik.com/driver-killed-at-road-atlanta-track-event-1722117428
> 
> https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a8608/on-the-brink-danger-of-track-day-instruction/
> 
> http://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/18513/driver-dead-instructor-injured-after-track-day-crash
> 
> https://www.reviewjournal.com/local...ibuted-to-fatal-speedvegas-crash-experts-say/
> 
> https://acf.posthaven.com/is-high-performance-driving-safe
> 
> Randy Pobst, paraphrased, "new cars are scary. They hit race car speeds without race car protection"
> 
> Every racing series ever in the history of the sport you start in slow cars and you work your way up. No driving instructor ever has said it is better to start in a faster car. The most common introduction to HPDE are two much slower versions of racing (autocross and karts). But hey when you've got a lot more money than sense, have at er


But but ... fast cars are better for compensating small penises! A Miata can't do _that._


----------



## dr_game0ver

Let's not go there on supercars owners...


----------



## bulb

I guess I'm screwed then haha. Can't wait to take the R8 to COTA!


----------



## bulb

I play music said:


> But but ... fast cars are better for compensating small penises! A Miata can't do _that._


Compensating FOR small penises.


----------



## wannabguitarist

bulb said:


> I guess I'm screwed then haha. Can't wait to take the R8 to COTA!



Have a Blast! Spend good money on a professional instructor and enjoy that engineering marvel. It's always good to see supercar owners actually using the vehicles like they're meant to be used. 

@sakeido has a great point though; it's substantially harder to learn how a car reacts at the absolute limit of grip and learn how to properly make corrections when you have a vehicle that 1) is traveling extremely fast and 2) has a ton of grip (mechanical and aero). You have less time to process what's going on around you and to react to it. Obviously learning this isn't impossible, but there's a reason why people who are really good at driving quickly without crashing tend to cut their teeth in low horsepower vehicles. A Miata (doesn't have to be a Miata  ) may be less fun on the straights, but it's an absolute blast when you're at the limit, sawing at the wheel while trying maintain exit speed or keeping the car straight while trail braking. You can learn all that at a slower pace and apply to something faster.

Anyways, just have fun with it


----------



## DudeManBrother

Shit I’ll take good breaks and 3 sets of tires and have a blast regardless of hp. Okay maybe an upgraded cooling system too. Nothing like impatiently waiting for a car to cool down once you’ve found your line.


----------



## I play music

bulb said:


> Compensating FOR small penises.


Ah yep that's what I meant to write. Thanks!


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

sakeido said:


> ...The new Supra's platform mate looks pretty good. The BMW Z4.. nice blend of Mercedes and Fiat styling with hardly any BMW in it. Not sure what the Supra is going to look like... the racing version is an eyesore and most new Toyotas/Lexuses are absolutely horrendous. Even camo'd up that rear end view does not look promising at all. WTF is up with that roofline



so apart from the camo, there are supposed to have metal & plastic "added" to the supra to help disguise it. im hopeful it will look great, but like i mentioned scared it will look horrible....time will tell. yeah that roof line looks weird to me too as well as the side glass. there has been huge debates about the mkv on the supra forums for sure. 

glad to see its gonna be an inline 6. hoping for a 6 speed, but it will prob be auto to begin with. looks like the starting price will be around $65k, if i don't like it, for that money i could always get another mkiv supra and have a nice street car. then i could go ahead and turn my current 95 hardtop into a drift car to replace my 88 turbo supra i just sold which was my drift project.


----------



## bulb

wannabguitarist said:


> Have a Blast! Spend good money on a professional instructor and enjoy that engineering marvel. It's always good to see supercar owners actually using the vehicles like they're meant to be used.
> 
> @sakeido has a great point though; it's substantially harder to learn how a car reacts at the absolute limit of grip and learn how to properly make corrections when you have a vehicle that 1) is traveling extremely fast and 2) has a ton of grip (mechanical and aero). You have less time to process what's going on around you and to react to it. Obviously learning this isn't impossible, but there's a reason why people who are really good at driving quickly without crashing tend to cut their teeth in low horsepower vehicles. A Miata (doesn't have to be a Miata  ) may be less fun on the straights, but it's an absolute blast when you're at the limit, sawing at the wheel while trying maintain exit speed or keeping the car straight while trail braking. You can learn all that at a slower pace and apply to something faster.
> 
> Anyways, just have fun with it



To be clear, I wasn’t saying a Miata or slower car isn’t ideal, when in fact it is a wonderful way to have fun at the track. Hell I wanted a Fiat 500 Abarth after riding with that instructor!

What I WAS saying is that there’s nothing wrong with doing it in a faster car, so long as you are there to learn and slowly build up speed, and you follow instruction you will be fine and you can learn a ton in a faster and better handling car. 

In fact, so many of these HPDE courses I have been looking into seem to feature faster cars!

No need for anyone to gatekeep, the way that kid is talking you would think it’s impossible to crash and/or die in a Miata, and every supercar owner will invariably crash their car at the track if they don’t start in the invulnerable Miata hahah.

At any rate I want to do some instruction HPDE courses ASAP! I heard the Porsche one in Birmingham, AL is incredible and COTA actually has one with my exact car which is too good to pass up.

TL;dr: As the late and great Martin Luther King said: Just have fun with it!


----------



## Lindmann

M3CHK1LLA said:


> hoping for a 6 speed


Why 6 speed?
For faster cars (especially the ones with a narrow rpm range like small engines with a big turbo) I prefer 5 speed. 
Otherwise you're constantly shifting gears because each one has a lower transmission ratio and the torquey engine rushes throuh the rev band in no time.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

Lindmann said:


> Why 6 speed?
> ...


----------



## _MonSTeR_

M3CHK1LLA said:


> so apart from the camo, there are supposed to have metal & plastic "added" to the supra to help disguise it. im hopeful it will look great, but like i mentioned scared it will look horrible....time will tell. yeah that roof line looks weird to me too as well as the side glass. there has been huge debates about the mkv on the supra forums for sure.
> 
> glad to see its gonna be an inline 6. hoping for a 6 speed, but it will prob be auto to begin with. looks like the starting price will be around $65k, if i don't like it, for that money i could always get another mkiv supra and have a nice street car. then i could go ahead and turn my current 95 hardtop into a drift car to replace my 88 turbo supra i just sold which was my drift project.



I think the drive train is going to be led by BMW, so yeah I agree, it'll probably be a fancy automatic, though I think most Supra fans would prefer a manual. Personally, I'm worried by the proportions from the current camoflaged versions, the wheelbase looks too short to me (from a purely visual point of view, i'm not an engineer) compared to the Mk4. Also, it doesn't look any bigger than a GT86, which I find intriguing. but yeah, I'm looking forward to test driving it, when it's finally ready!


----------



## sakeido

bulb said:


> No need for anyone to gatekeep, the way that kid is talking you would think it’s impossible to crash and/or die in a Miata, and every supercar owner will invariably crash their car at the track if they don’t start in the invulnerable Miata hahah.



Ego is such a funny look on paunchy rich kids. Make sure you keep all the electronics on, they were developed specifically for guys like you, by guys like this 

https://jalopnik.com/take-a-lap-around-the-nordschleife-in-a-mazda-mx-5-miat-1828732345



_MonSTeR_ said:


> I think the drive train is going to be led by BMW, so yeah I agree, it'll probably be a fancy automatic, though I think most Supra fans would prefer a manual. Personally, I'm worried by the proportions from the current camoflaged versions, the wheelbase looks too short to me (from a purely visual point of view, i'm not an engineer) compared to the Mk4. Also, it doesn't look any bigger than a GT86, which I find intriguing. but yeah, I'm looking forward to test driving it, when it's finally ready!



I've been going off the looks of the race car trying to gauge the street car 

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/toyota-supra-gazoo-racing-concept-geneva/

IMO it's a disaster and not timeless like the MkIV but ya never know. I don't know why they didn't build it up on the Lexus RC platform to get a bigger car out of it either. The BMW/Toyota partnership still has me going "wut?"


----------



## DudeManBrother

The mk iv Supra is still one of the best looking cars ever built. Sexy lines will always age well. The further away from that design they go, the more disappointed I’ll be. Here’s to hoping these current designers fully understand the legacy of the 2JZ and jaw dropping aggressive looks of the mk IV. 

If you look at an E30 and compare it to an F30/32, you might say that it’s a drastic design difference. When you look at E30 to E36, then E46, then E90/92, and finally to the F30/32 you can admire the subtle sculpting of an already sexy line. It hasn’t changed drastically from model to successor model, but the epitome for me is the E46. I like my F30 too, but it will never replace my E46. I hope for the sake of Supra enthusiasts everywhere, they take a page from BMW here too.


----------



## goobaba

bulb said:


> All I can say is Cayman GT4.
> I'm on a list now. I'm very far down on that list. They will probably never call me.
> But I tried





bulb said:


> all I can think about is that engine being in the GT4.



Ya done goofed Misha! That GT4 is gonna be meh!


----------



## bulb

goobaba said:


> Ya done goofed Misha! That GT4 is gonna be meh!


What makes you say that? Did you find an article with more info?


----------



## bulb

sakeido said:


> Ego is such a funny look on paunchy rich kids. Make sure you keep all the electronics on, they were developed specifically for guys like you, by guys like this
> 
> https://jalopnik.com/take-a-lap-around-the-nordschleife-in-a-mazda-mx-5-miat-1828732345



Relax dude, you are WAY too easy to rile up. Just take a breath, I promise it's gonna be okay. I actively DIG the Miata and think it's objectively wonderful as a track/race car. And yes I keep the electronics on my cars because although I want to be a good driver, I know that I'm not one currently. 

I think all that salt is stopping you from seeing that we are agreeing on quite a bit here hahah. Breathe.


----------



## goobaba

bulb said:


> What makes you say that? Did you find an article with more info?


You said it yourself, it's the engine!


----------



## diagrammatiks

The new z looks ok. I hope the Supra looks more like the old Supra. That car is iconic. The z just looks like what the next z car should have been anyway. 


It doesn’t matter what car you learn in as long as you are staying within the speed constraints set by the course and the instructor. 100mph is 100mph. Crashing is gonna fuck you up all the same. 

There’s no reason electronics should ever be off in any modern car unless you are ready to go pro.


----------



## bulb

diagrammatiks said:


> The new z looks ok. I hope the Supra looks more like the old Supra. That car is iconic. The z just looks like what the next z car should have been anyway.
> 
> 
> It doesn’t matter what car you learn in as long as you are staying within the speed constraints set by the course and the instructor. 100mph is 100mph. Crashing is gonna fuck you up all the same.
> 
> There’s no reason electronics should ever be off in any modern car unless you are ready to go pro.



Amazingly I agree with literally everything you said except I think the Z4 looks solid!


----------



## goobaba

I'm excited for the new Corvette. It will be interesting to see how the performance and price will change once it goes mid engine.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

bulb said:


> Ah that makes sense. Worst part about the Ferrari was the attention honestly. People taking pics WHILE driving, just a lot of unsafe stuff to snag a pic. The R8 tends to attract a lot less attention which is nice, and the 911 was invisible!



I find that surprising on the 911 especially with that blue finish. Was that one a turbo or turbo s?


----------



## bulb

TheShreddinHand said:


> I find that surprising on the 911 especially with that blue finish. Was that one a turbo or turbo s?



The blue made it stand out more, it was a Turbo S but just said Porsche on the back, and there are lots of Porsches in the DC area


----------



## TheShreddinHand

bulb said:


> The blue made it stand out more, it was a Turbo S but just said Porsche on the back, and there are lots of Porsches in the DC area



Nice! Well...one day for me...maybe when the kids are out of the house and through college. Or I could stop contributing to their 529s each month and pull my son out of daycare and get one now! Hahahaha! Totally kidding by the way!


----------



## DudeManBrother

goobaba said:


> I'm excited for the new Corvette. It will be interesting to see how the performance and price will change once it goes mid engine.


This thing has so much potential. It could be an instant legend. I just hope they don’t blow the aesthetics from the back with those boxy Camaro looking tail lights.


----------



## bulb

DudeManBrother said:


> This thing has so much potential. It could be an instant legend. I just hope they don’t blow the aesthetics from the back with those boxy Camaro looking tail lights.


Based off of the renders I have seen I bet it's going to look amazing. It will be interesting to see how it performs and what the price point is. There is a good chance this will be an even better bang for buck car than a used McLaren/R8/NSX, and if that's the case it's gonna be a great way to shake up the competition!


----------



## bulb

Hey guys, here's a copy of a write up on my thoughts from my limited time and test drive with the Lambo Huracan Performante I wrote for my fb car group. Warning this is long and somewhat unorganized:




Overall I was genuinely blown away by the Performante. I will say this, having owned the 488 and having test driven the 720S, in the 300k range this is unquestionably the car I would have.

Comparing it to my R8: In straight line speed it was only marginally faster, barely noticeable, and as far as handling at the limit, well I was on public roads, so I couldn't tell you even though we know from the numbers that it will do better.

However it was a much more exciting and visceral experience. The exhaust makes that engine sound absolutely unbelievable, and the handling and steering feel about as tight and responsive as it gets.

The thing is, it's an incredibly easy and confidence inspiring car to drive. Maybe it's because of the similarities to the R8, but in a way I just felt like I was in a hotrodded version of my car, so I felt right at home, and the R8 is already super easy to drive.

Cars like the 488 and 720S can feel like a handful, especially at lower speeds, when you have that much torque going to just the rear wheels on less than ideal surfaces or temperatures, the tail can get squirelly, and the ultra exotic nature of those cars makes them feel like a handful. I think as you get to the limit or get on a track those cars come into their own, but they are a bit nerve wracking to drive around town in my experience even though on paper they should be perfect. It's hard to explain, but it's a feeling you get.

I had expected this car to feel intimidating, but god this car feels easy to drive and confident, just like the R8 and 911 Turbo S feel. You feel like your grandma could drive this to the store, no drama at all. In that regard, the Huracan Performante is unique, because I'd consider the 488 and 720S its direct competition, and this would be the easiest to actually live with of the 3, the one that if I owned it, I would actually drive whenever.

So I obviously love the car. But will I get it? I'm on the fence, but I'm thinking about it.

The truth is, it's 160k ish more than my r8, and I don't know if I will currently see benefits from it. In a sense, unless I'm at the track, I'm basically paying that much for a better exhaust, slightly sharper handling and slightly faster acceleration, but the cost is double the insurance cost, more parking anxiety and with it riding lower, having to be even more careful with curbs and potholes.

If I lived in LA and near the canyons, I would do this without question, because the canyons would let me unlock the difference whenever I want, but the convenience, price and genuine daily nature of the R8 mean that in Dallas it might be the better bet.

I still need to find some good driving roads around here, and those may ultimately change my mind, or help me decide, as would finding a way to insure the car that wouldn't cost me as much as my insurance quoted me, or finding a really good deal on a used one with a spec I like.

The other way to frame this, is that instead of spending 160k on a performante for a marginal increase in fun but also parking anxiety and costs, I could spend 90-100k upgrading from my S3 to the new M5 or E63S (maybe even the wagon!) and I do have to wonder if that might not be the smarter move given where I live.

What do you guys think? What's the move to make? I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts!


----------



## DudeManBrother

I feel like a Performante is a car you only own when you have an M5 or 718 Cayman type car already as your high end daily. I’d probably wait for more details on the C8 as it could be really special. Can’t sleep on those portofino’s either... good problem to have though


----------



## diagrammatiks

man I think a lambo is a third or fourth car. 

if you buy that car it basically means your other car is your daily driver. Too much gawking. 

also 160k is a big step up from the r8. you comfortable driving that much money around? I'm not saying whether or not you can afford it. it's just walking around with that much money. 

anecdote time - my neighbor just bought his son or maybe himself a GTC4Lusso. Drive's it only once a month that I've seen. Does it 10 minute inspection with his cell phone flashlight over the entire car every time he parks it. I mean what's even the point.


----------



## bulb

diagrammatiks said:


> man I think a lambo is a third or fourth car.
> 
> if you buy that car it basically means your other car is your daily driver. Too much gawking.
> 
> also 160k is a big step up from the r8. you comfortable driving that much money around? I'm not saying whether or not you can afford it. it's just walking around with that much money.
> 
> anecdote time - my neighbor just bought his son or maybe himself a GTC4Lusso. Drive's it only once a month that I've seen. Does it 10 minute inspection with his cell phone flashlight over the entire car every time he parks it. I mean what's even the point.



Nah those are solid points, but my other car (S3) is already my daily driver, so that wouldn’t change. 

The point about driving and parking a car worth that much is real, because it’s about the same price as the 488 I had, and that gave me anxiety, but for a couple months my 488 was my only car haha.

Your neighbor with the lusso knows the struggle, I haven’t ever been that bad, but with these cars there is a sense of that, I wish I could turn that part off and just enjoy it. It might just be the cost of the r8, but I find it a lot easier to not worry about that car.

Maybe the M5/E63S is the way after all.


----------



## goobaba

bulb said:


> Maybe the M5/E63S is the way after all.



I think this is the way to go. On the other hand it is kind of silly to try to lay some practical considerations on the Performante vs R8 decision, that is something only your gut can tell you. If your gut says Performante you'll never be happy with the M5 decision.


----------



## bulb

goobaba said:


> I think this is the way to go. On the other hand it is kind of silly to try to lay some practical considerations on the Performante vs R8 decision, that is something only your gut can tell you. If your gut says Performante you'll never be happy with the M5 decision.



As it stands my gut says to stick with the R8 unless I find some roads that can really allow the performante to shine. As I said in the write up, if I lived near the canyons in LA, performante would be a no brainer!


----------



## goobaba

bulb said:


> As it stands my gut says to stick with the R8 unless I find some roads that can really allow the performante to shine. As I said in the write up, if I lived near the canyons in LA, performante would be a no brainer!



Well dude you need option c, move to cali AND buy the performante! Duh!


----------



## bulb

goobaba said:


> Well dude you need option c, move to cali AND buy the performante! Duh!



Maybe eventually, my issue is that I’m just not a fan of the LA area but I love the canyons.


----------



## sakeido

checked out a show this weekend, came back and saw this awesome Datsun pickup. LHD and everything. Haven't seen one of these... ever, I don't think, and it was rust free. Didn't get much time to talk to the guy about it unfortunately 







probably the coolest sleeper I've ever seen. 2003 Mercury Marauder. 4.6 liter Ford making 900whp despite a stock cam. Still has all the stock accessories. Was dead quiet when he fired it up. All the wiring isn't even for a stereo... that's just for fuel pumps, cooling fans, meth injection, and whatever else. Intake stuff was all custom. Super nice and friendly owner


----------



## Given To Fly

Speaking of Datsun, the most fun I have ever had driving a car was when I got to drive a Datsun 1600 convertible. This car was built in the 1960’s. I was in Durango, Colorado when I drove the car. (Everything was a “first” for me in terms of the lack of features the car had to offer.)

The car had a 4-speed manual and the only gauge that worked was the tachometer. Power steering and brakes were clearly absent which I learned real fast. The tires were original, as in 50 years old. Safety features had not been invented yet and it was the first convertible I had ever driven. (Top didn’t really work...at all.) I was probably driving quite slow but it felt like the complete opposite. The high RPM engine helped with that. Why was it fun? I was driving the car, the car was not driving me. The most interesting thing about it was, for some reason, the feeling of complete control over everything the car does is incredibly rewarding and is surprisingly effective.


----------



## shadscbr

I'll toss the Aerial Atom or similar into the ring. You have an R8 and an S3...if you need/want to pull more g's, light weight could be the way. You are not that far from VIR, test some out, that is a killer track, with so many elevation changes.


----------



## narad

I need a 10 second car for race wars, any advice?


----------



## DudeManBrother

narad said:


> I need a 10 second car for race wars, any advice?


You need a Motech System exhaust, and NOS, 2 of them, the big ones. And Harry, you’ll need them by tonight


----------



## MoonJelly

narad said:


> I need a 10 second car for race wars, any advice?


Budget?

I always thought it'd be cool to do an OM606 sleeper. Any little light car with a 3-400HP (tuned) diesel in it. Lots of time and money in that idea though.

Little known easter egg of the car world, the Saturn Sky will bolt-in a 2JZ with no modifications. You can have a _very_ fast Sky for ~15k if you're doing the work yourself.


----------



## narad

MoonJelly said:


> Budget?



"More than you can afford, Pal"

I'm sorry -- The Fast and the Furious popped up in my Netflix recommendations and I thought it was funny how poorly all that car dialogue had aged. I don't need a car for race wars.


----------



## MoonJelly

Ha. As much as I like cars, I've never liked those movies. I never finished the first one...

But seriously, while I'm on the subject of cool swaps.


----------



## p0ke

narad said:


> The Fast and the Furious popped up in my Netflix recommendations and I thought it was funny how poorly all that car dialogue had aged. I don't need a car for race wars.



Hah... I really liked those movies when they came out, but then again I was ... maybe 12? when the first one was released. And yeah, the dialogue sounds really silly now


----------



## narad

p0ke said:


> Hah... I really liked those movies when they came out, but then again I was ... maybe 12? when the first one was released. And yeah, the dialogue sounds really silly now



_"Edwin happens to know a few things and one of the things Edwin knows is, it's not how you stand by your car, it's how you race your car. You better learn that."_

Holy shit, someone actually wrote that into a screenplay. Then it went past multiple editors. Then the actor agreed to say that. And then they still managed to get a take where none of the other actors laughed or rolled their eyes!

But yea, I was a bit older, like 18, and was driving a 97 Mitsubishi Eclipse, that I had already installed blue underlights on from independently discovering about the import mod scene on some AOL-internet backpages a few months prior. Felt super cool ::sigh::


----------



## _MonSTeR_

For those interested, it seems first press drives in the new Supra are getting reviewed...

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-driven/toyota-supra-prototype-driven/38760


----------



## MFB

I've never understood the need for the camo/effect paint job they do for prototype cars, like, we can all tell the form factor from those photos so just let them do a solid on it and be done


----------



## bulb

MFB said:


> I've never understood the need for the camo/effect paint job they do for prototype cars, like, we can all tell the form factor from those photos so just let them do a solid on it and be done


I think it just makes it difficult to make out exact details on the car.


----------



## bulb

managed to get the cars side by side finally!


----------



## DudeManBrother

I’m disappointed with your lack of floor epoxy and Snap-On calendars


----------



## bulb

DudeManBrother said:


> I’m disappointed with your lack of floor epoxy and Snap-On calendars



Eh i'm only renting so the garage will stay as is, if and when I buy another place with a garage, I'll definitely make it sweet. And air conditioned.


----------



## DudeManBrother

Hell yeah. AC in Texas is mando for every room


----------



## I play music

DudeManBrother said:


> Hell yeah. AC in Texas is mando for every room


but for the garage?!


----------



## DudeManBrother

I play music said:


> but for the garage?!


If you spend time in there heck yes you’ll at least want a register with a manual damper so you can pump AC in there while you’re working. You don’t need to keep it on all the time.


----------



## bulb

DudeManBrother said:


> If you spend time in there heck yes you’ll at least want a register with a manual damper so you can pump AC in there while you’re working. You don’t need to keep it on all the time.



If I owned this place I’d definitely want to hook the garage up and make it as nice a room as possible!


----------



## I play music

bulb said:


> If I owned this place I’d definitely want to hook the garage up and make it as nice a room as possible!





DudeManBrother said:


> If you spend time in there heck yes you’ll at least want a register with a manual damper so you can pump AC in there while you’re working. You don’t need to keep it on all the time.


Ok I can understand this if you use the garage for something like band practice, build some stuff etc. But from what I see Misha only uses it to park his cars


----------



## bulb

I play music said:


> Ok I can understand this if you use the garage for something like band practice, build some stuff etc. But from what I see Misha only uses it to park his cars



Oh in that case I guess I shouldn’t.


----------



## jaxadam

bulb said:


> If I owned this place I’d definitely want to hook the garage up and make it as nice a room as possible!



Don't epoxy chip coat them, swirl them!


----------



## _MonSTeR_

Swirling anything improves its tone tenfold. Imagine the natural reverb from that swirled garage floor!


----------



## bulb

jaxadam said:


> Don't epoxy chip coat them, swirl them!


Damn that’s sick, it’s the used prestige car of floors


----------



## sakeido

epoxy coated floors are the tits

the RX7 weeps a bit of oil cuz the oil cooler lines are going bad. been putting it off cuz I gotta pull so much shit out to do them, I'm going to do a bunch of other stuff at the same time in the spring. So I get a decent coating of oil going but you can just hose the floor off and squeegee it, no oil stains on the floor. shit's amazing

but holy fuck does it ever get slippery. cleaning the oil off makes it look clean but that just makes that one spot of zero friction deadly invisible. you are probably supposed to soak up the oil with cat litter first then clean with detergent...


----------



## _MonSTeR_

sakeido said:


> but holy fuck does it ever get slippery. cleaning the oil off makes it look clean but that just makes that one spot of zero friction deadly invisible. you are probably supposed to *soak up the oil with cat litter first* then clean with detergent...



New Cat Day thread coming soon?


----------



## MaxOfMetal

sakeido said:


> epoxy coated floors are the tits
> 
> the RX7 weeps a bit of oil cuz the oil cooler lines are going bad. been putting it off cuz I gotta pull so much shit out to do them, I'm going to do a bunch of other stuff at the same time in the spring. So I get a decent coating of oil going but you can just hose the floor off and squeegee it, no oil stains on the floor. shit's amazing
> 
> but holy fuck does it ever get slippery. cleaning the oil off makes it look clean but that just makes that one spot of zero friction deadly invisible. you are probably supposed to soak up the oil with cat litter first then clean with detergent...



Get a couple bags of a product called "Stardust" its a super fine, inert powder. Much, much easier to clean up oil and various chemical spills than cat litter. You don't have to clean much, if at all, afterwards either. You only need an ounce or two of the stuff to clean a gallon of oil.


----------



## cip 123

Figured I'd ask here since we're all musicians and have probably loaded up our cars with gear before, haven't been in this thread before so Hi!

Anyone got any recommendations for cars that hold a lot for us musicians? Looking at getting a new car (used) that I can fit most of my bands stuff in, need to get two keyboards, two guitars at least, small amp rack case (Just a kemper) maybe some drum stuff. And it's still be nice to fit most of my band in. 

Not eligible to drive a van (Yet anyway, UK laws) so thats out of the question, looking at estates seeing a lot of Jag X-types, and BMW 3 series around me just now, just wanna know if there are any hidden gems out there I should be looking for, or looking for something entirely different. 

£1500/$2000


----------



## jaxadam

cip 123 said:


> Figured I'd ask here since we're all musicians and have probably loaded up our cars with gear before, haven't been in this thread before so Hi!
> 
> Anyone got any recommendations for cars that hold a lot for us musicians? Looking at getting a new car (used) that I can fit most of my bands stuff in, need to get two keyboards, two guitars at least, small amp rack case (Just a kemper) maybe some drum stuff. And it's still be nice to fit most of my band in.
> 
> Not eligible to drive a van (Yet anyway, UK laws) so thats out of the question, looking at estates seeing a lot of Jag X-types, and BMW 3 series around me just now, just wanna know if there are any hidden gems out there I should be looking for, or looking for something entirely different.
> 
> £1500/$2000



Definitely a lifted Tundra Crewmax. Great gas mileage, too.


----------



## diagrammatiks

jaxadam said:


> Definitely a lifted Tundra Crewmax. Great gas mileage, too.



That car is like half the size of Scotland.


----------



## MFB

diagrammatiks said:


> That car is like half the size of Scotland.



It's the size we need to haul all our freedom around, _sir_


----------



## cip 123

jaxadam said:


> Definitely a lifted Tundra Crewmax. Great gas mileage, too.



Fairly certain I can fit my current car in the back of that...


----------



## sakeido

my Tacoma swallows an entire band's worth of gear including two 4x12s, bass cab and a 5 piece drum kit, and it's only an extended cab. You gotta load it really carefully to get all that stuff in there but it does work. Dunno if that helps you in Scotland though, and you definitely aren't getting a 3rd gen Tacoma for <$2K hahah.

but an old little truck is going to haul more and be easier to work on and maintain than any BMW. Jaguar X Types should be avoided at all costs.


----------



## cip 123

sakeido said:


> my Tacoma swallows an entire band's worth of gear including two 4x12s, bass cab and a 5 piece drum kit, and it's only an extended cab. You gotta load it really carefully to get all that stuff in there but it does work. Dunno if that helps you in Scotland though, and you definitely aren't getting a 3rd gen Tacoma for <$2K hahah.
> 
> but an old little truck is going to haul more and be easier to work on and maintain than any BMW. Jaguar X Types should be avoided at all costs.



Trucks are a little expensive, we get emissions tax and so on, dunno about you in the US for that. No X types?


----------



## I play music

cip 123 said:


> Not eligible to drive a van (Yet anyway, UK laws) so thats out of the question, looking at estates seeing a lot of Jag X-types, and BMW 3 series around me just now, just wanna know if there are any hidden gems out there I should be looking for, or looking for something entirely different.


Why are you not eligible to drive a van but can drive a normal car? 
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-a-van
"You can drive a van up to 3,500kg if you have a standard car driving licence."


----------



## cip 123

I play music said:


> Why are you not eligible to drive a van but can drive a normal car?
> https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-a-van
> "You can drive a van up to 3,500kg if you have a standard car driving licence."



Need to check that out, back of my driving licence only shows 2 categories I'm allowed to drive and I've always just assumed it's Cars and Mopeds 

But I also don't really want a Van either so...


----------



## I play music

cip 123 said:


> Need to check that out, back of my driving licence only shows 2 categories I'm allowed to drive and I've always just assumed it's Cars and Mopeds
> 
> But I also don't really want a Van either so...


To me a van is a car. Don't see why it should be any different ...

Anyways, sounds like what you want is what we call "Kombi" and is quite common in Germany. Skoda Octavia Kombi from around 2000 to 2005 is one example out of many that should be in your price range. 
However, with your budget it could be a bit difficult to find a reliable car.


----------



## cip 123

I play music said:


> To me a van is a car. Don't see why it should be any different ...
> 
> Anyways, sounds like what you want is what we call "Kombi" and is quite common in Germany. Skoda Octavia Kombi from around 2000 to 2005 is one example out of many that should be in your price range.
> However, with your budget it could be a bit difficult to find a reliable car.



Yea I can see how it's a little odd for sizes however I do know the laws have changed on licences for example I know older people who have all categories on the back of their licence filled in just because it was before laws changed, same driving test. So I'd rather just play it safe. And yes I believe Kombi is what we call an "estate"

The price range is actually fairly okay for decent cars on eBay/Gumtree. I have seen a few Skoda's on there for pretty modest prices, and was thinking about them too. Along with Saabs.


----------



## MoonJelly

If you live in the UK you should absolutely drive this. It pisses me off that the US doesn't love wagons
https://www.mazda.co.uk/cars/new-mazda6-tourer/

Correction, the only wagon the US loves is the Subaru outback and it's hideous


----------



## MFB

Wagons?

Oh you mean hatch's lanky ass looking cousin? Yeah, no thanks.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

MoonJelly said:


> If you live in the UK you should absolutely drive this. It pisses me off that the US doesn't love wagons
> https://www.mazda.co.uk/cars/new-mazda6-tourer/
> 
> Correction, the only wagon the US loves is the Subaru outback and it's hideous



This!

Wagons are great. For years I used a panel van to haul stuff (when a pickup wasn't a viable option), but when my wife got an Outback it was a gamechanger. With the seats down I can easily fit a couple of half stacks, a few guitar cases and some miscellaneous stuff. 

You get the "comfortable" cargo room of a much larger vehicle, like an SUV, but still get the feel of driving a sedan. 

If you go Japanese, the upkeep will be much cheaper than all but the best vans.


----------



## cip 123

MoonJelly said:


> If you live in the UK you should absolutely drive this. It pisses me off that the US doesn't love wagons
> https://www.mazda.co.uk/cars/new-mazda6-tourer/
> 
> Correction, the only wagon the US loves is the Subaru outback and it's hideous




Actually looking at a few Mazda's now online thanks!

We have a few Subaru's here however I believe people like to modify them till they break or something similar because everyone that comes up has "Engine broken" or "No engine"...


----------



## MoonJelly

Oh yeah, the Outback is rated less reliable than all other cars in Subaru's lineup, and the main reason is people like to mess with them.

I have a Subaru Legacy as my commuter vehicle and it's rock-solid. If I had the option to go with a Mazda wagon instead, I would've done it in a heartbeat.


----------



## Given To Fly

I always thought the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon was evidence GM has a sense of humor.


----------



## p0ke

I just got notified that my Focus is ready to be picked up - it was time for its' annual road worthiness inspection and the exhaust had become really noisy and the rear springs were worn out. So I took it to a garage owned by my wife's friend. Turns out the exhaust was missing some parts (previous owner had replaced the front muffler with a piece of pipe) and both the rear springs had snapped  The whole thing'll set me back 450€, which is not bad IMO considering that the whole exhaust and springs were swapped. Will be picking it up after work today


----------



## MoonJelly

Given To Fly said:


> I always thought the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon was evidence GM has a sense of humor.



I thought Cadillac lost all its sense in the 80's 

Seriously, though. They've got the CTS-V and a couple of cool (looking) concept cars to their credit since then...


----------



## illimmigrant

Damn Misha, that’s pretty sick. I didn't know you were a fan of Audi's. I got an A4 recently and I’m really liking it so far. I just hope it lasts as long as my Accord did. Longevity is really my only concern.














bulb said:


> managed to get the cars side by side finally!





bulb said:


> managed to get the cars side by side finally!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Nice A4! I was choosing between a 17 A4 vs 15 S4 and ultimately went with the S last year but loved the A that I drove.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Nice A4! I was choosing between a 17 A4 vs 15 S4 and ultimately went with the S last year but loved the A that I drove.


----------



## illimmigrant

TheShreddinHand said:


> Nice A4! I was choosing between a 17 A4 vs 15 S4 and ultimately went with the S last year but loved the A that I drove.


Thanks!
I bet the S drives super nicely. I didn’t even want to test drive it because I knew I’d be spending the extra money! Haha. I got the A4 as a certified pre owned, so I saved a bunch there too. Only had 4K miles.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

illimmigrant said:


> Thanks!
> I bet the S drives super nicely. I didn’t even want to test drive it because I knew I’d be spending the extra money! Haha. I got the A4 as a certified pre owned, so I saved a bunch there too. Only had 4K miles.



Yup, I was looking CPO too. Best way to go. I got a pleasant surprise when I called for an oil change and found out the previous owner prepaid maintenance on mine till 45k. So I have three free maintenance visits!


----------



## dr_game0ver

TheShreddinHand said:


> So I have three free maintenance visits!


On a Audi that's like a 1600$ saving.


----------



## illimmigrant

TheShreddinHand said:


> Yup, I was looking CPO too. Best way to go. I got a pleasant surprise when I called for an oil change and found out the previous owner prepaid maintenance on mine till 45k. So I have three free maintenance visits!


Winning!


----------



## p0ke

Ah, looks like I didn't follow up on my annual car inspection thing from before. My Focus didn't pass the inspection because the front axle carrier / beam was rusty and had too many holes in it, and that's a part you aren't allowed to weld ... So the guys at the garage I have it repaired at searched for replacements from wreckers all over the place but just couldn't find any  So I ended up ordering a brand new one from Germany  And it arrived yesterday, so today the car's going in again to have that replaced. Then there was some minor welding that needed to be done and the brakes need a little adjusting (left side is a fair bit weaker than the right but both still lock up just fine when braking really hard), and then it should pass the fucking inspection...

The car still looks pretty nice considering it's almost 20 years old:


----------



## sakeido

did anybody on here know that Jeff Kiesel was a national SCCA autocross champion?

not only that, he did in this car





the craziest fucking coincidence I have ever seen

his current car. still rotary powered. he is one of the only guys running a small turbo on these things, I wanted to ask him questions and got to googling and just, wow. what are the odds


----------



## bulb

Yup, Jeff and I spoke at length about cars, that's his real background and passion, I think he sort of fell into the guitar thing.

So guys I had the R8 in the shop recently and they gave me a Q7, and I have to say I was pretty blown away by that car. I don't generally like SUV's or big cars in general, but man having a car that rides like that, where you don't have to dodge or sweat potholes (like the ones you tend to find in Dallas) was actually really nice. And despite it being big, it was peppy and felt nimble, didn't have crazy body roll or feel like I was driving a boat. Also the latest Audi tech (and luxury brand tech in general right now) is kinda awesome.

It got me thinking, maybe I should go more practical with my daily, and then that would justify going more extreme with the fun car. Maybe this will be my excuse to go Performante next year hehe!

The Q7 is too big for me, so I test drove the Q5 and SQ5, and really liked those, but it looks like the new X3 M40i is getting really good, and arguably better reviews, so I'll try that out. I think having the space and practicality as well as the comfortable ride of a nice SUV would be sweet, but ideally it would still be a nice car to drive, maybe even a little fun.

So on my list right now I have the SQ5 and X3 M40i, is there anything else I should look at in the fun and practical and kinda quick SUV market? I'm excluding the Porsche Macan and Mercedes GLC because both of those are a generation behind tech wise, and are going to be refreshed soon, and given the nature of these cars I'd likely get something lightly preowned, so it would be a while before I could snag either.

Any ideas or suggestions?


----------



## shadscbr

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio would be worth a test drive


----------



## bulb

shadscbr said:


> Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio would be worth a test drive



It’s definitely interesting, I just don’t entirely want to own another Italian car anytime soon unless it’s secretly made by Germans haha.

I have heard the newer Alfa’s have had reliability issues, also the Stelvio is a generation behind on tech compared to Audi and BMW.

Maybe I’ll see if I can test one out.


----------



## Given To Fly

bulb said:


> It’s definitely interesting, I just don’t entirely want to own another Italian car anytime soon unless it’s secretly made by Germans haha.
> 
> I have heard the newer Alfa’s have had reliability issues, also the Stelvio is a generation behind on tech compared to Audi and BMW.
> 
> Maybe I’ll see if I can test one out.



https://www.lamborghini.com/en-en/models/urus


----------



## bulb

Given To Fly said:


> https://www.lamborghini.com/en-en/models/urus



That’s the goal eventually, if I’m lucky enough to have a couple good years where the businesses grow well, but as it stands I can’t afford an Urus AND a Performante, my practical car will need to be a lot more reasonable haha!


----------



## Given To Fly

bulb said:


> That’s the goal eventually, if I’m lucky enough to have a couple good years where the businesses grow well, but as it stands I can’t afford an Urus AND a Performante, my practical car will need to be a lot more reasonable haha!



I see. Get the Performante. There is something to be said for owning your "dream car" when you still have a dream car. Most people do not get the opportunity to own their dream car so when someone does get the opportunity, I say live life! At worst, you may have to sell a few more pairs of Select Difficulty Woven Socks.  Post pics.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

bulb said:


> Yup, Jeff and I spoke at length about cars, that's his real background and passion, I think he sort of fell into the guitar thing.
> 
> So guys I had the R8 in the shop recently and they gave me a Q7, and I have to say I was pretty blown away by that car. I don't generally like SUV's or big cars in general, but man having a car that rides like that, where you don't have to dodge or sweat potholes (like the ones you tend to find in Dallas) was actually really nice. And despite it being big, it was peppy and felt nimble, didn't have crazy body roll or feel like I was driving a boat. Also the latest Audi tech (and luxury brand tech in general right now) is kinda awesome.
> 
> It got me thinking, maybe I should go more practical with my daily, and then that would justify going more extreme with the fun car. Maybe this will be my excuse to go Performante next year hehe!
> 
> The Q7 is too big for me, so I test drove the Q5 and SQ5, and really liked those, but it looks like the new X3 M40i is getting really good, and arguably better reviews, so I'll try that out. I think having the space and practicality as well as the comfortable ride of a nice SUV would be sweet, but ideally it would still be a nice car to drive, maybe even a little fun.
> 
> So on my list right now I have the SQ5 and X3 M40i, is there anything else I should look at in the fun and practical and kinda quick SUV market? I'm excluding the Porsche Macan and Mercedes GLC because both of those are a generation behind tech wise, and are going to be refreshed soon, and given the nature of these cars I'd likely get something lightly preowned, so it would be a while before I could snag either.
> 
> Any ideas or suggestions?



Appreciate the mini review on the Q7. It's on the radar in a few years for the wife.


----------



## bulb

Given To Fly said:


> I see. Get the Performante. There is something to be said for owning your "dream car" when you still have a dream car. Most people do not get the opportunity to own their dream car so when someone does get the opportunity, I say live life! At worst, you may have to sell a few more pairs of Select Difficulty Woven Socks.  Post pics.



Yeah, I hear ya, and hopefully it will be a better dream car to live with than the 488 was, though I really do feel that it will be! Obviously will post pics if and when I get one, the main trouble now is finding a used spec that I like at a price that I want. I really would rather find one with a few more miles on it and sub 300k so that I don’t have to be the one to give it that initial hit. Ideally it would have a full clear bra too so I could save 7-10k on that too hahah.

There’s actually a black one with gold wheels in Cali right now which pretty much matches all of that...hmmm


----------



## bulb

TheShreddinHand said:


> Appreciate the mini review on the Q7. It's on the radar in a few years for the wife.



Oh yeah dude, I would definitely recommend that car. If I had kids or needed more space, it wouldn’t be a debate and I’d be picking up a used 2017 as we speak. Genuinely fantastic car!


----------



## shadscbr

It's in a totally different segment, but from a horsepower to interior volume ratio, the Texas-worthy Trackhawk has to be a blast with all that HP


----------



## bulb

shadscbr said:


> It's in a totally different segment, but from a horsepower to interior volume ratio, the Texas-worthy Trackhawk has to be a blast with all that HP



I actually test drove the trackhawk. It’s a super fun car in straight line. Hilariously fast, like I was laughing at the absurdity, and you can really hear the supercharger whine as well as that loud exhaust.

But it’s not nimble, it feels as big and heavy as it is, perhaps that all too american sense of if she’s big and heavy, just throw a bigger engine in there, so I didn’t actually find it that fun to drive and maneuver beyond its main party trick.

The interior, though solid and decently featured, still just doesn’t feel that special to me, and for that kind of money I’d like something that feels special. If I was after something of that size, I’d sacrifice the acceleration for practicality, and probably just get a Q7 or a q8 if I wanted to spend trackhawk money.


----------



## bulb

Anyone here into Autocross? Thinking about checking out the DFW Autocross scene!


----------



## Furtive Glance

After browsing _AutoTrader_ for way too long last night I am of the opinion that listing a car as an MT that is actually a DCT or an AT is the equivalent of calling an LTD an ESP. *Worst*.


----------



## Given To Fly

bulb said:


> Anyone here into Autocross? Thinking about checking out the DFW Autocross scene!



I participated in several events. Here was my takeaway:
- I learned a lot about driving and what a car can and cannot do.
- If I ran 4 laps at an event, that means I drove for a total of 5 minutes, which means the event was about 6 hours long. 

It is because of the second takeaway that I am not into autocross. It has the potential to be fun but the way it is structured makes it hard. More people = longer event/same number of laps. 

If you know someone who does autocross, go with them. The potential for fun will be much higher.


----------



## MoonJelly

Furtive Glance said:


> After browsing _AutoTrader_ for way too long last night I am of the opinion that listing a car as an MT that is actually a DCT or an AT is the equivalent of calling an LTD an ESP. *Worst*.


That's because too many manufacturers have done away with the MT altogether. It's become a generational thing. Folks who can drive stick are outliers these days, and nothing else in society makes me feel more like an old man yelling at the neighbor's dog to get outta my yard.

When my son is of age, I will be teaching him to drive stick on a swampy MT, VW beetle. Then I'll be confident he can easily drive anything else.


----------



## I play music

MoonJelly said:


> Folks who can drive stick are outliers these days


...in the USA. In other countries you have to drive manual transmission in the exam to get your driving license so anyone with a car driving license can drive stick.


----------



## MoonJelly

I play music said:


> ...in the USA. In other countries you have to drive manual transmission in the exam to get your driving license so anyone with a car driving license can drive stick.



True. I would totally move to Europe if my means allowed it.


----------



## goobaba

I looked into Autocross when I first got my Camaro. It seems like all that you really need to participate is a helmet. Compared to track days on a race course, its basically free. I need to get a helmet one of these days...


----------



## wannabguitarist

Given To Fly said:


> If I ran 4 laps at an event, that means I drove for a total of 5 minutes, which means the event was about 6 hours long.



Yeah fuck autocross  It's a lot of fun when you're actually driving, you can learn things that are much harder to learn on track (a car that's setup to be fast at one may not be fast at the other), and it's substantially cheaper than track time, but there's so little actual seat time.


----------



## bulb

Took the r8 to Motorsports Ranch in Cresson on the 3.1 layout. Man what an awesome track! Very technical and very fun, and the R8 was an absolute pleasure there! 

If I go there more I might have to look into a spec Miata that I’ll just keep there, the track is all corners so some of the fastest times are done in light momentum cars!


----------



## Given To Fly

bulb said:


> Took the r8 to Motorsports Ranch in Cresson on the 3.1 layout. Man what an awesome track! Very technical and very fun, and the R8 was an absolute pleasure there!
> 
> If I go there more I might have to look into a spec Miata that I’ll just keep there, the track is all corners so some of the fastest times are done in light momentum cars!



If this had been autocross you would have said, "Man, what a track. Very technical. The R8 was there." 
I have never been to a track but I've been told it is addictive. I'm glad you had fun!


----------



## bulb

.


----------



## bulb

wow. Triple post from mobile. Whoops!


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

bulb said:


> Took the r8 to Motorsports Ranch in Cresson on the 3.1 layout. Man what an awesome track! Very technical and very fun, and the R8 was an absolute pleasure there!
> 
> If I go there more I might have to look into a spec Miata that I’ll just keep there, the track is all corners so some of the fastest times are done in light momentum cars!




dude, you were just a few minutes away from me...

that shop, MER, that build the spec miatas are the ones who put a jdm b13 into my tt 93 rx7.


----------



## cult

I'm on the lookout for a new ride, and a nice BMW F21 crossed my path.
It's not a monster considering horse-power or anything, but it's nice to be able to get a rear-wheel drive hatchback with a longitudinally mounted engine. Also it has the Harman Kardon HiFi Package.

Can't wait for tomorrow!


----------



## xzacx

cult said:


> I'm on the lookout for a new ride, and a nice BMW F21 crossed my path.
> It's not a monster considering horse-power or anything, but it's nice to be able to get a rear-wheel drive hatchback with a longitudinally mounted engine. Also it has the Harman Kardon HiFi Package.
> 
> Can't wait for tomorrow!



I love these as far as form factor, but they aren't available here in the U.S. I'd probably have one if they did, although I am happy with the GLA I do have, which is somewhat similar—just a little higher and technically a small SUV. I'm into small hatchbacks living in a city though. My girl just got a Range Rover and it's a beautiful car, without a doubt. I love being in it. But the five-point-turn to just get in her spot in our parking garage would get old real fast for me.


----------



## cult

xzacx said:


> I love being in it. But the five-point-turn to just get in her spot in our parking garage would get old real fast for me.



Same here!
My wife works in the city and we got her a Smart, they are amazing for what they are:





Two seats, small enough to park it perpendicular to the lane (!) and 84 horsepower in this package. They are really light, I guess somewhere around 900 kg, so it's quite nice while accelerating.
The one we bought for my wife is actually a convertible


----------



## goobaba

Guys, I'm in the market for a new car. Currently I have a 2016 Camaro RS, which I love but I have a young son and the coupe plus car seat is getting really old. What are some suggestions for a 4 door fun car priced at around $30k? I would love a Chevy SS, but those are closer to $40k in excellent condition.


----------



## guitaardvark

goobaba said:


> Guys, I'm in the market for a new car. Currently I have a 2016 Camaro RS, which I love but I have a young son and the coupe plus car seat is getting really old. What are some suggestions for a 4 door fun car priced at around $30k? I would love a Chevy SS, but those are closer to $40k in excellent condition.



Used Focus RS?


----------



## diagrammatiks

cult said:


> Same here!
> My wife works in the city and we got her a Smart, they are amazing for what they are:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Two seats, small enough to park it perpendicular to the lane (!) and 84 horsepower in this package. They are really light, I guess somewhere around 900 kg, so it's quite nice while accelerating.
> The one we bought for my wife is actually a convertible




I want the brabus smart so bad. I’m just going to assume that 105 hp in that form factor would be a thrilling death trap


----------



## cult

diagrammatiks said:


> I’m just going to assume that 105 hp in that form factor would be a thrilling death trap


Well, it's pretty fine actually  The worst is wind and that it's pretty much non-aerodynamic.
Apart from that, the 84hp version will just go ~140 km/h since it's electronically blocked, the Brabus will go 155 km/h which is... pretty underwhelming and annoying as far as noise goes.
We live in Germany. Close to one of the largest Autobahn without any speed-limit. Going ~200 km/h is usually not even a problem if you really want to...
So yeah, it is a death trap but rather because of other drivers who underestimate your velocity.


----------



## shadscbr

goobaba said:


> Guys, I'm in the market for a new car. Currently I have a 2016 Camaro RS, which I love but I have a young son and the coupe plus car seat is getting really old. What are some suggestions for a 4 door fun car priced at around $30k? I would love a Chevy SS, but those are closer to $40k in excellent condition.



I know these might seem like odd suggestions when compared to the Camaro & SS. I've been helping a friend shop for family/ fun cars the past few weeks, and we've spent a lot of time test driving (and sitting in sales cube farms). If you are looking at new, I felt like the standouts were the Subaru WRX, Honda Accord 2.0T , and Mazda 6 turbo. But for around $30K, the slightly used Volvo S90 turbo & supercharged we drove totally stole the show. It really felt more special, both inside and out, than anything else we saw in that price range. I even liked it more than the used A7 we drove (an S7 has not been tested, yet). Safety, comfort- best seats ever, and 2 kinds of forced induction turns out to be a great family car recipe ....best of luck!


----------



## bulb

Might be Performante time soon, just trying to figure out if the market on them will drop more in the next few months, if it will settle and figure out if that's offset by the fact that I'm getting a solid offer on the R8 right now and currently financing rates are attractive enough to where remaining liquid on the purchase would net me more if I just invested the money.

Found one locally that's a perfect spec, but it's Yellow, which isn't my favorite color, but actually looked better than I thought it would in person. The dealership it's at is also awesome, and very highly regarded here, so doing business with them would be a perk. 

Wondering if I should bite the bullet, see if the color grows on me and worst case wrap it a color I like, or if I should wait and hope the market drops in the next few months and hope I find a spec that is perfect AND the perfect color.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

^ how many were made in that color?

a lot of times a rarer color commands a higher price \ value later down the road.

when i looked at r8s a couple years ago, they held their value fairly well. held off because a new supra was coming out...


----------



## diagrammatiks

M3CHK1LLA said:


> ^ how many were made in that color?
> 
> a lot of times a rarer color commands a higher price \ value later down the road.
> 
> when i looked at r8s a couple years ago, they held their value fairly well. held off because a new supra was coming out...




Dat z4 reskin. 

Unless there’s a higher pformance version that’s not yet announced the 3.0 Supra is not even a contender.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

diagrammatiks said:


> Dat z4 reskin.
> 
> Unless there’s a higher pformance version that’s not yet announced the 3.0 Supra is not even a contender.



dude...don't even get me started! waited all these years after teasing us with the ft-1 concept only to get a bmw uhg!

there are so many guys on the supra forums upset about how it turned out yesterday. prob 90% hate it. the lack of power, no manual trans and being a bimmer are the main complaints.

i have (or lets say had) a reserve for one at my local dealer. i will test drive it, but prob wont buy one. ive owned 7 toyotas (bought 2 from this dealer) and currently have a 95 hardtop supra and an 05 xrunner and just picked up a 2019 tacoma trd sport. ive owned 1 bmw, oddly enough an 05 z4 for about a 2 years. it had issues all the time....it cost a minimum of $500 to fix minor stuff....that's why I got rid of it...traded it in, for guess what? a toyota tacoma lol


----------



## diagrammatiks

M3CHK1LLA said:


> dude...don't even get me started! waited all these years after teasing us with the ft-1 concept only to get a bmw uhg!
> 
> there are so many guys on the supra forums upset about how it turned out yesterday. prob 90% hate it. the lack of power, no manual trans and being a bimmer are the main complaints.
> 
> i have (or lets say had) a reserve for one at my local dealer. i will test drive it, but prob wont buy one. ive owned 7 toyotas (bought 2 from this dealer) and currently have a 95 hardtop supra and an 05 xrunner and just picked up a 2019 tacoma trd sport. ive owned 1 bmw, oddly enough an 05 z4 for about a 2 years. it had issues all the time....it cost a minimum of $500 to fix minor stuff....that's why I got rid of it...traded it in, for guess what? a toyota tacoma lol




Spot which parts are Toyota in this picture.


----------



## MFB

I made the mistake of looking at the 2019 Ranger and it's reviews, and honestly, it looks really nice and if they're still making them when my Focus kicks the bucket then it'll probably be the next vehicle I own. My dad had a red Ranger when I was a kid, so they do hold a nostalgic value to them, but I've had increased GAS for a Jeep/truck in the past few years as well, so it might be that time.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

diagrammatiks said:


> Spot which parts are Toyota in this picture.
> 
> the logo on the steering wheel...thats it!


----------



## sakeido

New Supra is a disaster imo. People have been bitching about how underpowered the GT86 is this whole time... they've almost doubled the price, only added 145hp, and it's not even a Toyota so it's not even like you are paying for their quality.

I like the back part of the car that evokes the 2000GT but the rest looks horrendous. 

It is interesting that it's smaller than the GT86 and on a shorter wheelbase too but still. I don't think it's going to sell.


----------



## bulb

M3CHK1LLA said:


> ^ how many were made in that color?
> 
> a lot of times a rarer color commands a higher price \ value later down the road.
> 
> when i looked at r8s a couple years ago, they held their value fairly well. held off because a new supra was coming out...


Ah honestly, most of these colors don't seem to have too much of an effect on resale, there aren't a ton of yellow ones, but I'd say the fact that the car is CPO and is pretty much fully optioned might fare better there?

This is just Giallo Inti, so I can't imagine it would command anything special, and it definitely isn't on the buying end right now.

Also apparently Lambo isn't giving out many allocations for the 2019 Perf at all. Been doing some research, speaking to some dealers and might have managed to negotiate them down to a solid price and offer on my car to where I think I'll spring for it if they are down for those numbers. Fingers crossed!


----------



## sirbuh

I dunno tempted by the Supra; interior kinda BMW boring. Reached out to a couple of dealers in Hou for a pre-order but that was a clusterf**ker. Owned several BMW never had problems with them just routine maintenance.
So might just go with the updated AMG-C.


----------



## cult

IMG_0371



__ cult
__ Jan 25, 2019





Got myself this beauty last weekend. Lots of fun, almost all the extras you can get. Happy times 
Now to wait for summer to put on the 18" rims and tyres.


----------



## broj15

Welp got in a teeny lil car wreck today. Last night we got a lil bit of freezing rain in the city. Sidewalks were icy but the roads were fine... For the most part. I decided to venture out early this morning and grab lunch with a friend and omw to thier place, I decided to take an obscure sidestreet that evidently hadn't gotten much traffic this morning, as it was still covered with a big patch of black ice. I took a sharp right going a bit quicker than I would have, had I known the road was still frozen. My car slid at about a 45 degree into the curb/sidewalk. Now thankfully there were no other cars/people Around. I wasn't going fast by any means (20mph in a 25) but apparently it was too fast to take that turn, and thus I royally fucked up the alignment (possibly more) on my front drivers side tire. Like I have to have my steering wheel at about a 75 degree angle to make the car go straight. It also rides extremely rough, no matter how much I have my wheel turned, probably cuz no matter what my front 2 tires are definitely not parallel. So who knows how much that will cost to get fixed 

Hopefully it's just a realignment, and nothing else like a bent/cracked rim, control arm, something with the suspension, etc.

Obviously no one here could diagnose the issue from thier keyboard so I guess the only question I have, is how much risk is there in trying to limp up to the mechanic about a half mile away?


----------



## dr_game0ver

pics?


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

dang... black ice strikes again


----------



## wannabguitarist

Went to Chuckwalla with a friend. He usually trailers his car and had room for my track wheels, tools, and spares so I was able to drive to/from the track on my street tires and swap in the morning. Game changing. No wear from commuting on the track tires. I need a truck and trailer now


----------



## bracky

I'm into high reving normally aspirated engines. Here are mine.


----------



## wannabguitarist

LBP AP2 with OEM hardtop AND a GT350? I'm just a little jealous.


----------



## bracky

You know your S2000s! I’ve had it for 13 years and I still giggle like a kid in it.


----------



## wannabguitarist

bracky said:


> You know your S2000s! I’ve had it for 13 years and I still giggle like a kid in it.



I'm coming up on 4 years with mine (07 Berlina); it's turned into a bit of an obsession.


----------



## bracky

Mine is a ‘06 that I purchased new. It’s currently got 40,000 miles on it. I got the hardtop from hardtopguy in ‘08. So it’s 100% stock except for a new stereo but I still have the original in case that one day matters to me.


----------



## diagrammatiks

Given To Fly said:


> https://www.lamborghini.com/en-en/models/urus



This car is so ugly in person.
and has the plainest interior I've ever seen in my life.
I was disappointed.

I'd take the v12 bentayga out of that family of cars anyday.

whoops I responded to a hella old comment.

Anyway have some pictures.


----------



## Furtive Glance

I went to the Tokyo Auto Salon in January. It was a bucket list item for me - I was enamored the entire time with the sheer spectacle of the place.


----------



## bulb

Got my Perf!








Pics: https://imgur.com/a/1qER434

2018 Lamborghini Performante Review:

This car is next level incredible.

Now that we have that covered, let me expand with a look at the past (Warning: very long post).

I have been fortunate enough to have driven and owned a fair number of awesome sports and supercars, and I think I have been on the car equivalent of what guitarists might call a "tone quest". I'm on a "Car Quest". Trying a bit of everything and figuring out what will work for me. In my experience, there is unfortunately no substitute for actually living with a car to know how you feel about it, a Test Drive only does so much. As much praise as a car might get in reviews, rarely are the people reviewing it from the context of ownership. So the cars I have owned in the past have greatly informed what I was looking for this time around.

I loved my 991.1 Turbo S, perhaps one of the best all around cars that blurs the line between sports car and everyday supercar. One of the easiest and most refined cars to live with, though at the cost of not being the most exciting on your average drive. I had come from an E90 M3, and though almost everything was a massive upgrade from the M3, I was particularly disappointed by the Turbo S's engine note.

The Ferrari 488 I had after the 911 was all excitement, perhaps to a fault. It taught me that a constantly "engaging" car may not always be the most fun to drive all the time. It could be a handful in the wrong conditions, and I also learned quite a bit about Ferrari as a brand, which wasn't to my personal taste. The R8 I traded the 488 in for, gave me a kind of this balance between those two worlds. It was immensely easier to live with and drive everywhere for a multitude of reasons. It boasted the everyday convenience of the 911 with a lot more excitement. The genuinely nice Audi cabin, seats and sound system paired with a NA V10 engine and a fantastic AWD system made that car one of my personal favorite cars I have ever owned and lived with. It felt like it could tackle almost anything with confidence.

Because I have a car problem, I wanted to see what the "next level" of supercar had to offer. I had driven the McLaren 720S largely expecting to find myself calculating ways to afford it after the test drive, but I found that car to be a bit overwhelming and perhaps even scary. The car is light, has an insane amount of power to the rear wheels, and is mindblowingly fast, even at speed! But it was a bit intimidating on the test drive, and I was worried that living with it might be a bit of a handful. I think if I were a better driver I might be less intimidated by that, but I think with this much power, in the real world there is a huge benefit to AWD. When you are driving around traffic, and navigating around other drivers and cars, having a car that feels solidly planted when you are managing this much power and torque is a huge benefit.

I genuinely love McLaren as a brand, and I really respect their business model and what they are doing to the market (even at the cost of their own used market), but I do feel like the cars are still a bit quirky and a touch unreliable still, but I think they are really close to making a really perfect car for me. That 600LT was damn close!

So this brings us to now, or let's call it last summer:

I went to test drive the Performante after my friend recommended that I check one out. I wasn't expecting too much, after all this has a tweaked R8 engine, with a marginal 20 or so extra horses and 30 lb/ft of torque. The car shares the same platform and they have similar AWD systems. I figured that as the glorified "Lamborghini R8" with a wing, it might be a bit more Loud and Italian, but effectively the same car.

The test drive, however, proved that wrong. The Performante absolutely blew me away and I couldn't stop thinking about the car. So I started studying the market and shopping, and waiting for the perfect time to strike. Eventually I found the spec I wanted on a pre-owned one at a price I was happy with, and I went for it. On a quick side note, I have to thank Lamborghini Dallas and Tactical Fleet for helping me work out this deal!


----------



## bulb

Anyways here are my very initial thoughts on my new to me Performante:

What an engine! Although as smooth and quick in response as the R8 and familiar in character, now sounds like it's being powered by a dying star, right behind your head. If the engine being too loud to live with is an 11, this is perfectly sat at 10. And for being slightly more powerful, the car somehow feels noticeably faster in a straight line. I can't imagine an aftermarket exhaust doing much for the sound honestly, it already sounds like one. I thought the R8 sounded amazing, but this is just a completely different level.

What it also feels, is notably lighter, and the 200 or so lbs shaved off of the R8's weight account for a bit of that, but the brakes must be the other half of that equation. This car feels a lot lighter and nimbler than its 3424 lbs curb weight might suggest. Keep in mind that's still 250 lbs heavier than the 720S, but this car can stop arguably more confidently on the road thanks to the fantastic brake feel. But that's not the best part.

The best part is the cornering. Now I haven't pushed this car near the limit so far, but I did take the R8 to the track and on some fast and fun spirited drives, and the way the Performante by comparison turns in and grips just on the road is just nothing like I have experienced to far. It remains so planted and confident in those moments that you just keep on wanting to push it. The steering is near telepathic, I don't know how much more direct steering can feel on a car before you just end up with an oversized go kart. To be fair, the 720S and the 600LT steering and feel were damn good as well in this category, with the 600LT actually being maybe a true 10/10 to the Performante's 9.9/10. And yes, the 600LT basically feels like an oversized go kart. In a good way.

This car is also somehow comfortable. Now I have read very polarizing things about the comfort seats' comfort, but at 5'10 or so and not skinny I'm actually very happy in the cabin. The ride is firm as one might expect, but given that I had the R8 V10 plus which forces fixed suspension, the Performante in Strada mode is actually a bit better at absorbing the bumps. Put it in to Sport or Corsa, though, and you will be able to tell if that nickel you just drove over was heads or tails.

This car, by the way, is so easy to drive. This is not intimidating. I feel like in Strada, anyone who isn't a car enthusiast could confidently drive this car. They somehow maintained that friendliness and ease of driving that the R8 gives you packaged in this fighter jet themed cabin.

One thing I would personally steer clear of, unless you plan on mostly tracking the car or driving it hard, are the Carbon Fiber seats. They look amazing (though they don't match the Forged Carbon in the rest of the cabin) but they are perhaps the single most uncomfortable sports seats I have sat in. Maybe they were built for small framed Italian men, but if you have anything close to broad shoulders, those will be absolutely crushed in to proper driving position as you drive. If you like driving in any position other than absolutely upright you will not be happy. By contrast, I think both Porsche and McLaren make substantially more comfortable sports seats that seem to offer just as much support and bolstering. Had something like those been available for the car, I might even have opted for those. The comfort seats are actually surprisingly supportive for what they are, and should be good for longer drives, so that's the way I went on mine.

By the way that forged carbon has to be one of my personal favorite accents on the car. The gloss front splitter and rear wing look like shiny black marble and contrast the car beautifully in basically every color. The inside satin forged carbon accents not only work beautifully Alcantara covered interior, but also stop any of those surfaces from blinding you when the light hits them. Good thinking. This is what happens when Germany and Italy work together.

With all of that said, no car is perfect, so let's cover some of the faults and downsides:

The cupholder situation is hilarious. If you opt for the 600 dollar travel/smoker package you get an ashtray and a single Porsche 911 style cupholder that comes out of the dash above the glove box. The front trunk is probably the smallest I have ever seen. You might think they are all small, but seriously check out how big they are on the 488 and 720S, they are almost...practical? Actually there isn't really much interior storage space other than some nets behind the seats and the glovebox.

The rear visibility is hilariously bad, though in a funny way, it's slightly better than the R8 with there being small vents on either the side of the rear glass that you can sort of peer through, but still, it's not great. Also the car sits low, and although these pretty much are always spec'd with lifts, you have to remember not only to use it, but to lower the car before you park it because it's bad for the lift to sit up for extended periods of time.

Also, this is a bit of a weird one, but I have noticed on the Gen2 R8 and the Huracan, the dead pedal area is quite small and not that far from the brake, you kinda have to get used to how that feels, because it's different from most cars.

The sound system is also not great, maybe I was spoiled by the genuinely awesome Bang and Olufsen system in the R8, but I have the upgraded Sensonum sound in mine, and it's just not that good, probably not worth spending the money on to be entirely honest, as in true Lambo fashion, it's an expensive upgrade.

Now these little issues genuinely don't ruin the experience, some of these are just things you deal with this type of car, just like the attention you know a supercar will garner. So it's down to a cost/benefit analysis with this car, but in my case it's an easy win for the benefits on this one.

I don't think I have ever instantly connected with or been as content with a car I have brought home, and for the first time ever, I find myself not really wondering about what else is out there for me. It kinda feels like I have finally found my own personal dream car.

This is not to say I won't trade into something else down the line, though it would be nice to have this for at least a few years. But i'll put it this way: Whatever car I will move to after this one doesn't exist yet.

tl;dr: 10/10 would recommend


----------



## diagrammatiks

Congrats on the car. It looks awesome.


----------



## Given To Fly

Today is your day Misha! Maybe even the rest of the week too!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

That's awesome Misha and congrats! Did you ever talk to Cody (DoctaM3) about the Huracans?


----------



## Furtive Glance

bulb said:


> In my experience, there is unfortunately no substitute for actually living with a car to know how you feel about it, a Test Drive only does so much. As much praise as a car might get in reviews, rarely are the people reviewing it from the context of ownership.



By far and away my biggest annoyance in automotive journalism. Most reviews are just a string of hyperbole praising how fast a car is and how it's a "race car for the street" or whatever else. I bet if you compiled a huge document of every $100,000+ car review in the past two decades, you'd find a ludicrous amount of recycled terms.

Amazing car, by the way!


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## bracky

Your closest twisty roads are in West Virginia.  I hope to see you around sometime. Awesome car!


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## p0ke

Funny how all over the place car stuff can be on a forum like this  There's Misha talking about his Lambo and then I have my '99 Focus on which nothing that's optional in any way works  The latest thing is that the blower motor selector switch stopped working, and now it's been -10 C outside and I don't have heat in the car. It does work when you push it down as hard as you can with the selector on 0 though, so shouldn't be a problem to fix, if only I had some time...


----------



## guitaardvark

Buddy got a miata after driving mine, so we took ours out for a shoot.


----------



## shadscbr

^^ based on that shadow, what else was going on?


----------



## guitaardvark

shadscbr said:


> ^^ based on that shadow, what else was going on?


The miata owner secret handshake, of course.


----------



## bulb

Probably the reason I’m most excited to get a miata


----------



## guitaardvark

bulb said:


> Probably the reason I’m most excited to get a miata


It's a truly excellent car and doesn't feel 27 years old at all. I unfortunately don't have the means to track it (which is unfortunate considering I live 15 minutes away from Laguna Seca), but it's an absolute blast to drive. It's the only car I can floor around town and not get a ticket.


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## shadscbr

lol, I guess it depends which shadow you are, no Miata is worth being the left shadow


----------



## bulb

guitaardvark said:


> It's a truly excellent car and doesn't feel 27 years old at all. I unfortunately don't have the means to track it (which is unfortunate considering I live 15 minutes away from Laguna Seca), but it's an absolute blast to drive. It's the only car I can floor around town and not get a ticket.



You live 15 mins from there and you own a Miata and you haven’t tracked it? That’s insanity. You do realize that track is incredible AND the Miata is perfect for it right?


----------



## bulb

In all seriousness I am thinking about getting a fun manual track car that will also double as a good daily for the gf:
Thinking 
Nd Miata club 
Brz/86 (with some proper tires)
C7 grand sport

What you guys think?


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> In all seriousness I am thinking about getting a fun manual track car that will also double as a good daily for the gf:
> Thinking
> Nd Miata club
> Brz/86 (with some proper tires)
> C7 grand sport
> 
> What you guys think?



One of those things is not like the other.


----------



## guitaardvark

bulb said:


> You live 15 mins from there and you own a Miata and you haven’t tracked it? That’s insanity. You do realize that track is incredible AND the Miata is perfect for it right?



Yeah, I got it late 2017, but I don't have the time or money since I'm finishing up school 350 miles away and saving my pennies for credential/grad school. Trust me, it hurts, especially when they do the annual miata race. 



bulb said:


> In all seriousness I am thinking about getting a fun manual track car that will also double as a good daily for the gf:
> Thinking
> Nd Miata club
> Brz/86 (with some proper tires)
> C7 grand sport
> 
> What you guys think?



Miata is the better track car because it's the *BEST*, BRZ is the better daily because backseats and more storage. Not to say that a miata is a bad daily, but it's less than ideal in some situations. I bought an office chair and had to carry it in my passenger seat with the top down. The wheels spun like a propeller behind me.

I'm also biased on this, but consider an NA. For a third of the price of what a new ND club costs, you can get an excellent condition NA with a bolt-on CARB legal supercharger (https://www.fastforwardsuperchargers.com/products.html#kit) and an incredible suspension. They're robust and reliable as hell, and you won't feel like shit when you scuff something at the track or push it too hard because parts are dumb cheap. Everything is mechanical, so it's stupidly responsive (compared to something like a newer Mini, which just feels sterile. Can't speak to how an ND feels). My NA is my favorite car I've ever driven.


----------



## bulb

diagrammatiks said:


> One of those things is not like the other.


C7 is because dealers are absolutely clearing them off the lots, and this in turn is making the used market take a dive as well, either way it would only be if I found a supremely sick deal on one.


----------



## bulb

guitaardvark said:


> Yeah, I got it late 2017, but I don't have the time or money since I'm finishing up school 350 miles away and saving my pennies for credential/grad school. Trust me, it hurts, especially when they do the annual miata race.
> 
> 
> 
> Miata is the better track car because it's the *BEST*, BRZ is the better daily because backseats and more storage. Not to say that a miata is a bad daily, but it's less than ideal in some situations. I bought an office chair and had to carry it in my passenger seat with the top down. The wheels spun like a propeller behind me.
> 
> I'm also biased on this, but consider an NA. For a third of the price of what a new ND club costs, you can get an excellent condition NA with a bolt-on CARB legal supercharger (https://www.fastforwardsuperchargers.com/products.html#kit) and an incredible suspension. They're robust and reliable as hell, and you won't feel like shit when you scuff something at the track or push it too hard because parts are dumb cheap. Everything is mechanical, so it's stupidly responsive (compared to something like a newer Mini, which just feels sterile. Can't speak to how an ND feels). My NA is my favorite car I've ever driven.



I’d actually be quite happy to just do an NA if it were just for a track car, but it has to double as a nice and safe daily for the gf, which is why the ND/Brz makes more sense


----------



## bracky

Get a S2000. Thank me later.


----------



## JSanta

bulb said:


> In all seriousness I am thinking about getting a fun manual track car that will also double as a good daily for the gf:
> Thinking
> Nd Miata club
> Brz/86 (with some proper tires)
> C7 grand sport
> 
> What you guys think?



I'm a Subaru brand Ambassador, so my vote goes to anything Subaru. The BRZ is a really fun car to drive, and being the only RWD car that Subaru makes, something a little bit more special. My next car will probably be a WRX or STI, so take whatever I'm saying with a grain of salt!


----------



## bulb

bracky said:


> Get a S2000. Thank me later.


Again if the car were just for me, that would be one of the ones at the top of the list!


----------



## shadscbr

I vote for one of the GT86's, you can carry your autocross/track wheels and tires in the hatch, and they are so fun to slide around.


----------



## wannabguitarist

bracky said:


> Get a S2000. Thank me later.



This is the correct answer, but the new ND Miata might be the better car. It pains be to say this as an AP2 owner but the ND2 is definitely the car to own for SCCA STR now, and they're depreciating unlike the S2000.



bulb said:


> In all seriousness I am thinking about getting a fun manual track car that will also double as a good daily for the gf:
> Thinking
> Nd Miata club
> Brz/86 (with some proper tires)
> C7 grand sport
> 
> What you guys think?



Probably the BRZ/86 for the extra utility compared to the ND. They make great track cars, are cheap, and have a ton of aftermarket support. The 86 cup is a fairly popular amateur series in CA; it might be worth looking for something similar where you're located.

I don't know if I could recommend the C7 as a track car to someone that doesn't have much track time. Expensive consumable, higher limits, and much higher speeds compared to the other cars. Then again, it'll be cheaper to track than the Performante


----------



## sakeido

C7 with the widebody & aero on it is a pain in the ass daily, I'd go BRZ.

I think the C7 actually has more cargo space but smaller cars are easier to drive day in day out.

ND2 Miatas are spectacular though. I keep debating ditching the FC to get an ND2 instead. I think I'd get one of those then leave the keys to the RS3 or whatever your other other daily is if she needs a trunk.


----------



## goobaba

NCD






Traded in my 2016 Camaro RS for a 2015 Genesis 5.0. My main reason for doing so is having to haul around my 2 year old son. I made it work in the cramro by having the child seat in the front passenger seat, then strapping him in, then lifting the whole unit into the back and strapping him in back there. As much as I tried to convince myself that it was a 4 seater and that it was going to work, it actually was a nightmare. Compiled on to that was that the cramro was a manual and my wife can't drive stick. As much as I wanted her to learn and was willing to teach she was never actually receptive. RIP cramro, you were a fantastic, fun to drive car...

But as much as I miss my cramro I'm already loving the Genesis. The luxury of the Genesis Ultimate package makes it a fantastic daily. Leather, panoramic sunroof, automated cruise control and lane departure, big roomy interior, and quiet operation are all features lacking in my old car. Not to mention, the beefy 5L V8 makes it faster to 60 than my old car.

The cherry on top was how cheap these are going for right now. There are a lot of one owner leases coming in and I got mine for $23K low mileage. Not to mention the crazy power train warranty on these cars. If you want a fun daily car without breaking the break, I'd suggest that you take at look at these.


----------



## guitaardvark

Perhaps the wrong thread, but I picked this up the other day to give to my mom when I move back home. I've been riding motorcycles for 3 years now, and I've ridden my fair share: supersports, adventure, cruisers, supermotos, etc. This is by far the most fun and most dangerous two wheeler I've ever been on. I took it on some of the busiest roads in Long Beach (including the traffic circle for those who know) and it was absolutely terrifying. Still, there's something awesome about going wide open throttle and capping out at 45 MPH.


----------



## Acaciastrain360

One I wish I never sold... 1989 316i with a 1995 525i Sport engine and 6 speed M3 gearbox, LSD, coilivers, polybush, the lot. It was immaculate! Loved burning the rubber


----------



## Acaciastrain360

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0pdtWfEl6bvvALnBD3qy4Z52A


----------



## xzacx

Been raining all day, but I got this over the weekend. There won't be any NGDs for me for a while...


----------



## ExplorerMike

Here’s my 1987 Buick Grand National. I’ve had it for about 12 years or so now. Been racing it on and off for years between drag racing and auto cross. Still surprises LOTS of people!


----------



## p0ke

My car started doing some funny shit again  It started making a pretty loud clank every time I turned right at low speed. So I asked the guys at the repair shop where I have my tires changed to check it out (since they lift it up anyway to change the tires), and at first it looked like the sway bar was broken, but when we looked closer, it was pretty clear that one rubber spanner thing was missing, and the metal parts were clanking together. Took them maybe 15 minutes to dig up the part and install it, 20€ and boom, no more clanking.

I'll be getting a new car soon too, but more on that when I can post an NCD  (I'm waiting for my bank to process my loan application)


----------



## p0ke

NCD! I'm now the proud owner of a 2011 Ford Focus MK3  Will post a pic or two tomorrow.


----------



## MikeNeal

picked up a 2016 c450 

love it so far, have already done a c63 diffuser and grill, and a carbon fiber lip spoiler - more mods to come


----------



## p0ke

So here's the car I bought yesterday:










It's not quite in mint condition, but it feels like a brand new car compared to my old rust bucket. I still can't believe I got 2k€ for it!
Also the old car had a 1.4 engine, and this one has a 1.6 (55kW -> 75kW) and I definitely felt the difference straight away. The old one wasn't underpowered or anything but with this one stuff just happens in a whole different way when you put your foot down. The car feels very sporty in general, the clutch and stick in particular being quite stiff. Also given that summer is starting, I'm super happy that I now have AC in my car  Cruise Control is a pretty neat feature too.


----------



## diagrammatiks

MikeNeal said:


> picked up a 2016 c450
> 
> love it so far, have already done a c63 diffuser and grill, and a carbon fiber lip spoiler - more mods to come



This is the car that would be a c43 now?


----------



## diagrammatiks

I just found out that after an update my dads base model Tesla 75d is almost as fast as my 911 to 60 and feels much faster because of all the torque. 

Literal first world problems.


----------



## MikeNeal

diagrammatiks said:


> This is the car that would be a c43 now?



Yep. Basically the same car. Just the c43 has the 9 speed transmission whereas mine has the 7 speed


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

p0ke said:


> So here's the car I bought yesterday:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's not quite in mint condition, but it feels like a brand new car compared to my old rust bucket. I still can't believe I got 2k€ for it!
> Also the old car had a 1.4 engine, and this one has a 1.6 (55kW -> 75kW) and I definitely felt the difference straight away. The old one wasn't underpowered or anything but with this one stuff just happens in a whole different way when you put your foot down. The car feels very sporty in general, the clutch and stick in particular being quite stiff. Also given that summer is starting, I'm super happy that I now have AC in my car  Cruise Control is a pretty neat feature too.


I can't believe Ford is dropping all their sedans.


----------



## p0ke

LiveOVErdrive said:


> I can't believe Ford is dropping all their sedans.



Apparently just North America though. Huge shame though, the latest Mondeo model for example looks awesome. I really like Ford's current front grill designs in general - I mean, my car, which is previous gen, looks pretty sporty and all that too, but the latest ones are just awesome. First time I saw a 2018 Mondeo, I thought it was a Maserati or similar


----------



## MFB

p0ke said:


> Apparently just North America though. Huge shame though, the latest Mondeo model for example looks awesome. I really like Ford's current front grill designs in general - I mean, my car, which is previous gen, looks pretty sporty and all that too, but the latest ones are just awesome. First time I saw a 2018 Mondeo, I thought it was a Maserati or similar



We have the exact same Focus, and you have no idea how much I kick myself for not upgrading the front grill when it went into the shop a year back. I hadn't seen the new one by then, and just kept it as was, felt like such a dummy afterwards.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

I love the fusion that looks like a budget Aston Martin.


----------



## p0ke

MFB said:


> We have the exact same Focus



Question! Have you installed an aux-plug into it? Mine doesn't have that, only USB and a hole for a 3.5mm plug next to it. I'm thinking of installing one but I'd like to know how much of a hassle it is to do.
I have a bluetooth-usb dongle that creates mp3 of the audio on the fly, and then the stereo is able to play that. That's a super simple plug-and-play solution, and it works really well, but the sound quality is pretty bad. So I'm weighing my options on what to do about it. CD/radio works of course, but I prefer listening to Spotify. My current solution is simply to EQ out the treble as much as possible, that makes it mostly bearable...


----------



## MFB

p0ke said:


> Question! Have you installed an aux-plug into it? Mine doesn't have that, only USB and a hole for a 3.5mm plug next to it. I'm thinking of installing one but I'd like to know how much of a hassle it is to do.
> I have a bluetooth-usb dongle that creates mp3 of the audio on the fly, and then the stereo is able to play that. That's a super simple plug-and-play solution, and it works really well, but the sound quality is pretty bad. So I'm weighing my options on what to do about it. CD/radio works of course, but I prefer listening to Spotify. My current solution is simply to EQ out the treble as much as possible, that makes it mostly bearable...



I bought an aux cable for it, since the 3.5mm I have is labeled on the dash as an aux in, but have still forgotten to use it every day since my phone autoconnects to the BT  Have you tried an aux on the 3.5mm and it just doesn't work? Because every car I've owned, even if it isn't labelled as one, has acted as one.


----------



## p0ke

MFB said:


> I bought an aux cable for it, since the 3.5mm I have is labeled on the dash as an aux in, but have still forgotten to use it every day since my phone autoconnects to the BT  Have you tried an aux on the 3.5mm and it just doesn't work? Because every car I've owned, even if it isn't labelled as one, has acted as one.



It's just an empty hole, so no, I haven't tried it  I googled those things and there are various kinds of "boxes" that plug into the stereo, some have usb+3.5mm and some only have usb. I don't understand the logic of leaving out the 3.5mm for some models, as the headers are there in the stereo anyway, but that's how they've decided to do. So yeah, I'd either need to buy a different box that has both 3.5mm and usb or just install the 3.5mm separately beside the usb-box (which is likely the cheaper option).

Sounds like you have a fancier version of the stereo though, since it has BT integrated. My usb (and the 3.5mm connector hole) are inside the glove compartment, by the way.


----------



## MFB

p0ke said:


> It's just an empty hole, so no, I haven't tried it  I googled those things and there are various kinds of "boxes" that plug into the stereo, some have usb+3.5mm and some only have usb. I don't understand the logic of leaving out the 3.5mm for some models, as the headers are there in the stereo anyway, but that's how they've decided to do. So yeah, I'd either need to buy a different box that has both 3.5mm and usb or just install the 3.5mm separately beside the usb-box (which is likely the cheaper option).
> 
> Sounds like you have a fancier version of the stereo though, since it has BT integrated. My usb (and the 3.5mm connector hole) are inside the glove compartment, by the way.



Hmm, mine is in the console, but I'm really curious now if it's an empty hole just connected to nothing. That'd be a real sheister thing to do  I don't know why there might be a discrepancy between the US/EU versions, but it wouldn't shock me.


----------



## p0ke

MFB said:


> Hmm, mine is in the console, but I'm really curious now if it's an empty hole just connected to nothing. That'd be a real sheister thing to do  I don't know why there might be a discrepancy between the US/EU versions, but it wouldn't shock me.



I just googled it some more and looks like a bunch of people are wondering about the same thing  It doesn't even seem to be a US/EU thing, there seem to be both kinds in both regions. Very weird. What I find even weirder is that when I press the AUX-button on the stereo, it says "Line-in active" and when I click it again it goes to USB, so it's even enabled in the firmware despite the actual cable/connector not being there 
I found out that installing the connector is relatively easy, there's just 3 pins (left, right, ground) in the main connector that need to be soldered or otherwise connected and that's that...


----------



## Adieu

Is there a separate truck/SUV thread somewhere or is everybody here actually THAT heavily biased towards econoboxes and sports sedans???


----------



## diagrammatiks

Adieu said:


> Is there a separate truck/SUV thread somewhere or is everybody here actually THAT heavily biased towards econoboxes and sports sedans???



Don’t forget race cars.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Adieu said:


> Is there a separate truck/SUV thread somewhere or is everybody here actually THAT heavily biased towards econoboxes and sports sedans???



The majority of active posters in here are from abroad, where larger vehicles aren't as popular as the US.

You're welcome to talk about trucks and SUVs though. 

I just bought an F150 as my 96' Ranger is getting troublesome at almost 320k. 

Still have a few project Jeep XJs in various states of disrepair and an XK I don't quite know what to do with. 

Whatcha got?


----------



## Acaciastrain360

I’ve got trucks too


----------



## Acaciastrain360




----------



## MaxOfMetal

Those rebadged Mazda BT50s are awesome. It's a shame we can't get a good, affordable small truck over here anymore.


----------



## Seabeast2000

I have a truck. It has an 8.1L and is paid off so I still have it. 



MaxOfMetal said:


> Those rebadged Mazda BT50s are awesome. It's a shame we can't get a good, affordable small truck over here anymore.



I just saw the new F.50/Ranger at a dealership recently. No idea on the specs. It appeared to be a fully loaded baby Raptor-esque version running for $53K IIRC. Showroom queen.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

The906 said:


> I have a truck. It has an 8.1L and is paid off so I still have it.
> 
> 
> 
> I just saw the new F.50/Ranger at a dealership recently. No idea on the specs. It appeared to be a fully loaded baby Raptor-esque version running for $53K IIRC. Showroom queen.



Yeah, that's where I'm at with the XK. 

The new Ranger is awesome. It's just too new. The dealerships don't seem to be ready to really deal on them, so I wound up with an F150. It's the last MY before refresh so they're giving them away compared to the Ranger. 

I test drove a couple of F150 Raptors, and they're absolute monsters. It felt like driving one of the Super Duties at work. Just huge for a 1/2 ton.


----------



## MFB

As someone who grew up riding around in a red, 2 door Ranger from 1990 - 2004, I absolutely LOVE the look of the new Ranger; like, it makes me want to buy a truck just to relieve those days. I still have 3 years worth of payments on the Focus, so it won't happen soon, but I hope they stay around for a while.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

I’ve owned a tundra and an F150 in the past but no trucks right now for me.


----------



## Seabeast2000

MaxOfMetal said:


> Yeah, that's where I'm at with the XK.
> 
> The new Ranger is awesome. It's just too new. The dealerships don't seem to be ready to really deal on them, so I wound up with an F150. It's the last MY before refresh so they're giving them away compared to the Ranger.
> 
> I test drove a couple of F150 Raptors, and they're absolute monsters. It felt like driving one of the Super Duties at work. Just huge for a 1/2 ton.



OH man, I wish I could jump on one of those F150s now that you tell me these things. 

Raptors are insane, also insane prices but still what awesome beasts coming out of the factory.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

The906 said:


> OH man, I wish I could jump on one of those F150s now that you tell me these things.
> 
> Raptors are insane, also insane prices but still what awesome beasts coming out of the factory.



Look into the Roush packages. Depending on what you want you can get a beefed up truck for less than a stock Raptor. 

Since Ford owns Roush you still get your full warranty.


----------



## Acaciastrain360

MaxOfMetal said:


> Those rebadged Mazda BT50s are awesome. It's a shame we can't get a good, affordable small truck over here anymore.


I wish I could get a V8 truck over here!! All bloody 2.2 diesel with ad-blu emissions control shit


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Acaciastrain360 said:


> I wish I could get a V8 truck over here!! All bloody 2.2 diesel with ad-blu emissions control shit



Trade you!


----------



## Acaciastrain360

MaxOfMetal said:


> Trade you!


Haha it’s funny how you’d rather have mine and I’d rather have yours!!


----------



## Acaciastrain360

NCD!!!!
BMW e30 325i 1989 auto
Needs some tlc!
She’ll be on the road for summer hopefully


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Acaciastrain360 said:


> Haha it’s funny how you’d rather have mine and I’d rather have yours!!



The "grass is always greener" and all that jazz. 

But really, everything over here is huge, expensive, and complicated. At least almost everything worth buying or even capable of buying easily.


----------



## bulb

got a shot of my buddy's perf next to mine!


----------



## JctGSD

bulb said:


> got a shot of my buddy's perf next to mine!


oooof sexy


----------



## Furtive Glance

Went to a local car show today that was mostly typical 60s/70s muscle car stuff with some random other cars thrown in (a stock C6 Corvette in burnt orange, a stock 2011 automatic Camaro, a GT-86 with fake TE37s (probably Rotas but I didn't even check)) etc.

However, the main thing that I took away from the show was that I _hate _those stupid, stuffed children dolls even more now. Eughhhh.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

MFB said:


> As someone who grew up riding around in a red, 2 door Ranger from 1990 - 2004, I absolutely LOVE the look of the new Ranger; like, it makes me want to buy a truck just to relieve those days. I still have 3 years worth of payments on the Focus, so it won't happen soon, but I hope they stay around for a while.


As a native Minnesotan I'm delighted they're making the ranger again but I really wish they still made them in St Paul. That was a source of pride for the locals. You still see tons of old rangers around here.


----------



## sakeido

Car was lookin sweet parked at my alma mater. Haven't been back to school in years but this thing got me back to pick up a new skill.. TIG welding!

Still a metric fuck ton of practicing left to do before I'm stacking dimes every time I fire up the torch but I figured it out quickly enough I plan to do some fab work this summer.. new stainless exhaust first, new intercooler setup after and if things go really well and I get my travel speed up and heat distortion down, a drop vent aluminum hood and some body work


----------



## Furtive Glance

So I just bought my first car. It's such an old man ride. Classy _AF_. Great condition with all the service invoices and documentation from new. Has some dents and scratches (just noticed the right mirror is dented today) but it should hold up for YEARS.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Furtive Glance said:


> So I just bought my first car. It's such an old man ride. Classy _AF_. Great condition with all the service invoices and documentation from new. Has some dents and scratches (just noticed the right mirror is dented today) but it should hold up for YEARS.
> View attachment 72598



Great choice!

Those 3rd gen LS are great, great cars. 

Real sleepers too. Fun to drive with nearly 300hp.


----------



## Furtive Glance

Yeah, I got the "base" model because I couldn't find an Ultra Luxury with low enough km or in good enough condition. I'll miss not having the ML audio, but I am glad I don't have to deal with the dated NAV system or the potentially troublesome air suspension.


----------



## sirbuh

MikeNeal said:


> Yep. Basically the same car. Just the c43 has the 9 speed transmission whereas mine has the 7 speed



The 9 speed is worth it.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Furtive Glance said:


> Yeah, I got the "base" model because I couldn't find an Ultra Luxury with low enough km or in good enough condition. I'll miss not having the ML audio, but I am glad I don't have to deal with the dated NAV system or the potentially troublesome air suspension.



Good call since those are pretty much the worst aspects of just about anything this old.

Manual or auto?


----------



## MikeNeal

sirbuh said:


> The 9 speed is worth it.



having driven both i disagree, the price difference between the 2016 c450 and 2017 c43 was significant, more significant then the difference between the 7 and 9 speed.


----------



## Furtive Glance

MaxOfMetal said:


> Manual or auto?



It's a 2006, so it has the 6SP AT.


----------



## bulb

Circumstances have changed and now im thinking about getting a pdk 718 boxster s or gts as a good daily, road trip car, canyon car and track car.

Seems like on the used market you can find the GTS for not that much more than the S

What do you guys think? And yeah I know the 718s engine sound is meh compared to the 981, but I actually think the response and feel of the 718 engine is awesome and the updated steering wheel and infotainment make it much better as a daily.


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> Circumstances have changed and now im thinking about getting a pdk 718 boxster s or gts as a good daily, road trip car, canyon car and track car.
> 
> Seems like on the used market you can find the GTS for not that much more than the S
> 
> What do you guys think? And yeah I know the 718s engine sound is meh compared to the 981, but I actually think the response and feel of the 718 engine is awesome and the updated steering wheel and infotainment make it much better as a daily.



the 718 is a better overall car man. the gts is a fast as the previous ten 911.

The engine sounds like a whirring hair dryer.

I'm waiting for the next a45. If I'm buying a hair dryer I want it to be the craziest one.


----------



## bulb

diagrammatiks said:


> the 718 is a better overall car man. the gts is a fast as the previous ten 911.
> 
> The engine sounds like a whirring hair dryer.
> 
> I'm waiting for the next a45. If I'm buying a hair dryer I want it to be the craziest one.



Fair point. The 718 chassis and handling is basically like having a luxury go kart. It’s almost like Porsche’s version of a Miata, so I’ll give the lame engine sound a pass.


----------



## diagrammatiks

bulb said:


> Fair point. The 718 chassis and handling is basically like having a luxury go kart. It’s almost like Porsche’s version of a Miata, so I’ll give the lame engine sound a pass.



I mean what are you gonna do. they are just gonna keep getting faster /better but that car won't see a six again for at least a couple of generations.

I'm always doing stupid shit with 718s and a45s on my way to work. They do sound ridiculously bad.

Although the worst engine sound ever is my neighbors masarati. That thing just sounds broken.


----------



## sirbuh

MikeNeal said:


> having driven both i disagree, the price difference between the 2016 c450 and 2017 c43 was significant, more significant then the difference between the 7 and 9 speed.



you didn't drive it right... snark aside
found the 9 to be 'right' vs the 7 that i felt was noticeably lacking, relatively speaking of course


----------



## zarg

bulb said:


> Circumstances have changed and now im thinking about getting a pdk 718 boxster s or gts as a good daily, road trip car, canyon car and track car.
> 
> Seems like on the used market you can find the GTS for not that much more than the S
> 
> What do you guys think? And yeah I know the 718s engine sound is meh compared to the 981, but I actually think the response and feel of the 718 engine is awesome and the updated steering wheel and infotainment make it much better as a daily.



boxter? I would personally go with the cayman. I dislike convertibles myself. Especially the manuals are amazing to drive, love the cayman gt4. but thats sadly a whole different price level.




diagrammatiks said:


> I'm waiting for the next a45. If I'm buying a hair dryer I want it to be the craziest one.


'

sadly its pretty bad sounding, but the horse power out of a 2 liter engine is insane. I personally think the CLA looks amazing.


----------



## sakeido

diagrammatiks said:


> I mean what are you gonna do. they are just gonna keep getting faster /better but that car won't see a six again for at least a couple of generations.
> 
> I'm always doing stupid shit with 718s and a45s on my way to work. They do sound ridiculously bad.
> 
> Although the worst engine sound ever is my neighbors masarati. That thing just sounds broken.



The 6 is already back, you just gotta get the GT4. If its anything like last gen it's an extremely good investment. Two generations from now they'll probably all be electric or hybrids with a small generator to extend range.. I think the "best" and most involving engine driven cars have already been made and left showrooms and we're on the downhill without realizing it


----------



## diagrammatiks

sakeido said:


> The 6 is already back, you just gotta get the GT4. If its anything like last gen it's an extremely good investment. Two generations from now they'll probably all be electric or hybrids with a small generator to extend range.. I think the "best" and most involving engine driven cars have already been made and left showrooms and we're on the downhill without realizing it



Only available in a manual though. 

I think that there’s at least a few generations left of ice vehicles. 

But I’m not too worried. Driving a electric is different but it’s so much fun.


----------



## sakeido

diagrammatiks said:


> Only available in a manual though.
> 
> I think that there’s at least a few generations left of ice vehicles.
> 
> But I’m not too worried. Driving a electric is different but it’s so much fun.



https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/porsches-boxster-and-cayman-replacements-will-be-electric

not even two generations. next gen 718s are electric... I kinda figured that would be the case. It's not a GT cruiser, do-everything car like the 911 so it doesn't need a ton of range. They are really good candidates to electrify and will probably be a blast to drive.

And yeah while the inefficiency of petrol motors is fun, electrics are still a great driving experience. I'm driving my daily into the ground waiting on some better options


----------



## diagrammatiks

sakeido said:


> https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/porsches-boxster-and-cayman-replacements-will-be-electric
> 
> not even two generations. next gen 718s are electric... I kinda figured that would be the case. It's not a GT cruiser, do-everything car like the 911 so it doesn't need a ton of range. They are really good candidates to electrify and will probably be a blast to drive.
> 
> And yeah while the inefficiency of petrol motors is fun, electrics are still a great driving experience. I'm driving my daily into the ground waiting on some better options



My dad's Tesla is the only car I've gotten a speeding ticket in while in china.

My wife always laughs at me because my car is loud as hell when it's only going like 65 miles per hour.

I was out of the drive way in the Tesla and going 100 before the traffic light when I got pinged.

Last time I was back after the software update it wasn't even fair. our 75d will hit a sub 4 second 0-60 now.

electric cars are only going to get better and then only robots will be able to drive them because they will be too fast.


----------



## Riffer

Haven't posted in this thread in a while. Figured I'd show you guys what I have going on. I've got a 1972 Chevy Nova that I yanked the engine out of and gave it to a local shop for a performance build. The block was a stock chevy small block 350 that I had all redone. Put a 383 stroker kit in it and some nice AFR Aluminum 195cc heads, Erson Cam, hydraulic roller lifters, flat top pistons, forged scat crank, edelbrock air gap intake, all the nice stuff. Getting ready to choose a transmission now. Was looking into the 700r4 for the overdrive but I may just go with a nice TH350 or TH400 since they are just as tough but only have 3 speeds with no OD and I won't be doing that much highway driving anyway. 

This is how the engine started






This is after the shop did their cleaning, honing, boring, decking, and all other machine work.





The AFR heads





Assembled at the shop 




At home on a dolley and with the valve covers installed


----------



## sakeido

my first car was a '73 Nova with a 350 small block... it was a terrible first car for a 16 year old kid. So unsafe and powerful. Very cool build, nothin like a shiny new SBC


----------



## @zwen

Ride motorcycles, you filthy cagers.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

@zwen said:


> Ride motorcycles, you filthy cagers.



Come here in January and say that. 

I sold my last bike about three years ago. Just got sick of it being a paperweight most of the year. 

The funny thing is, I work right across from Harley Davidson.


----------



## @zwen

MaxOfMetal said:


> Come here in January and say that.
> 
> I sold my last bike about three years ago. Just got sick of it being a paperweight most of the year.
> 
> The funny thing is, I work right across from Harley Davidson.



I’m out in Southern California, and the weather is really nice, even when it’s overcast and raining. It was a steep learning curve, but I was sort of forced to pick up riding after I had wrecked my car and was too broke to fix it. A former boss of mine gave me a Fireblade as a gift. Now I’ve sort of acclimated to it and it’s my preferred mode of transport.


----------



## sleewell

not a car guy per se but i do love my german sedans. had a c class, sold it for this E350 4matic which has been my daily driver for about 6 years now. hope to have a S class next.


----------



## MikeNeal

So i picked this up as a project car. Pretty excited about this one.


----------



## narad

Niiice. I've been out of the car game for a long time but this is confusing me -- is that an actual GTR? Is it a silvia with GTR headlights?


----------



## MikeNeal

narad said:


> Niiice. I've been out of the car game for a long time but this is confusing me -- is that an actual GTR? Is it a silvia with GTR headlights?



it’s an R34 skyline, but not a GTR


----------



## guitaardvark

@zwen said:


> Fireblade





@zwen said:


> gift


----------



## narad

MikeNeal said:


> it’s an R34 skyline, but not a GTR



Ah cool. I'd love to get an R34 but storage is just super expensive in my area. Gawking at them daily though.


----------



## @zwen

View attachment 74009


guitaardvark said:


>



I literally worked 7 days a week, 18 hours a day for half a year at one point, to keep our small business afloat.


----------



## @zwen

guitaardvark said:


>


----------



## guitaardvark

@zwen said:


> View attachment 74009
> 
> 
> I literally worked 7 days a week, 18 hours a day for half a year at one point, to keep our small business afloat.


Yikes, you definitely deserved it then. Beautiful bike!


----------



## jaxadam

I don’t know why, but I think I’m getting one...

https://jalopnik.com/tesla-cybertruck-this-is-it-1839984174


----------



## MaxOfMetal

jaxadam said:


> I don’t know why, but I think I’m getting one...
> 
> https://jalopnik.com/tesla-cybertruck-this-is-it-1839984174



It's so absurd, I want it. 

I think the Rivian is the coolest electric truck that still looks like a regular half ton, but this thing has pizzazz. 

Also, cool to see a fellow Jalop on here.


----------



## jaxadam

MaxOfMetal said:


> It's so absurd, I want it.



That's how I feel. I didn't know what to expect, then I saw it and thought fuck that thing is ugly, I love it. It's like a DeLorean and Hummer had a baby.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

jaxadam said:


> That's how I feel. I didn't know what to expect, then I saw it and thought fuck that thing is ugly, I love it. It's like a DeLorean and Hummer had a baby.



Yeah.

I'm glad they didn't go for that weird semi-truck looking concept they released awhile back.


----------



## MoonJelly

I'll probably get one in a few years when the used market starts to fill out. Been wanting to go electric for a while, but for now it's still outside my reach as I'm still throwing most of my income at student loans.


....but


----------



## r33per

Just bought a Kia Stinger - 2.2 GT-line S

A car ran into my wife then the open door she was in front of. Thank God (literally) that she sustained what were (given the circumstances) superficial injuries and was back to work that day.

In the meantime, insurance provided me with a like for like courtesy car: had Mazda 6 tourer Sport Nav, got Kia Stinger 

Got a good settlement (Mazda declared a total loss), so bought a Stinger. Pickup on Saturday!


----------



## sakeido

too quiet so here's a bump

bad summer for driving the RX-7. Only did 400km. First the exhaust leaks came back so I couldn't take it on long drives. Then the ignition cylinder somehow broke so it won't start if it's below 8 degrees outside or so. Then it sprung a fuel leak that ran right onto the exhaust, so couldn't really drive it. It also sheared off the rear differential mount, so it was basically a torture chamber on wheels that made me feel like I could have passed out, crashed, exploded into flames and died at any time

It's up on jacks now and has been all winter taking up my only spot in the garage 

I figure it needs about a thousand bucks of work before it can even go back on the road and the laundry list of other things that would be "nice to have" is many thousands more... fix ignition, replace fuel fittings and go to aftermarket FPR, fix rear diff mount, new battery & relocate it at same time, electric fan, electric power steering conversion, re-upholster seats, re-condition power windows and add relays, same for sunroof, replace sunroof panel & paint, either remove spoiler & fill holes & paint or re-paint spoiler, figure out the stance so it stops rubbing, blah blah blah 

I'm starting to think the project car thing was a really bad idea and have been debating cashing out and turning it back into music gear or maybe invest in the house or something I've heard of called "retirement savings" 

such a cool car tho


----------



## Kobalt

I miss summer, and my car being clean.


----------



## p0ke

Kobalt said:


> I miss summer, and my car being clean.



Same here  My Focus is white, so in winter (which is mostly like extended autumn this year) it's just grey and looks like it's been to a rally competition or something despite only driving in the city. 
That's a nice looking Fiesta by the way, Ford really nailed that front grill design on the current models!


----------



## ExplorerMike

Well I sold off my ‘87 Grand National and picked this up to replace it. Way more reliable/easy to live with. It’s a 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. It’s much more enjoyable than the GN was.


----------



## DudeManBrother

sakeido said:


> too quiet so here's a bump
> 
> bad summer for driving the RX-7. Only did 400km. First the exhaust leaks came back so I couldn't take it on long drives. Then the ignition cylinder somehow broke so it won't start if it's below 8 degrees outside or so. Then it sprung a fuel leak that ran right onto the exhaust, so couldn't really drive it. It also sheared off the rear differential mount, so it was basically a torture chamber on wheels that made me feel like I could have passed out, crashed, exploded into flames and died at any time
> 
> It's up on jacks now and has been all winter taking up my only spot in the garage
> 
> I figure it needs about a thousand bucks of work before it can even go back on the road and the laundry list of other things that would be "nice to have" is many thousands more... fix ignition, replace fuel fittings and go to aftermarket FPR, fix rear diff mount, new battery & relocate it at same time, electric fan, electric power steering conversion, re-upholster seats, re-condition power windows and add relays, same for sunroof, replace sunroof panel & paint, either remove spoiler & fill holes & paint or re-paint spoiler, figure out the stance so it stops rubbing, blah blah blah
> 
> I'm starting to think the project car thing was a really bad idea and have been debating cashing out and turning it back into music gear or maybe invest in the house or something I've heard of called "retirement savings"
> 
> such a cool car tho
> View attachment 77018


FC’s are sick little cars. Also total money pits at this age


----------



## dr_game0ver

Today i saw a Suzuki Cappuccino. And that made me happy.


----------



## ExplorerMike

dr_game0ver said:


> Today i saw a Suzuki Cappuccino. And that made me happy.


They are so small it’s crazy. I’d love to drive one just to see how terrifying it is.


----------



## wannabguitarist

sakeido said:


> too quiet so here's a bump
> 
> bad summer for driving the RX-7. Only did 400km. First the exhaust leaks came back so I couldn't take it on long drives. Then the ignition cylinder somehow broke so it won't start if it's below 8 degrees outside or so. Then it sprung a fuel leak that ran right onto the exhaust, so couldn't really drive it. It also sheared off the rear differential mount, so it was basically a torture chamber on wheels that made me feel like I could have passed out, crashed, exploded into flames and died at any time
> 
> It's up on jacks now and has been all winter taking up my only spot in the garage
> 
> I figure it needs about a thousand bucks of work before it can even go back on the road and the laundry list of other things that would be "nice to have" is many thousands more... fix ignition, replace fuel fittings and go to aftermarket FPR, fix rear diff mount, new battery & relocate it at same time, electric fan, electric power steering conversion, re-upholster seats, re-condition power windows and add relays, same for sunroof, replace sunroof panel & paint, either remove spoiler & fill holes & paint or re-paint spoiler, figure out the stance so it stops rubbing, blah blah blah
> 
> I'm starting to think the project car thing was a really bad idea and have been debating cashing out and turning it back into music gear or maybe invest in the house or something I've heard of called "retirement savings"
> 
> such a cool car tho
> View attachment 77018



Yay project cars 

I feel your pain. I haven't driven my car more than a couple miles since October. Dropped it off at a body shop over the weekend to finally get it repainted, but what was supposed to be full respray and some insurance work kind of spiraled into fixing everything that's wrong with the car. The wait sucks, but it's super satisfying when everything starts to come together.

Bumper removed and liners cleaned:




I was surprised by how good everything looked since I completely destroyed my bumper at Willow Springs back in September 

Amuse R1 replica made by Shine auto. 90% of the way there, and I have no body work experience. Pretty happy with the quality:




I ended up having to trim about 1.5in from each side of the front crash bar to fit the new bumper. Apparently the JDM cars have a different front bar and fuck trying to import one of those.

Preemptively spent my tax return on a set of Wedssports TC105N. 17x9 +49 with 255 RS3s. I've been putting these on cars in Forza and Gran Turismo for well over a decade now. Feels good to finally have a set. Will probably paint them a dark bronze:





I'm hoping the body shop will be done by mid March since I have a couple of other things to take care of that I can't start until the car is back in my garage:
-Rebuilding all 4 brake calipers
-Stainless lines
-Fresh upper control arms all around
-Rear Spoon toe arm bushings
-Repair holes in the seats
-Raising the car a 1/4in to properly clear 255s (currently running 245s all around)
-Completely gutting the soft top and adding some sound deadening to the passenger compartment
-Retrofitting OEM window seals to my replica Mugen top
-Custom dual exit single muffler with OEM exhaust tips
-Fresh alignment

I've been saving and planning for all this for close to two years now but fuck it hurts watching the money go and knowing I won't have a usable car until the end of spring


----------



## sakeido

wannabguitarist said:


> Yay project cars
> 
> I feel your pain. I haven't driven my car more than a couple miles since October. Dropped it off at a body shop over the weekend to finally get it repainted, but what was supposed to be full respray and some insurance work kind of spiraled into fixing everything that's wrong with the car. The wait sucks, but it's super satisfying when everything starts to come together.
> 
> Bumper removed and liners cleaned:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was surprised by how good everything looked since I completely destroyed my bumper at Willow Springs back in September
> 
> Amuse R1 replica made by Shine auto. 90% of the way there, and I have no body work experience. Pretty happy with the quality:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I ended up having to trim about 1.5in from each side of the front crash bar to fit the new bumper. Apparently the JDM cars have a different front bar and fuck trying to import one of those.
> 
> Preemptively spent my tax return on a set of Wedssports TC105N. 17x9 +49 with 255 RS3s. I've been putting these on cars in Forza and Gran Turismo for well over a decade now. Feels good to finally have a set. Will probably paint them a dark bronze:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm hoping the body shop will be done by mid March since I have a couple of other things to take care of that I can't start until the car is back in my garage:
> -Rebuilding all 4 brake calipers
> -Stainless lines
> -Fresh upper control arms all around
> -Rear Spoon toe arm bushings
> -Repair holes in the seats
> -Raising the car a 1/4in to properly clear 255s (currently running 245s all around)
> -Completely gutting the soft top and adding some sound deadening to the passenger compartment
> -Retrofitting OEM window seals to my replica Mugen top
> -Custom dual exit single muffler with OEM exhaust tips
> -Fresh alignment
> 
> I've been saving and planning for all this for close to two years now but fuck it hurts watching the money go and knowing I won't have a usable car until the end of spring



gonna be sick bud!

hahah, if you saved up the money in advance you are doing better than me. I only just paid off the engine rebuild, standalone, stainless DP & GESI cat, coilovers, rims, tuning and all the other odds and ends I've done over the last couple years... and I have to do bodywork too at some point soon. I guess humidity up here is basically 0% all winter so it doesn't rust fast but the cancer has started and I gotta do something about it soon

the worst part is there is no money left for go fast parts this year, and I am totally used to the car's existing power. I need more, stat. I've gotta turn my garage into a usable work space and get a bunch of tools, too, and one of em in particular is very Not Cheap (tig welder). 

it's never gonna end is it


----------



## Kobalt

p0ke said:


> Same here  My Focus is white, so in winter (which is mostly like extended autumn this year) it's just grey and looks like it's been to a rally competition or something despite only driving in the city.
> That's a nice looking Fiesta by the way, Ford really nailed that front grill design on the current models!


Oh yeah, that kind of awful matte grey, it sucks. Same here.


----------



## bulb

wannabguitarist said:


> Yay project cars
> 
> I feel your pain. I haven't driven my car more than a couple miles since October. Dropped it off at a body shop over the weekend to finally get it repainted, but what was supposed to be full respray and some insurance work kind of spiraled into fixing everything that's wrong with the car. The wait sucks, but it's super satisfying when everything starts to come together.
> 
> Bumper removed and liners cleaned:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was surprised by how good everything looked since I completely destroyed my bumper at Willow Springs back in September
> 
> Amuse R1 replica made by Shine auto. 90% of the way there, and I have no body work experience. Pretty happy with the quality:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I ended up having to trim about 1.5in from each side of the front crash bar to fit the new bumper. Apparently the JDM cars have a different front bar and fuck trying to import one of those.
> 
> Preemptively spent my tax return on a set of Wedssports TC105N. 17x9 +49 with 255 RS3s. I've been putting these on cars in Forza and Gran Turismo for well over a decade now. Feels good to finally have a set. Will probably paint them a dark bronze:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm hoping the body shop will be done by mid March since I have a couple of other things to take care of that I can't start until the car is back in my garage:
> -Rebuilding all 4 brake calipers
> -Stainless lines
> -Fresh upper control arms all around
> -Rear Spoon toe arm bushings
> -Repair holes in the seats
> -Raising the car a 1/4in to properly clear 255s (currently running 245s all around)
> -Completely gutting the soft top and adding some sound deadening to the passenger compartment
> -Retrofitting OEM window seals to my replica Mugen top
> -Custom dual exit single muffler with OEM exhaust tips
> -Fresh alignment
> 
> I've been saving and planning for all this for close to two years now but fuck it hurts watching the money go and knowing I won't have a usable car until the end of spring


I want an s2000


----------



## wannabguitarist

sakeido said:


> it's never gonna end is it



It never does  



bulb said:


> I want an s2000



A few years ago I was drunk and jokingly offered to trade my car for your Blackmachine on FB. You said no and I told my friend "this asshole thinks his guitar is worth more than my car" (car was worth around $20k back then); turns out I don't know what Doug built Blackmachines are worth. Not that I would have gone through with that trade anyways. I was just some drunk asshole on the internet 

If you're in LA for an extended period of time there are a number of S2000 specialty shops (Rockstar Garage is my favorite) that could help track down a clean car and I know a couple of guys who are constantly buying, restoring, and selling S2000s as well. Let me know if you have any questions


----------



## bulb

wannabguitarist said:


> It never does
> 
> 
> 
> A few years ago I was drunk and jokingly offered to trade my car for your Blackmachine on FB. You said no and I told my friend "this asshole thinks his guitar is worth more than my car" (car was worth around $20k back then); turns out I don't know what Doug built Blackmachines are worth. Not that I would have gone through with that trade anyways. I was just some drunk asshole on the internet
> 
> If you're in LA for an extended period of time there are a number of S2000 specialty shops (Rockstar Garage is my favorite) that could help track down a clean car and I know a couple of guys who are constantly buying, restoring, and selling S2000s as well. Let me know if you have any questions


I have a friend out here who has a sick s2000 he has basically turned into a dedicated track/canyon car and he said he'd be happy to help me source one, i'm just out of parking spots at the moment which is a terrible 1st world problem, but one stopping me from getting one for now at least. AP1 or AP2?


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Got a new to me car last night, a 2018 S3, CPO...


----------



## Thall My Circuits

I'll play along. Here is a grainy, phone pic of my 2005 Subaru WRX daily driver. This is my second WRX and by far my favorite. Currently at 287K miles and lightly modified. I also have a 2016 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Premium 4WD, 1966 Mustang Coupe 285 V8, and a 2004 Mazda 3 2.3L


----------



## sakeido

bulb said:


> I have a friend out here who has a sick s2000 he has basically turned into a dedicated track/canyon car and he said he'd be happy to help me source one, i'm just out of parking spots at the moment which is a terrible 1st world problem, but one stopping me from getting one for now at least. AP1 or AP2?



AP1 for the 9,000 rpm rev limiter


----------



## ElysianGuitars

sakeido said:


> AP1 for the 9,000 rpm rev limiter


AP2 for virtually every other reason


----------



## Thall My Circuits

My friend Aaron has an INSANE s2000. I'm going to butcher the specs but I feel like it's an AP2 2.4L stroker with a different head. He does almost all of the fab work himself from the welding to the carbon bits. He had to move to a T56 Viper-spec trans so he would stop shattering trans cases. As you can see from the sticker on his window, his Instagram is @Dr_Jekyll_S2K
Go check out his build


----------



## xzacx

Thall My Circuits said:


> My friend Aaron has an INSANE s2000. I'm going to butcher the specs but I feel like it's an AP2 2.4L stroker with a different head. He does almost all of the fab work himself from the welding to the carbon bits. He had to move to a T56 Viper-spec trans so he would stop shattering trans cases. As you can see from the sticker on his window, his Instagram is @Dr_Jekyll_S2K
> Go check out his build



Checked out his IG—that E34 wagon is even cooler to me!


----------



## Thall My Circuits

xzacx said:


> Checked out his IG—that E34 wagon is even cooler to me!


He's only had it a few months. I love it as well. He was quick to lower it and get some nice wheels. Says his plans are to eventually V10 swap it. After seeing his S2K, I don't doubt him


----------



## bulb

ElysianGuitars said:


> AP2 for virtually every other reason



ap1 motor in ap2 then?


----------



## bulb

ElysianGuitars said:


> Got a new to me car last night, a 2018 S3, CPO...



nice one! I had an S3 for a bit and I absolutely loved it, have fun with that one!


----------



## wannabguitarist

@ElysianGuitars congrats on the S3! Excellent little cars.



bulb said:


> I have a friend out here who has a sick s2000 he has basically turned into a dedicated track/canyon car and he said he'd be happy to help me source one, i'm just out of parking spots at the moment which is a terrible 1st world problem, but one stopping me from getting one for now at least. AP1 or AP2?



Personally it's AP2 all the way. The F22C makes more power everywhere under the curve and even though they're both rated at 240hp the 2.2L cars tend to dyno slightly higher. 06+ models will dyno ever so slightly higher as well as those cars have a larger throttle body and intake manifold compared to the 04-05 cars.

Quick and dirty summary:

00-03: F20C, 9,000 rpm, funky rear geometry that makes the cars more twitchy, 16in wheels
04-05: F22C, 8,200 rpm, stronger transmission synchros, shorter 1-4 gears, longer 5-6, stronger diff, engine burns less oil, more reliable valvetrain, new rear subframe with adjusted suspension geometry that makes the car less twitchy, and 17in wheels. Most of these things can be updated by transferring AP2 parts to an AP1 but at some point you're just building an AP2 
06-09: Switch from drive by cable to drive by wire. Some people claim they can tell the difference in response but I call BS. Larger throttle body and intake manifold, defeatable traction control (on/off switch on the dash), cheapest/easiest car to tune (just requires Hondata) but harder to boost due to changes in the fuel system. My personal favorite because of how cheap it is to get more power (Hondata flashpro, a test pipe, and a tune costs under $900 and now my car revs to 8,500rpm and the VTEC switchover is at 3,700rpm vs around 6k for a stock car. More torque!).

In the end it comes down to personal preference, especially if you're going to mod the car. They're all very similar and you can't go wrong. Stock for stock an AP2 will be slightly quicker than an AP1 around a track, but again that's not really important because most people don't leave them stock.



Thall My Circuits said:


> My friend Aaron has an INSANE s2000. I'm going to butcher the specs but I feel like it's an AP2 2.4L stroker with a different head. He does almost all of the fab work himself from the welding to the carbon bits. He had to move to a T56 Viper-spec trans so he would stop shattering trans cases. As you can see from the sticker on his window, his Instagram is @Dr_Jekyll_S2K
> Go check out his build



Fuck that thing's a monster. Inline Pro head, v-mount setup, and a bunch of custom fabrication. Usually not my style but he's done a great job! It looks like he has an AP1 with AP2 headlights after browsing his IG.


----------



## bulb

wannabguitarist said:


> @ElysianGuitars congrats on the S3! Excellent little cars.
> 
> 
> 
> Personally it's AP2 all the way. The F22C makes more power everywhere under the curve and even though they're both rated at 240hp the 2.2L cars tend to dyno slightly higher. 06+ models will dyno ever so slightly higher as well as those cars have a larger throttle body and intake manifold compared to the 04-05 cars.
> 
> Quick and dirty summary:
> 
> 00-03: F20C, 9,000 rpm, funky rear geometry that makes the cars more twitchy, 16in wheels
> 04-05: F22C, 8,200 rpm, stronger transmission synchros, shorter 1-4 gears, longer 5-6, stronger diff, engine burns less oil, more reliable valvetrain, new rear subframe with adjusted suspension geometry that makes the car less twitchy, and 17in wheels. Most of these things can be updated by transferring AP2 parts to an AP1 but at some point you're just building an AP2
> 06-09: Switch from drive by cable to drive by wire. Some people claim they can tell the difference in response but I call BS. Larger throttle body and intake manifold, defeatable traction control (on/off switch on the dash), cheapest/easiest car to tune (just requires Hondata) but harder to boost due to changes in the fuel system. My personal favorite because of how cheap it is to get more power (Hondata flashpro, a test pipe, and a tune costs under $900 and now my car revs to 8,500rpm and the VTEC switchover is at 3,700rpm vs around 6k for a stock car. More torque!).
> 
> In the end it comes down to personal preference, especially if you're going to mod the car. They're all very similar and you can't go wrong. Stock for stock an AP2 will be slightly quicker than an AP1 around a track, but again that's not really important because most people don't leave them stock.
> 
> 
> 
> Fuck that thing's a monster. Inline Pro head, v-mount setup, and a bunch of custom fabrication. Usually not my style but he's done a great job! It looks like he has an AP1 with AP2 headlights after browsing his IG.



damn that’s comprehensive as fuck. I need more garage space...


----------



## micheal2MM

ElysianGuitars, wow, awesome car, and awesome photos!


----------



## ElysianGuitars

micheal2MM said:


> ElysianGuitars, wow, awesome car, and awesome photos!


Thanks, I love it.

Not too long ago, just around dawn, I was driving to the day job and it was pouring. Could hardly see anything, the headlights were useless. The stock LED HID's on this are good during clear conditions, but virtually invisible in heavy downpour. Decided I wanted to shift the color warmer, but couldn't find replacement bulbs that do this, as they are a proprietary Audi part, and there's only one option from Audi. Decided to go with an amber film on the headlights, as I don't mind the look, and I think it came out well, looks really sharp, in my opinion.


















Car is currently in the shop though. The Mechatronics unit that controls the DSG transmission failed, so getting replaced under warranty.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Picked up my car from the body shop today and had just enough time to test fit the new wheels before it started to rain. I might have to raise the car a bit to make sure the 255s safely clear up front, but right now I am beyond happy with the results.


----------



## budda

Man S2000's are sharp. A car I've been lowkey lusting for since the early 2000's .


----------



## narad

Yea, always dugged those. Especially with one of the aftermarket hardtops (spoon, IIRC? And IIRC, I'm really impressed since I stopped learning about cars in like 2004)

EDIT:

oh hell yes:


----------



## wannabguitarist

budda said:


> Man S2000's are sharp. A car I've been lowkey lusting for since the early 2000's .



Get one 



narad said:


> Yea, always dugged those. Especially with one of the aftermarket hardtops (spoon, IIRC? And IIRC, I'm really impressed since I stopped learning about cars in like 2004)
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> oh hell yes:



Too many people just go for a Spoon front bumper or fenders, which doesn't look right, but the full kit looks so badass. That white car actually used to frequent SoCal tracks occasionally. It's very pretty. I'd love a Spoon top but you lose the ability to use your trunk. I'm running a replica carbon Mugen hardtop right now. It's cheap (relatively), light, and fits well. 

Speaking of replicas, opinions on replica vs authentic parts in the automotive world is strange compared to guitars. No one blinks an eye at people building Strat or Les Paul copies, but if you run replica car parts the community, especially JDM guys, pulls the pitchforks out. Car people are weird


----------



## budda

wannabguitarist said:


> Get one



This will require a lottery win .


----------



## Adieu

ElysianGuitars said:


> Car is currently in the shop though. The Mechatronics unit that controls the DSG transmission failed, so getting replaced under warranty.



...tranny trouble already?

Daaang. That didn't take long.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Adieu said:


> ...tranny trouble already?
> 
> Daaang. That didn't take long.


It's got 33k on it now, and there's a TSB on this specific issue.


----------



## _MonSTeR_

Well my WRX STi has been sitting on the drive as I'm working from home these days. Tried to fire it up yesterday to go get groceries. NOTHING. Battery dead as a do-do... 

I've never actually had to charge a car battery! Wish me luck - Negative terminal off first right?


----------



## Furtive Glance

Assuming you haven't fried yourself by now, I use the following:

Red Dead (-)
Red Live
Black Live (+)
Black Ground


----------



## jaxadam

_MonSTeR_ said:


> I've never actually had to charge a car battery! Wish me luck - Negative terminal off first right?



I have always done it this way: positive off first, then negative. Negative back on first then positive.


----------



## _MonSTeR_

I didn’t die, but I did have help! My neighbour is a mechanic, saw me struggling with an iPad and an open hood on the car and sorted everything out in about 45 seconds, all with maintaining a 6ft distance! 

I’m doing a basic mechanics course as soon as the local college reopens!


----------



## jaxadam

jaxadam said:


> I have always done it this way: positive off first, then negative. Negative back on first then positive.



So I have been doing this backward for most of my life. This is a good explanation for doing negative first:

https://www.etrailer.com/question-211991.html


----------



## Crash Dandicoot

On E85 and 30 PSI of boost, any guesses what she dyno'd at?


----------



## bulb

fun drive in the perf in 4k/60:


thought some of you might enjoy, also debating replacing the cayman gts with a manual gt3 as a long term car, this would be a car for everything, canyons, cruises, daily stuff and the occasional track day, my question to you:
wing or no wing?
comfort or cf seats?
steel or pccb?


----------



## Millul

bulb said:


> fun drive in the perf in 4k/60:
> 
> 
> thought some of you might enjoy, also debating replacing the cayman gts with a manual gt3 as a long term car, this would be a car for everything, canyons, cruises, daily stuff and the occasional track day, my question to you:
> wing or no wing?
> comfort or cf seats?
> steel or pccb?




My, mostly uneducated, poor-man feedback for the dJent mastermind:
Wing (looks are looks)
Comfort seats (if track days are to be occasional, might as well survive potholes on standard roads)
Steel (if track days are to be occasional, might as well be able to brake on rainy days)


----------



## Millul

Crash Dandicoot said:


> On E85 and 30 PSI of boost, any guesses what she dyno'd at?



"a fuckton"?

Was there a 6 as 1st digit on the readings? Or a 7?


----------



## _MonSTeR_

bulb said:


> fun drive in the perf in 4k/60:
> 
> 
> thought some of you might enjoy, also debating replacing the cayman gts with a manual gt3 as a long term car, this would be a car for everything, canyons, cruises, daily stuff and the occasional track day, my question to you:
> wing or no wing?
> comfort or cf seats?
> steel or pccb?




I’ve always understood that a manual GT3 is essentially Porsche’s intended opposite of an everyday car... 

That said,

1) wing. 
2) cf seats
3) ceramic brakes.

Go big or go home.


----------



## narad

Crash Dandicoot said:


> On E85 and 30 PSI of boost, any guesses what she dyno'd at?



Probably puts down about 650 pounds of my childhood dreams and aspirations.


----------



## sakeido

Crash Dandicoot said:


> On E85 and 30 PSI of boost, any guesses what she dyno'd at?



I can't tell which turbo that is but on E85 I'd guess you are in the neighborhood of 1,000 at the wheels 

That shit is crazy. My buddy's flex fuel Subaru makes something like 450whp on E85 and maybe 320 on gas. Fuel economy is a huge downside, but hey it's like nitrous that's on all the time


----------



## Crash Dandicoot

@Millul @narad @sakeido 1100whp, give or take. It's got enough injector/fuel to go higher but with Eagle rods failure rate being way too high (a fact learned after building the engine) and they're only rated for 1200hp so trying to play it safe...ish. That's a Precision 7675 turbo, if you're curious. To clarify this is my dad's Supra, mine is only 550whp on 94 octane. He's got the crazy drag racing thing (and budget) in mind, I'm more interested in a trackable car.


----------



## _MonSTeR_

How much horsepower?

All of it.


----------



## Millul

1100...well, I was thinking about something you can actually drive around 
Crazy numbers, and crazy cool family, dude!!!


----------



## wannabguitarist

Wasn't expecting Bulb on the Smoking Tire! Great episode.


----------



## Given To Fly

_MonSTeR_ said:


> I’ve always understood that a manual GT3 is essentially Porsche’s intended opposite of an everyday car...
> 
> That said,
> 
> 1) wing.
> 2) cf seats
> 3) ceramic brakes.
> 
> Go big or go home.



Agreed. 
The manual transmission is the part I really like though. 

As to the video, have you ever seen a police officer on that road? Just trying to understand how the world works. The road seemed well maintained, no pot holes, which is always nice.


----------



## Crash Dandicoot

Boys, it's all coming together. Picked up pop's Supra from the bodyshop a few weeks ago:






Porsche's 'Volcano Grey', fyi. Looks dynamite in person.

In the realm of less ridiculous Supras I picked up some SRT8 Grand Cherokee brembos from a wrecker for a _steal _the other day, gonna install them with some custom brackets on some IS F rotors - it's turning out to be a relatively inexpensive way to get serious stopping power. These things are MASSIVE:






Also relocated the battery to the trunk, sorted out the overflow reservoir situation and a couple other odds and ends the other day. Making solid progress!











Please ignore the messy shop, I can't tell the man how to organize anything


----------



## GoldDragon

_MonSTeR_ said:


> Well my WRX STi has been sitting on the drive as I'm working from home these days. Tried to fire it up yesterday to go get groceries. NOTHING. Battery dead as a do-do...
> 
> I've never actually had to charge a car battery! Wish me luck - Negative terminal off first right?



Get a battery tender. Its something you hook up when the car is in storage.

Battery will go dead if car not being driven.

A battery charger, you have to take off when charged or it will fry battery.

A battery powered jump starter, charging the battery with an alternator, and a battery tender is the best buy.


----------



## _MonSTeR_

Ironic that this has come up again today - just tried to start it again and it's dead as a do-do. Again.

Going to have to get a new battery and keep it charged properly. At least now that the UK is lifting lockdown a bit more, I can warrant using my car a bit more.


----------



## ExplorerMike

Agree with GoldDragon....Battery Tender is money well spent.


----------



## sakeido

Well I got my TIG welder... it took two weeks of furious cleaning and re-organizing of the whole house to actually make a space for it. Garage looks absolutely fantastic now.

Then I found out there's shortages on basically everything else I needed locally due to COVID... can't get decent sized cylinders, can't get welding rods in the diameters or grades I need, they only have a scattered assortment of consumables, and it's gonna stay that way for the next month minimum unless I feel like going to Acklands and paying double.

So probably gonna send this stuff back for now and try again when things have calmed down a bit. I'll probably go for a more expensive machine too. This thing is pretty decent, HF start sparks up instantly and it's holding a great arc but torch is pretty crappy and the foot pedal is SO bad. So I'm thinkin the Everlast range might be good but can't say I'm blown away by their cheapest model.. it's the welder equivalent to the cheapest Squire, basically. Sure it works, you could probably do some sick welds on it if you really knew your shit, but it's not exactly sparking joy 

The Strong Hand Nomad table is fantastic though... keeping that. Gonna use it as a outfeed for my table saw for now. Recommend it to anybody needing a heavy duty portable table.


----------



## bulb

Thinking about a civic type r, never thought I’d actively want a FWD car, but I rented one I while back and it kinda blew me away. Plus when you are inside and actually driving it you don’t have to see the horrible styling with your own eyes. Insane grip.


----------



## narad

bulb said:


> Thinking about a civic type r, never thought I’d actively want a FWD car, but I rented one I while back and it kinda blew me away. Plus when you are inside and actually driving it you don’t have to see the horrible styling with your own eyes. Insane grip.



Current gen?


----------



## bulb

yup!


----------



## Lindmann

Got a Kouki Wing on my Silvia now.
Wow...so much better looking than the tiny stock one.


----------



## _MonSTeR_

bulb said:


> Thinking about a civic type r, never thought I’d actively want a FWD car, but I rented one I while back and it kinda blew me away. Plus when you are inside and actually driving it you don’t have to see the horrible styling with your own eyes. Insane grip.



The next gen one has been spotted testing already (not just the mid-cycle facelift of the current one) so it might be about to get even grippier! Can you get the current Type R without the all the aero? I know there was talk of doing a more "sleeper" looking version.


----------



## sakeido

_MonSTeR_ said:


> The next gen one has been spotted testing already (not just the mid-cycle facelift of the current one) so it might be about to get even grippier! Can you get the current Type R without the all the aero? I know there was talk of doing a more "sleeper" looking version.



yup Honda announced it for the 2020 model year. It just swaps the rear wing out for a smaller one, so it's still super ugly. The base Civic is so hideous Honda deserves a trophy for finding a way to make it even worse.

imo the Type R is just too far over the line in terms of cosmetics, the driving experience is good no doubt but I wouldn't want to be caught dead driving that car.. never mind pay money for one. There's a lot of interesting stuff coming out near-future I'd rather have instead. Mk8 GTI for instance.



Lindmann said:


> Got a Kouki Wing on my Silvia now.
> Wow...so much better looking than the tiny stock one.



extremely hot. underappreciated car, imo. Kouki S14s are right up there with the S15

dog is my co-pilot


----------



## bulb

_MonSTeR_ said:


> The next gen one has been spotted testing already (not just the mid-cycle facelift of the current one) so it might be about to get even grippier! Can you get the current Type R without the all the aero? I know there was talk of doing a more "sleeper" looking version.


Ah there's always a new one, however something else that makes that car attractive is how well it has held value, so it truly wouldn't cost much to own one for a year or two!


----------



## _MonSTeR_

bulb said:


> Ah there's always a new one, however something else that makes that car attractive is how well it has held value, so it truly wouldn't cost much to own one for a year or two!



In that case, you should definitely get one and "just have fun with it"  Also... if you do get a Guntherwerks - We need a limited editiion matching guitar from you limited to 25 examples as well!!! Just sayin'


----------



## NickB11

Figured I would post my new baby - picked up an M2 earlier this year and have been loving it! It has some M goodies including the MPerformance exhaust which sounds incredible. I almost snagged an F80 M3 but decided to get the coupe before I really need a sedan, as the size of the M2 is ideal and so nimble (not to mention it sounds way better). I’m also in the process of restoring a MKIV Supra (pic below is right after it was towed to my place after being out of commission and in a leaky garage for years). Below are a few pics but I actually just started an instagram documenting my restoration on the Supra and throw in some M2 mods every once in a while - @mysuprastory - cheers!


----------



## ThePIGI King

@NickBen standard or automatic?

Also which M2 did you get exactly? Once the house is paid off (in my dreams) I'd love the M2 Competition in that ultra sexy blue.

Congrats in any event. M2 is probably my favorite actually obtainable car even.


----------



## NickB11

ThePIGI King said:


> @NickBen standard or automatic?
> 
> Also which M2 did you get exactly? Once the house is paid off (in my dreams) I'd love the M2 Competition in that ultra sexy blue.
> 
> Congrats in any event. M2 is probably my favorite actually obtainable car even.



It’s the auto - the DCT is a lot of fun and super fast and I have the Supra when I need my manual fix. It’s a 2018 M2 - I just really enjoy the sound and platform of the N55 engine. The M2c is obviously epic as well - I really liked the interior since you get the m4 seats, but overall the standard M2 was a better fit for me. I also really wanted to do the mineral gray/black/carbon aesthetic, so this spec worked out for me! My prior car was an M235i so I had some experience modding the N55 and had no reliability or issues in general.


----------



## bulb

_MonSTeR_ said:


> In that case, you should definitely get one and "just have fun with it"  Also... if you do get a Guntherwerks - We need a limited editiion matching guitar from you limited to 25 examples as well!!! Just sayin'



If I ever end up with a guntherwerks, I promise I will.


----------



## bulb

NickBen said:


> It’s the auto - the DCT is a lot of fun and super fast and I have the Supra when I need my manual fix. It’s a 2018 M2 - I just really enjoy the sound and platform of the N55 engine. The M2c is obviously epic as well - I really liked the interior since you get the m4 seats, but overall the standard M2 was a better fit for me. I also really wanted to do the mineral gray/black/carbon aesthetic, so this spec worked out for me! My prior car was an M235i so I had some experience modding the N55 and had no reliability or issues in general.



You did good, m2 is one of bmws finest cars, spiritual successor to the old m3, and personally id take one over the m4 every time. Also, as much as I love manuals, never been a fan of these bmw manuals, and the dct is so good, I can’t fault you for that. Take that thing to an autocross or track day, you will have fun with it!


----------



## Lindmann

sakeido said:


> extremely hot. underappreciated car, imo. Kouki S14s are right up there with the S15


I believe it depends on the country/marked that your're looking at.

To me it appears that in the US the S14 240s are regarded as shit boxes that often times end up as cheap drift cars.
Seeing so many of them with mismatched body panels, dented and with horrible diy paint jobs makes me think so.

While over here in Europe S13s and S14 Zenkis are considered cheap drift cars. S14 Koukies might have exeeded the price limit over the years.
I see more and more people using their koukies as well-cared weekend fun mobiles and getting cheap BMWs for drifting / as beater cars.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's not a country/marked thing. Could be the latest price progression of 90s japanese RWD turbo cars as well.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

sakeido said:


> dog is my co-pilot
> View attachment 81629


Haven't seen a 10AE in a LONG time. Love FC's. Want to get another one, but too hung up on E30s right now.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Just test drove a model Y performance today and holy crap that acceleration no matter what speed you’re going. I have an Audi S4 and getting back in it after the test drive I couldn’t believe how slow it felt.


----------



## sakeido

ElysianGuitars said:


> Haven't seen a 10AE in a LONG time. Love FC's. Want to get another one, but too hung up on E30s right now.



Haha well, that makes sense. E30s are ludicrously cool cars. But if you really do want an FC, you should start looking soon... practically impossible to find clean ones anymore. They're appreciating fast cuz drifting has killed so many of them off.

Definitely not many 10AEs left. They were never common to begin with.. they make more Huracans in a year. The "special edition" paint typically comes flaking off in huge sheets so a lot of 10AEs have rusted away to nothing.. there was one local I looked at as a parts car, it was in such horrible shape you'd swear they abandoned it on a beach and let it get swept away by the ocean.


----------



## bulb

ElysianGuitars said:


> Haven't seen a 10AE in a LONG time. Love FC's. Want to get another one, but too hung up on E30s right now.


I might be off the mark, but I do feel like they aren’t as ludicrously expensive as they were a few years back. Saw an m3 for sale for under 50k with 85k miles, but it did look like it had race seats and some mods...


----------



## bulb

TheShreddinHand said:


> Just test drove a model Y performance today and holy crap that acceleration no matter what speed you’re going. I have an Audi S4 and getting back in it after the test drive I couldn’t believe how slow it felt.


The electric car acceleration party trick is real. Combustion engines just can’t do that, even with similar looking figures. With that said, on a twisty backroad, I’d choose an s4 every time!


----------



## ElysianGuitars

bulb said:


> I might be off the mark, but I do feel like they aren’t as ludicrously expensive as they were a few years back. Saw an m3 for sale for under 50k with 85k miles, but it did look like it had race seats and some mods...


Oh I'm hung up on the non-M E30s I already own  My wife would kill me if I got another project


----------



## ElysianGuitars

sakeido said:


> Haha well, that makes sense. E30s are ludicrously cool cars. But if you really do want an FC, you should start looking soon... practically impossible to find clean ones anymore. They're appreciating fast cuz drifting has killed so many of them off.
> 
> Definitely not many 10AEs left. They were never common to begin with.. they make more Huracans in a year. The "special edition" paint typically comes flaking off in huge sheets so a lot of 10AEs have rusted away to nothing.. there was one local I looked at as a parts car, it was in such horrible shape you'd swear they abandoned it on a beach and let it get swept away by the ocean.


Yeah, if I ever wind up getting one again it wouldn't even matter if it was a Turbo II or not, I'd build what I wanted anyways. I almost never see any RX7s in Austin.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

bulb said:


> The electric car acceleration party trick is real. Combustion engines just can’t do that, even with similar looking figures. With that said, on a twisty backroad, I’d choose an s4 every time!



Obviously I had limited time with it but for the few roads I got to go down that had some twists, the Y was very well planted and handled pretty well for what it is. I was very surprised.


----------



## diagrammatiks

TheShreddinHand said:


> Just test drove a model Y performance today and holy crap that acceleration no matter what speed you’re going. I have an Audi S4 and getting back in it after the test drive I couldn’t believe how slow it felt.



Constant torque is a hella of a thing. Straight line acceleration is bonkers.


----------



## narad

I don't have a space for a car at the moment but damn, rewatching this video really makes me want one:


----------



## Spicypickles

Anybody rocking Recaro seats in their whip?


----------



## _MonSTeR_

narad said:


> I don't have a space for a car at the moment but damn, rewatching this video really makes me want one:




There is a house near my wife's workplace that has one of those on the driveway in bright yellow. So wrong and yet so right?!?!?!


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Seen a lot of mention of Avalon King's Armor Shield ceramic coating on automotive Youtube lately, so bought some a while back to give it a try. Finally got time to do that this weekend, and the S3 looks like a million bucks. Seems to work as advertised too, a bird tried to take a crap on my car and it literally fell right off the car. Pics, before the bird crap:



















And I still have enough left in the bottle to do the car at least 1-2 times more. I'm pretty happy for now, we'll see how it holds up long term. Thinking about doing my Colorado, since it still has like new paint 2 years later.


----------



## jaxadam

ElysianGuitars said:


> Seen a lot of mention of Avalon King's Armor Shield ceramic coating on automotive Youtube lately, so bought some a while back to give it a try. Finally got time to do that this weekend, and the S3 looks like a million bucks. Seems to work as advertised too, a bird tried to take a crap on my car and it literally fell right off the car. Pics, before the bird crap:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And I still have enough left in the bottle to do the car at least 1-2 times more. I'm pretty happy for now, we'll see how it holds up long term. Thinking about doing my Colorado, since it still has like new paint 2 years later.



What did you use to apply it? I've been told by detailers here not to do ceramics if you like to wax your own car, so I've steered clear.


----------



## narad

ElysianGuitars said:


> Seen a lot of mention of Avalon King's Armor Shield ceramic coating on automotive Youtube lately, so bought some a while back to give it a try. Finally got time to do that this weekend, and the S3 looks like a million bucks. Seems to work as advertised too, a bird tried to take a crap on my car and it literally fell right off the car. Pics, before the bird crap:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And I still have enough left in the bottle to do the car at least 1-2 times more. I'm pretty happy for now, we'll see how it holds up long term. Thinking about doing my Colorado, since it still has like new paint 2 years later.



That looks great. I'd never heard of these coatings... so many cool finish tech out there these days...


----------



## ElysianGuitars

jaxadam said:


> What did you use to apply it? I've been told by detailers here not to do ceramics if you like to wax your own car, so I've steered clear.


Used the applicator pad they included, it's a wipe on/buff off coating. I'm sure it's not as awesome as the professional stuff, but I did this because I don't really have time to wash my car as regularly as I like, was hoping for a simpler solution.


----------



## Mattykoda

This is why I ceramic coat my wheels. I hate cleaning wheels and coating makes it super easy. I haven’t done a car coating yet but trim and wheels I like to do so then you don’t have to worry about them. The prep is what matters most.

@ElysianGuitars that paint looks great. No high spots on the coating or anything?


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Mattykoda said:


> This is why I ceramic coat my wheels. I hate cleaning wheels and coating makes it super easy. I haven’t done a car coating yet but trim and wheels I like to do so then you don’t have to worry about them. The prep is what matters most.
> 
> @ElysianGuitars that paint looks great. No high spots on the coating or anything?


I forgot to clean the wheels when I did all this, but I was considering doing the coating on them as well. These wheels are super easy to clean but I'd still rather not 

This coating is likely only microns thick, so don't think there'd be any high spots. Whatever there is, it looks incredible in person. Went to the grocery and getting in and out of the car I just had to stop and look at it.


----------



## Furtive Glance

I think it looks pretty damn good. I would certainly spring for that kind of a coating were I to own a newer car, or maybe after having a full correction done.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

Unrelated but nobody I know IRL is into cars at all so I thought I'd post it here:

I think my stupid impractical dream car is an El Camino. Probably a 1968-9, but maybe even one of the ugly ones from the 80s. But with a big blower coming out of the hood, black, with white racing stripes. I don't know why. Maybe it's Archer.


----------



## LordCashew

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Unrelated but nobody I know IRL is into cars at all so I thought I'd post it here:
> 
> I think my stupid impractical dream car is an El Camino. Probably a 1968-9...



Hell yeah! Love those. As a kid I had a neighbor with a red ‘67 that was also glorious.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Unrelated but nobody I know IRL is into cars at all so I thought I'd post it here:
> 
> I think my stupid impractical dream car is an El Camino. Probably a 1968-9, but maybe even one of the ugly ones from the 80s. But with a big blower coming out of the hood, black, with white racing stripes. I don't know why. Maybe it's Archer.


I had a 73 El Camino with a 74+ front end, loved that thing, even if it was a junker.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

ElysianGuitars said:


> I had a 73 El Camino with a 74+ front end, loved that thing, even if it was a junker.


I really wish I'd bought one when I lived in CA and biked to work everyday. They were EVERYWHERE out there and if it broke down... Who cares? I biked everywhere anyway. 

Oh well. I guess my genesis is fun too.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

i had way too many cars so i sold my 88 mklll turbo supra to my brother with the thought that i will concentrate all my efforts on my 95 mkiv supra that has been in the project stage for 3+ years. 

i had 8 cars and 2 crotch rockets at one time and am down to 4 and 0 bikes now...


----------



## bulb

test drove a manual 991.2 gt3 yesterday
that car is special, the fact that it came out in 2018 shows there's still hope
it's not the fastest, or the loudest, or the grippiest or the best at anything, and yet it's kinda perfect
i want one, either i'm upgrading the cayman to that eventually, or i'm gonna try to save up for a downpayment on a house and trade into a civic type-r and hope the 992 gt3 is even better.
advice?


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

M3CHK1LLA said:


> i had way too many cars so i sold my 88 mklll turbo supra to my brother with the thought that i will concentrate all my efforts on my 95 mkiv supra that has been in the project stage for 3+ years.
> 
> i had 8 cars and 2 crotch rockets at one time and am down to 4 and 0 bikes now...


My dad had an 88 mkiii non-turbo that he bought new when I was growing up. Sold it the year before I got my permit. That engine blew so many gaskets. Still wish I got to drive it.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

LiveOVErdrive said:


> My dad had an 88 mkiii non-turbo that he bought new when I was growing up. Sold it the year before I got my permit. That engine blew so many gaskets. Still wish I got to drive it.



yeah the 7m engine is notorious for bhg...

his motor was specifically the 7m-ge since it was n/a, mine was the 7m-gte which is the turbo version. too bad you didn't get to drive it because they are fun. heck, you could probably pick a decent one up for $8ķ to 15k depending on how much work your willing to do.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

M3CHK1LLA said:


> yeah the 7m engine is notorious for bhg...
> 
> his motor was specifically the 7m-ge since it was n/a, mine was the 7m-gte which is the turbo version. too bad you didn't get to drive it because they are fun. heck, you could probably pick a decent one up for $8ķ to 15k depending on how much work your willing to do.



My first car (which I bought in my mid twenties) ended up being a genesis coupe so that scratched that itch neatly.

I want to trade it for a subaru though. Rwd in Minnesota gets.... Challenging sometimes. Plus a canoe rack would be clutch.


----------



## wheresthefbomb

Just came here to complain.

I bought a 95 Isuzu Rodeo off the side of the road a few months ago, $800 USD, not bad. Had to learn how to drive stick to get it home, shout out to wikihow. 

It's old so I expected issues, a few days ago the battery died on me. No big deal, went and got a new one. Turns out it's not charging. Okay, again not the biggest deal, I call up my mechanic buddy and he takes a look, tells me I probably need a new alternator. At this point, I'd also been told the power steering belt was loose when I bought it, and he told me the adjuster was maxed out and I probably needed a new belt. I look up some youtube videos and do my best "aw hell, I can do that!" and set off to Napa.

Fast forward a few hours, I have to get the power steering belt off to inspect the alternator belt (might as well while I'm in here) so I figure I'll take care of that first. I get everything loosened up, and the pump isn't budging so I get my hammer and give it a few GENTLE taps on the steel plate where a breaker bar would attach. It moves free no problem, I swing it down and take the belt off and HOLY F***ING S*** I BROKE MY F***ING CAR WITH A HAMMER LIKE A BIG F***ING OAF F***!!!!!

The power steering pump mounts to a bracket, which mounts to the engine block by three bolts. Well, at least it did once upon a time. The power steering belt WAS loose. It was old and cracked, too. But that wasn't the only reason it was loose. It was also loose because of the three bolts that once attached this bracket to the engine block, the back one remains entirely, the middle one is shorn off where the bracket meets the engine block, and the only thing left of the third one is a lonely hole caked with the grime of ages.

Now of course, my first thought is that I sheared the bolt and broke my own car, but the odds of me shearing a bolt with a few gentle taps of a framing hammer are just... well.. not good. Closer inspection revealed that the area between the bracket and engine block were also caked with grime, which was a slight relief in that I now know *I* didn't destroy my vehicle.

So here I am, I have the new alternator in which is cool and was a great confidence boost cause I don't know anything about cars and did it all by myself, but my options for dealing with my power steering are as follows:

1. No power steering. This undesirable for obvious reasons, but also the car was $800 so I am prepared to accept this outcome.

2. Put the new belt on, tighten everything down and say "f*** it." This is my mechanic friend's advice and probably what I'll do, though I will keep a close eye on the pump and bracket. If the situation worsens any I'll switch to option 1.

3. Find a "new" bracket from a scrap yard and bolt it on with two new bolts. This is somewhat more likely than it sounds because everything that comes to interior Alaska stays here and there's probably not a lot of demand for 1995 Isuzu Rodeo Power Steering Pump Brackets. This solution involves the most assumptions (chiefly that I can find the part, and that the empty hole is salvageable ie not rusted or stripped out) but also has the best potential outcome. If I had a garage and a backup vehicle I wouldn't hesitate to go look for the part and disassemble half my engine on a "maybe," but as it stands that's not really in the cards for me.

In conclusions, cars are poor people traps and I'm real glad I bought a bicycle last year. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

wheresthefbomb said:


> Just came here to complain.
> 
> I bought a 95 Isuzu Rodeo off the side of the road a few months ago, $800 USD, not bad. Had to learn how to drive stick to get it home, shout out to wikihow.
> 
> It's old so I expected issues, a few days ago the battery died on me. No big deal, went and got a new one. Turns out it's not charging. Okay, again not the biggest deal, I call up my mechanic buddy and he takes a look, tells me I probably need a new alternator. At this point, I'd also been told the power steering belt was loose when I bought it, and he told me the adjuster was maxed out and I probably needed a new belt. I look up some youtube videos and do my best "aw hell, I can do that!" and set off to Napa.
> 
> Fast forward a few hours, I have to get the power steering belt off to inspect the alternator belt (might as well while I'm in here) so I figure I'll take care of that first. I get everything loosened up, and the pump isn't budging so I get my hammer and give it a few GENTLE taps on the steel plate where a breaker bar would attach. It moves free no problem, I swing it down and take the belt off and HOLY F***ING S*** I BROKE MY F***ING CAR WITH A HAMMER LIKE A BIG F***ING OAF F***!!!!!
> 
> The power steering pump mounts to a bracket, which mounts to the engine block by three bolts. Well, at least it did once upon a time. The power steering belt WAS loose. It was old and cracked, too. But that wasn't the only reason it was loose. It was also loose because of the three bolts that once attached this bracket to the engine block, the back one remains entirely, the middle one is shorn off where the bracket meets the engine block, and the only thing left of the third one is a lonely hole caked with the grime of ages.
> 
> Now of course, my first thought is that I sheared the bolt and broke my own car, but the odds of me shearing a bolt with a few gentle taps of a framing hammer are just... well.. not good. Closer inspection revealed that the area between the bracket and engine block were also caked with grime, which was a slight relief in that I now know *I* didn't destroy my vehicle.
> 
> So here I am, I have the new alternator in which is cool and was a great confidence boost cause I don't know anything about cars and did it all by myself, but my options for dealing with my power steering are as follows:
> 
> 1. No power steering. This undesirable for obvious reasons, but also the car was $800 so I am prepared to accept this outcome.
> 
> 2. Put the new belt on, tighten everything down and say "f*** it." This is my mechanic friend's advice and probably what I'll do, though I will keep a close eye on the pump and bracket. If the situation worsens any I'll switch to option 1.
> 
> 3. Find a "new" bracket from a scrap yard and bolt it on with two new bolts. This is somewhat more likely than it sounds because everything that comes to interior Alaska stays here and there's probably not a lot of demand for 1995 Isuzu Rodeo Power Steering Pump Brackets. This solution involves the most assumptions (chiefly that I can find the part, and that the empty hole is salvageable ie not rusted or stripped out) but also has the best potential outcome. If I had a garage and a backup vehicle I wouldn't hesitate to go look for the part and disassemble half my engine on a "maybe," but as it stands that's not really in the cards for me.
> 
> In conclusions, cars are poor people traps and I'm real glad I bought a bicycle last year. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.



Ugh, this reminds me of having to extract, drill, and tap for a new motor mount on a rust bucket 92' Cherokee. The damn thing crumbled to dust as I was trying to remove it and both bolts broke off straight on. That's a hot August afternoon I'll never forget.


----------



## p0ke

My battery gave up today as well. I don't think the alternator is busted because after jump starting the car and driving to town, it started just fine. I'm slightly worried about something draining the battery, but then again, the car has been warning about the battery randomly for almost a year. 
So fingers crossed that the new battery does the trick. I bought pretty much the best battery I could find too.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

I'm not in the market for one, but anyone have or know anyone with a 17' - newer Raptor? Curious about how they're holding up quality/reliability wise.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

TheShreddinHand said:


> I'm not in the market for one, but anyone have or know anyone with a 17' - newer Raptor? Curious about how they're holding up quality/reliability wise.



I have a co-worker with a 17' Scab he bought new. Fucking loves it. Hasn't had any problems as far as I know, but I'll ask him tonight. Anything in particular?


----------



## LordCashew

wheresthefbomb said:


> Just came here to complain.
> 
> I bought a 95 Isuzu Rodeo off the side of the road a few months ago, $800 USD, not bad. Had to learn how to drive stick to get it home, shout out to wikihow.
> 
> It's old so I expected issues, a few days ago the battery died on me. No big deal, went and got a new one. Turns out it's not charging. Okay, again not the biggest deal, I call up my mechanic buddy and he takes a look, tells me I probably need a new alternator. At this point, I'd also been told the power steering belt was loose when I bought it, and he told me the adjuster was maxed out and I probably needed a new belt. I look up some youtube videos and do my best "aw hell, I can do that!" and set off to Napa.
> 
> Fast forward a few hours, I have to get the power steering belt off to inspect the alternator belt (might as well while I'm in here) so I figure I'll take care of that first. I get everything loosened up, and the pump isn't budging so I get my hammer and give it a few GENTLE taps on the steel plate where a breaker bar would attach. It moves free no problem, I swing it down and take the belt off and HOLY F***ING S*** I BROKE MY F***ING CAR WITH A HAMMER LIKE A BIG F***ING OAF F***!!!!!
> 
> The power steering pump mounts to a bracket, which mounts to the engine block by three bolts. Well, at least it did once upon a time. The power steering belt WAS loose. It was old and cracked, too. But that wasn't the only reason it was loose. It was also loose because of the three bolts that once attached this bracket to the engine block, the back one remains entirely, the middle one is shorn off where the bracket meets the engine block, and the only thing left of the third one is a lonely hole caked with the grime of ages.
> 
> Now of course, my first thought is that I sheared the bolt and broke my own car, but the odds of me shearing a bolt with a few gentle taps of a framing hammer are just... well.. not good. Closer inspection revealed that the area between the bracket and engine block were also caked with grime, which was a slight relief in that I now know *I* didn't destroy my vehicle.
> 
> So here I am, I have the new alternator in which is cool and was a great confidence boost cause I don't know anything about cars and did it all by myself, but my options for dealing with my power steering are as follows:
> 
> 1. No power steering. This undesirable for obvious reasons, but also the car was $800 so I am prepared to accept this outcome.
> 
> 2. Put the new belt on, tighten everything down and say "f*** it." This is my mechanic friend's advice and probably what I'll do, though I will keep a close eye on the pump and bracket. If the situation worsens any I'll switch to option 1.
> 
> 3. Find a "new" bracket from a scrap yard and bolt it on with two new bolts. This is somewhat more likely than it sounds because everything that comes to interior Alaska stays here and there's probably not a lot of demand for 1995 Isuzu Rodeo Power Steering Pump Brackets. This solution involves the most assumptions (chiefly that I can find the part, and that the empty hole is salvageable ie not rusted or stripped out) but also has the best potential outcome. If I had a garage and a backup vehicle I wouldn't hesitate to go look for the part and disassemble half my engine on a "maybe," but as it stands that's not really in the cards for me.
> 
> In conclusions, cars are poor people traps and I'm real glad I bought a bicycle last year. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.



I bet the broken off bolt is big enough to extract. Drill down the center with a reverse threaded drill bit and pound a torx bit in the hole, as big of one as you can without risking messing up the threads in the block. I’ve had better luck getting torx bits to grab than any “screw extractor” I’ve tried - those all seem to be basically garbage.

Might also help to heat it with a torch and/or hit it with penetrating oil (not in close enough succession to cause a fire, of course...)


----------



## Adieu

LordIronSpatula said:


> I bet the broken off bolt is big enough to extract. Drill down the center with a reverse threaded drill bit and pound a torx bit in the hole, as big of one as you can without risking messing up the threads in the block. I’ve had better luck getting torx bits to grab than any “screw extractor” I’ve tried - those all seem to be basically garbage.
> 
> Might also help to heat it with a torch and/or hit it with penetrating oil (not in close enough succession to cause a fire, of course...)



Blowtorch, then touch an unlit candle to it. The wax will melt and wick into the threads and lubricate them.

Then hit it with a screw extractor.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

MaxOfMetal said:


> I have a co-worker with a 17' Scab he bought new. Fucking loves it. Hasn't had any problems as far as I know, but I'll ask him tonight. Anything in particular?



Nothing in particular. Just curious if there were any glaring quality issues to be aware of. Obviously not counting someone who bombs the truck off jumps or anything, haha!


----------



## sakeido

TheShreddinHand said:


> Nothing in particular. Just curious if there were any glaring quality issues to be aware of. Obviously not counting someone who bombs the truck off jumps or anything, haha!



new Fords are actually great vehicles. The Raptor especially, thing is super overbuilt. Treated nicely the only issues I'd worry about are the size. The things are HUGE. Totally incompatible with urban life, which is fine, cuz that's not what it's built for


----------



## Adieu

sakeido said:


> new Fords are actually great vehicles. The Raptor especially, thing is super overbuilt. Treated nicely the only issues I'd worry about are the size. The things are HUGE. Totally incompatible with urban life, which is fine, cuz that's not what it's built for



Not a problem, you get used to it pretty quick. It's about the same dimensions as a Suburban. Plenty of people drive those in cities.

Parking something that size used to be intimidating, but all the newer models have cameras, and many have 360 cameras which take all the stress out of it.


----------



## Furtive Glance

I'm not a truck person at all but I would totally own a Raptor. Either generation. Love those things.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Is it weird that I want to buy a 67 shelby cobra shell and put an electric motor in it?


----------



## TheShreddinHand

sakeido said:


> new Fords are actually great vehicles. The Raptor especially, thing is super overbuilt. Treated nicely the only issues I'd worry about are the size. The things are HUGE. Totally incompatible with urban life, which is fine, cuz that's not what it's built for



So I stopped by a dealership today just to look at em and looking underneath the truck in the rear, the transfer case and rear axle are already covered in rust on a brand new 75k truck. Amazing, isn’t even winter in PA yet! I can’t believe they don’t seal the undercarriage.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Finally got around to taking some decent pictures of my car after the repaint:


















I still need to install the OEM seals on my replica Mugen hardtop, but I'm in no rush. All of my drives are point A to point A and it's summer in San Diego. The soft top delete saved me around 60lbs which more than offsets the 30lbs of hardtop and related hardware.


----------



## Seabeast2000

Have we discussed these yet? I haven't studied these enough but it looks like two separate lines, each loaded with submodels and package options. Regular Offroad-intensive Bronco and the Sport Less Offroad-Intensive, I guess. Priced within modern reasonable standards. 

I'm excited but the roll-out is going to be another year or two, it seems, before you see them sitting on a lot after the pre-orders get delivered. 
Let your vehicular GAS specs run amok at www.ford.com/bronco .


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Seabeast2000 said:


> Have we discussed these yet? I haven't studied these enough but it looks like two separate lines, each loaded with submodels and package options. Regular Offroad-intensive Bronco and the Sport Less Offroad-Intensive, I guess. Priced within modern reasonable standards.
> 
> I'm excited but the roll-out is going to be another year or two, it seems, before you see them sitting on a lot after the pre-orders get delivered.
> Let your vehicular GAS specs run amok at www.ford.com/bronco .



I sold my last Jeep at the end of last year, and I've been aching for something to fill the void. 

A 2-door would be awesome. 

I just hope they don't botch the release of these like the new Explorer.


----------



## MFB

I get that it's the styling of the classic Bronco, but that front end does nothing for me, should've modeled it like they did the new Ranger instead of the "ENTIRE COMPANY BRAND/MODEL ON THE FRONT." The owner knows what they bought, and if someone is curious, they can check out the tailgate to find out. Looking at the specs, the base model for the 2-door says 7 speed manual/10 speed automatic, does that mean Ford has shifted into using VDT instead of the DCTs they've been using? (pardon the shift pun) I know my stepdad's Nissan currently has an issue with his and I believe there was a big recall on them not long ago, so if so, they might not be able to catch a break between that and the previous DCT recall that cost them in the ballpark of what, $4B or somewhere thereabouts? 

All that said, I'd still take a 90's Wrangler body and throw a newer engine/transmission under the hood


----------



## Seabeast2000

MFB said:


> I get that it's the styling of the classic Bronco, but that front end does nothing for me, should've modeled it like they did the new Ranger instead of the "ENTIRE COMPANY BRAND/MODEL ON THE FRONT." The owner knows what they bought, and if someone is curious, they can check out the tailgate to find out. Looking at the specs, the base model for the 2-door says 7 speed manual/10 speed automatic, does that mean Ford has shifted into using VDT instead of the DCTs they've been using? (pardon the shift pun) I know my stepdad's Nissan currently has an issue with his and I believe there was a big recall on them not long ago, so if so, they might not be able to catch a break between that and the previous DCT recall that cost them in the ballpark of what, $4B or somewhere thereabouts?
> 
> All that said, I'd still take a 90's Wrangler body and throw a newer engine/transmission under the hood



Good point, I think Ford spent a decade paying for those in warranty obligations and class action. I certainly would assume they abandoned that design but I don't know.


----------



## Seabeast2000

MaxOfMetal said:


> I sold my last Jeep at the end of last year, and I've been aching for something to fill the void.
> 
> A 2-door would be awesome.
> 
> I just hope they don't botch the release of these like the new Explorer.



What happened with the Explorer? Announced then delayed excessively?


----------



## MaxOfMetal

MFB said:


> I get that it's the styling of the classic Bronco, but that front end does nothing for me, should've modeled it like they did the new Ranger instead of the "ENTIRE COMPANY BRAND/MODEL ON THE FRONT." The owner knows what they bought, and if someone is curious, they can check out the tailgate to find out. Looking at the specs, the base model for the 2-door says 7 speed manual/10 speed automatic, does that mean Ford has shifted into using VDT instead of the DCTs they've been using? (pardon the shift pun) I know my stepdad's Nissan currently has an issue with his and I believe there was a big recall on them not long ago, so if so, they might not be able to catch a break between that and the previous DCT recall that cost them in the ballpark of what, $4B or somewhere thereabouts?
> 
> All that said, I'd still take a 90's Wrangler body and throw a newer engine/transmission under the hood



These are going to have more grill options than the F150, so there might be something that you dig.

The 10 speed is the same as the Explorer and Ranger, 7 is Magna/Getrag, so it should be solid.



Seabeast2000 said:


> What happened with the Explorer? Announced then delayed excessively?



Tons of quality issues and recalls. They practically had to rebuild folks' cars.

The IIHS results weren't great either.


----------



## Seabeast2000

MaxOfMetal said:


> Tons of quality issues and recalls. They practically had to rebuild folks' cars.
> 
> The IIHS results weren't great either.



I think this is just a very inefficient R&D approach.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Seabeast2000 said:


> I think this is just a very inefficient R&D approach.



Yeah, I guess they just released the Ford Explorer Public Beta.


----------



## Vostre Roy

Changed my summer car a little over a week ago. Been driving and enjoying my '87 Pontiac Trans Am (305cu, manual 5 speeds) for 4 years but I felt like I needed something a bit more useful for when I want to travel for several days. The T-Top on the T/A was good, but I was always worried that the humidity would end up messing the interior.




So a local guy was looking to get a vintage T/A or Camaro for his 2009 Dodge Charger SRT8, figured it was worth a try as I already own a 2017 Charger Rallye AWD and really enjoy driving it. After some discussion, agreement on extra money from my side and couple of smalls repairs on the T/A, here comes the new ride. 6.1L Hemi is packing a lots of power and rumble. I'm also a sucker for black car, so that Galaxy Black (maybe not the official name, but looks like it) is absolutely perfect. Plan to change the head and tail lights for something better, but beside that it just looks awesome. Already has a Catback exhaust, looking to upgrade the intake and add something to have a better response out of the throttle pedal / throttle body. Beside that, its already powerful enough for my needs, will probably try it at least once in a drag track but its mostly for joy riding.

Allright, couple of picture now


----------



## MoonJelly

Picked up this old boy for $1800. I'm calling him Eddie and everything is in exceptional condition, considering it's 25 years old. 









I'm gonna replace the leaf springs because they're flat like pancakes on a log. Lift in its future, and probably an ecoboost swap. 4wd works great so it's screaming for some off road trimmings


----------



## Adieu

MoonJelly said:


> Picked up this old boy for $1800. I'm calling him Eddie and everything is in exceptional condition, considering it's 25 years old.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm gonna replace the leaf springs because they're flat like pancakes on a log. Lift in its future, and probably an ecoboost swap. 4wd works great so it's screaming for some off road trimmings



Pretty decent looking, very babied exterior

Why an Explorer and not an Expedition though? Better deals there, lots of government surplus trucks, more compatibility with dirt-cheap F150 parts and hence modability, etc.


----------



## MoonJelly

Adieu said:


> Pretty decent looking, very babied exterior
> 
> Why an Explorer and not an Expedition though? Better deals there, lots of government surplus trucks, more compatibility with dirt-cheap F150 parts and hence modability, etc.



No emissions on '95 model (expedition would have me wait 2 years), interior is like the exterior. Plus the price was right! An expedition round here would have cost 2-3 times what I paid.

I would've picked up an older one if I could, wanted to do the whole jurassic park theme


----------



## Seabeast2000

I'm trying to figure out why the mid-size truck offerings are just a hair lower than the full size trucks. I don't see the gain outside of just smaller physical size. MPG to performance maybe? I can't keep up with every engine spec out there. If I'm getting 20 MPG in a 5.0L F150 4x4 and 20 MPG in a Toyota 3.5L 4x4 highway, I'll take the F150 for comfort and overall utility long-term. 
I say this after eyeballing several 2019/2020 trucks. Also looks like you can get a diesel in a RAM 1500 but not a cheap option.


----------



## Adieu

Seabeast2000 said:


> I'm trying to figure out why the mid-size truck offerings are just a hair lower than the full size trucks. I don't see the gain outside of just smaller physical size. MPG to performance maybe? I can't keep up with every engine spec out there. If I'm getting 20 MPG in a 5.0L F150 4x4 and 20 MPG in a Toyota 3.5L 4x4 highway, I'll take the F150 for comfort and overall utility long-term.
> I say this after eyeballing several 2019/2020 trucks. Also looks like you can get a diesel in a RAM 1500 but not a cheap option.



Probably because fullsize trucks traditionally have affordable barebones contractor and government-oriented submodels, while "midsizes" try to upsell you on bells and whistles at the stealership

There's obviously going to be overlap


Also, just-a-bit-smaller trucks are often marketed at chicks, families, etc., and then use "biggest/roomiest/etc in class" marketing language, so expect them to keep growing


----------



## MoonJelly

Yeah, everybody has a diesel 1/2 ton now. The silverado gets like 32mpg on the 20/21 model


----------



## Seabeast2000

MoonJelly said:


> Yeah, everybody has a diesel 1/2 ton now. The silverado gets like 32mpg on the 20/21 model



I'll check these out.

EDIT: Looks like F150's will have the 3.0L Powerstroke option for 2021.


----------



## MoonJelly

Concerning diesel 1/2 tons,

-Ram 1500 has had the ecodiesel...over a decade, anyway. The VM Motori/Fiat designs have been dropped in little dodge products even longer.
-F150 has had the 3.0 Powerstroke since 2018, albeit even on the used market they're extremely expensive.
-Silverado/Sierra was a bit late in 2020 with the 3.0 Duramax, but has the most mpg.

Smaller pickups like the Colorado/Canyon have had the 2.8l Duramax for a few years. Also the Jeep Grand has had the ecodiesel since 2011 or so.

I pondered doing a diesel swap in a midsize SUV for years, but looks like I've found a guy who's a good source for EcoBoost swaps near me, so I'll likely go that route once I've saved for a while. Right now he has a 2.3l from a mustang with a 6 speed manual that's super tempting, but I'm not there yet.


----------



## Seabeast2000

MoonJelly said:


> Concerning diesel 1/2 tons,
> 
> -Ram 1500 has had the ecodiesel...over a decade, anyway. The VM Motori/Fiat designs have been dropped in little dodge products even longer.
> -F150 has had the 3.0 Powerstroke since 2018, albeit even on the used market they're extremely expensive.
> -Silverado/Sierra was a bit late in 2020 with the 3.0 Duramax, but has the most mpg.
> 
> Smaller pickups like the Colorado/Canyon have had the 2.8l Duramax for a few years. Also the Jeep Grand has had the ecodiesel since 2011 or so.
> 
> I pondered doing a diesel swap in a midsize SUV for years, but looks like I've found a guy who's a good source for EcoBoost swaps near me, so I'll likely go that route once I've saved for a while. Right now he has a 2.3l from a mustang with a 6 speed manual that's super tempting, but I'm not there yet.



Well holy shit, I was not aware.
Dealer sites around here seem to be particularly bad about putting the word DIESEL in listings or im missing it all.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

The diesel options just aren't really that great unless you have very specific needs. Between gas engines getting more efficient, transmissions getting more gears, and the cost of diesel going up, unless you have a very long highway commute, don't do much city driving, and need to tow fairly often there's usually a gas model that's a better fit and for much less, not to mention actually available on dealer lots in the trim you want.


----------



## MoonJelly

MaxOfMetal said:


> The diesel options just aren't really that great unless you have very specific needs. Between gas engines getting more efficient, transmissions getting more gears, and the cost of diesel going up, unless you have a very long highway commute, don't do much city driving, and need to tow fairly often there's usually a gas model that's a better fit and for much less, not to mention actually available on dealer lots in the trim you want.


 Absolutely! It's sad we didn't have more stuff like the 1/2 tons in the late 90's, when diesel meant 1.5-2x better mpg and it was cheaper than gas. These newer offerings will be surpassed in a few years with the rise of electric pickups.

While I don't think ICE will be replaced any time soon, diesel tech will seem even more obsolete as electrics become a more common alternative to gas.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

MoonJelly said:


> Absolutely! It's sad we didn't have more stuff like the 1/2 tons in the late 90's, when diesel meant 1.5-2x better mpg and it was cheaper than gas. These newer offerings will be surpassed in a few years with the rise of electric pickups.
> 
> While I don't think ICE will be replaced any time soon, diesel tech will seem even more obsolete as electrics become a more common alternative to gas.





No one trusts diesel anymore since "Diesel-Gate", it killed them in Europe which was the main innovation hub for them. Not to mention DEF systems that rob performance and complicate what should be a more straightforward and reliable system.

It's dead tech outside of commercial use.

I'm pretty sure my next truck will be electric, at least hybrid. I was holding out for the hybrid F150, but my Ranger finally gave out after nearly 300k and I wasn't about to use my snow truck for anything else. So I grabbed a 19' F150 with 2.7 and love it. The most I ever haul is a car dolly or stuff to take to the dump/recycling center and still get >20 mpg with a mostly city route.

My snow truck is a 99' F350 regular can with the 7.3, it was already 15 years old and 150k in when I got it but it just won't die. It'll probably need new injectors in another 20k, but by then it'll have rusted to dust.


----------



## Adieu

MaxOfMetal said:


> No one trusts diesel anymore since "Diesel-Gate", it killed them in Europe which was the main innovation hub for them. Not to mention DEF systems that rob performance and complicate what should be a more straightforward and reliable system.
> 
> It's dead tech outside of commercial use.
> 
> I'm pretty sure my next truck will be electric, at least hybrid. I was holding out for the hybrid F150, but my Ranger finally gave out after nearly 300k and I wasn't about to use my snow truck for anything else. So I grabbed a 19' F150 with 2.7 and love it. The most I ever haul is a car dolly or stuff to take to the dump/recycling center and still get >20 mpg with a mostly city route.
> 
> My snow truck is a 99' F350 regular can with the 7.3, it was already 15 years old and 150k in when I got it but it just won't die. It'll probably need new injectors in another 20k, but by then it'll have rusted to dust.



I don't know about the 7.3, but injectors for a Ford 5.4 v8 were like 25 bucks a pop (originals no less!) from walmart.com and took like 2 minutes to install.... so it's not exactly a scary repair

Btw people are still selling old 99 F350s for like $15k, so don't let it rot to shit if you can


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Adieu said:


> I don't know about the 7.3, but injectors for a Ford 5.4 v8 were like 25 bucks a pop (originals no less!) from walmart.com and took like 2 minutes to install.... so it's not exactly a scary repair
> 
> Btw people are still selling old 99 F350s for like $15k, so don't let it rot to shit if you can



It's been a snow truck it's whole life, so it's probably more rust than metal at this point. I removed the bed before it rotted off and hard mounted a salt spreader. 

No one is buying this thing as I'm taking the snow equipment when it's time to junk. 

I didn't mean to imply the work was long or expensive, quite the opposite. All things considered this has been a super low maintenance vehicle after replacing all the hoses and exhaust when I got it.


----------



## Adieu

MaxOfMetal said:


> It's been a snow truck it's whole life, so it's probably more rust than metal at this point. I removed the bed before it rotted off and hard mounted a salt spreader.
> 
> No one is buying this thing as I'm taking the snow equipment when it's time to junk.
> 
> I didn't mean to imply the work was long or expensive, quite the opposite. All things considered this has been a super low maintenance vehicle after replacing all the hoses and exhaust when I got it.



Bodywork rot or frame rot?

If it's just body, swap and sell. Fords are super easy to wrench on.

Although if you need the money or have the time, even frame swaps are doable pretty cheap.... although that would be a hell of a DIY project


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Adieu said:


> Bodywork rot or frame rot?
> 
> If it's just body, swap and sell. Fords are super easy to wrench on.
> 
> Although if you need the money or have the time, even frame swaps are doable pretty cheap.... although that would be a hell of a DIY project



Everything is rusted out. 

I had a buddy who welds professionally work on the frame. He cut out some of the bad spots and boxed everything back in where needed. Definitely added another decade of life. 

These things are fairly common out here, so it's not exactly a hot commodity unless I throw in all the outboard gear, which is where the real value is.


----------



## jaxadam

Speaking of diesels, I’ve been waiting for the Toyota Tundra to come out with one. In 2014 the rumor was 2017 would be the year. Now it looks like it could be the 2022 coming out next fall. I’m very interested.

https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2020/07/2022-toyota-tundra-new-diesel-engine/


----------



## MaxOfMetal

I'm surprised they never brought over the diesel V8 used in the international (everywhere but here) Land Cruiser 200s. Displacement is just about right, and power figures would let it sit close to other full size diesel pickups. It's probably an emissions problem.


----------



## jaxadam

This was the original plan back in 2014:

https://www.wardsauto.com/technology/toyota-tundra-set-receive-cummins-diesel


----------



## sakeido

Bump



Decent summer for the car, didn't have to do anything to it just to keep it on the road. Just had to fix the fuel rail to delete the pulsation dampener... which was great, because I had already ordered the parts 2 years ago. Love it when that happens! So naturally, I took it out for its final drive, hit a speedbump like I was in my truck and bottomed out the driveshaft so now I need a new one of those.... good excuse to go aluminum, I guess. 

Body is starting to look ratty. Here's hoping my stocks go on a great run so I can get a quality refinish done... in this pic you can see the rocker that's gonna need a patch and the paint flaking off the spoiler. Classic cars are so fun


----------



## MoonJelly

Won't bore y'all with the gruesome details, but I managed to get my upgraded OME leaf springs, extra leaves from Supreme Suspensions, and KYB shocks on.

The back end could tow considerably more now, once the hitch is loaded on as well.

Next comes the front torsion bars and keys, and an alignment.











Also, this gonzo shot gives you an idea just how much rust is underneath.


----------



## bulb

Snagged a gt3 touring in Miami blue and it’s sweeeet
First manual I have actually owned funny enough!
I need to take some better pics of it:


----------



## Boofchuck

Hi everyone. I haven't posted any car stuff here yet. But I spent the last two days upgrading my suspension and brakes for my 1st gen Sequoia. I'm pretty stoked and I had a lot of fun with this project. Here's some before and after pictures. I'll upload a picture of the full vehicle tomorrow since we finished the project around dark tonight.


----------



## Boofchuck

Tested the suspension and started breaking in the new pads. I'm very pleased.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

sakeido said:


> Bump
> View attachment 85944
> 
> 
> Decent summer for the car, didn't have to do anything to it just to keep it on the road. Just had to fix the fuel rail to delete the pulsation dampener... which was great, because I had already ordered the parts 2 years ago. Love it when that happens! So naturally, I took it out for its final drive, hit a speedbump like I was in my truck and bottomed out the driveshaft so now I need a new one of those.... good excuse to go aluminum, I guess.
> 
> Body is starting to look ratty. Here's hoping my stocks go on a great run so I can get a quality refinish done... in this pic you can see the rocker that's gonna need a patch and the paint flaking off the spoiler. Classic cars are so fun



Is that a supra? And if so what year? My dad had an 87 when I was a kid that was awesome but blew head gaskets left and right. Sold it the year before I got my driving permit. Still upset about it.

Wait.... Have we had this conversation before? We may have.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Is that a supra? And if so what year? My dad had an 87 when I was a kid that was awesome but blew head gaskets left and right. Sold it the year before I got my driving permit. Still upset about it.
> 
> Wait.... Have we had this conversation before? We may have.


It's a 10th anniversary RX7.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

ElysianGuitars said:


> It's a 10th anniversary RX7.


Oh so it is. I'd have recognized it immediately if it were in yellow with a big black spoiler.

Beautiful.


----------



## Furtive Glance

Curious to hear opinions on the refreshed BRZ for 2022. I have no doubt it's a better car, engineering-wise, but man I can't say I even remotely like the external styling - but from what I've seen, I think I'm actually in the minority there.


----------



## p0ke

A bit hard to decide whether to post this here or the first world problems thread, but here goes anyway:

Goddamned winter tires mess again  The law here about using winter tires changed in such a way that you aren't required to use those at all unless the weather requires it. But who decides if the weather is bad enough? I'm a bit worried that it'll be slightly colder one day and then I get pulled over and get a ticket for wrong tires, and then the weather goes back to this 10°C (50°F) and rain bullshit.

Also, wife is driving to Helsinki for the weekend and forecast is showing there *might* be some snow on the way, but after the weekend it'll just keep raining and be pretty warm. The main issue of course being that the tires are studded, so they make considerably more noise than the normal ones, and I don't want to wear them out more than I have to... 

Of course the sensible choice would be to just do it, but ... ... ... I don't know...


----------



## _MonSTeR_

bulb said:


> Snagged a gt3 touring in Miami blue and it’s sweeeet
> First manual I have actually owned funny enough!
> I need to take some better pics of it:



Is this ‘as well as’ or ‘instead of’ the Performante?

Inquiring minds want to know.


----------



## bulb

_MonSTeR_ said:


> Is this ‘as well as’ or ‘instead of’ the Performante?
> 
> Inquiring minds want to know.


As well as!


----------



## p0ke

p0ke said:


> ... wife is driving to Helsinki for the weekend and forecast is showing there *might* be some snow on the way, ...



Bit of a followup on this: Well, didn't do anything about the winter tires, and of course, when we woke up today everything was covered in snow  So I quickly threw the tires in the trunk of the car before heading to work and my wife had them swapped before driving to Helsinki. I'm still pretty damned sure all the snow will be gone by next week and the grey autumn will resume though...


----------



## sakeido

Furtive Glance said:


> Curious to hear opinions on the refreshed BRZ for 2022. I have no doubt it's a better car, engineering-wise, but man I can't say I even remotely like the external styling - but from what I've seen, I think I'm actually in the minority there.



wasn't at all what I was hoping for... I think it looks worse too, and hate the motor. Subaru boxers can F right off. I was hoping for a Toyota power plant... like a downtuned version of the new Yaris GR turbo 3 cylinder or something like that.

with the price increase it'd be Miata all day every day for me


----------



## Seabeast2000

Was not expecting this in this form factor with that branding from that maker:


https://www.gmc.com/electric-truck/hummer-ev


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Did autocross again today, my 3rd event and the last event of the year. Here's my best run.



Came in 2nd in Novice class, got beat by a highly modified newer Civic Type R. Definitely not surprised by that


----------



## Church2224

I just got my first brand new vehicle- Ford F150 XL Work truck. Not fancy but everything I need for my landscaping business -


----------



## narad

Seabeast2000 said:


> Was not expecting this in this form factor with that branding from that maker:
> 
> 
> https://www.gmc.com/electric-truck/hummer-ev



Badass!


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Seabeast2000 said:


> Was not expecting this in this form factor with that branding from that maker:
> 
> 
> https://www.gmc.com/electric-truck/hummer-ev


Damn, cybertruck is gonna have some competition


----------



## wannabguitarist

Furtive Glance said:


> Curious to hear opinions on the refreshed BRZ for 2022. I have no doubt it's a better car, engineering-wise, but man I can't say I even remotely like the external styling - but from what I've seen, I think I'm actually in the minority there.



I want to wait until I see one in person (and drive it) to really judge the car. Definitely excited about the changes on paper; more power, more torque, more linear powerband, and a very minor weight gain. I'm taking buddy ND Miata shopping next weekend but I'm thinking it might be worth waiting a bit to see how the BRZ turns out.

Even if it's not a better car than the ND I think it's win. The world needs more cheap RWD manual cars.


----------



## Seabeast2000

I guess regular cab, short box pickups are extinct.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Seabeast2000 said:


> I guess regular cab, short box pickups are extinct.



In America at least. Unless you go through fleet sales, but they make it such a chore to give them money.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

it might be a sad day coming...

gonna be moving soon and may have to sell my 95 mkiv supra and one of my 93 fd rx7's


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

bulb said:


> Snagged a gt3 touring in Miami blue and it’s sweeeet
> First manual I have actually owned funny enough!
> I need to take some better pics of it:


pic no workie


----------



## bulb

M3CHK1LLA said:


> pic no workie


took it to streets of willow and it was such a damn treat!!


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

bulb said:


> took it to streets of willow and it was such a damn treat!!
> View attachment 87846



that is nice...

got some mods planned?


----------



## bulb

Might do a center/side bypass exhaust!


----------



## Church2224

MaxOfMetal said:


> In America at least. Unless you go through fleet sales, but they make it such a chore to give them money.



Not really. You can get a good F150 Regular Cab, short bed from Ford in what they call the XL Sport/ STX Trim. Just find a GOOD dealer to get what you want. I got the exact truck I wanted which they had to order, but I ordered it from a smaller locally owned dealer who also took 10k off of MSRP for me.

You can get exactly what you want, but it is all about the dealer and what they are willing to do for you. Fortunately, I found a smaller dealer who works well with me and gives me good pricing.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

GM is pushing the new corvette into a mid engine layout. Base package has 495 hp and goes 0-60 in 3 sec. hawt.
see 8:30
https://www.cnbc.com/video/2019/09/...ne-c8-is-a-major-change-as-sales-decline.html


----------



## diagrammatiks

KnightBrolaire said:


> GM is pushing the new corvette into a mid engine layout. Base package has 495 hp and goes 0-60 in 3 sec. hawt.
> see 8:30
> https://www.cnbc.com/video/2019/09/...ne-c8-is-a-major-change-as-sales-decline.html



do you live inside a rock....


----------



## KnightBrolaire

diagrammatiks said:


> do you live inside a rock....


when it comes to car shit, yeah


----------



## lewis

bulb said:


> took it to streets of willow and it was such a damn treat!!
> View attachment 87846


i dont even like Porsches but damn yours is so hot dude!
Probably the best colour for these cars ive seen.

My uncle had one in silver and that was nice (and crazy fast) but this colour shits on them in silver
(think this was his)


----------



## bulb

Ah I'll say Porsche is an interesting brand, it's not for everyone, and certainly if you care about having a car that stands out or you want something that looks exotic, most of them fall quite short. But my god, the driving experience, the refinement, the reliability, the way they adapt to all situations, it's just something else. It's one of those things that when you drive a good 911, you understand why it's the benchmark.
How something so strangely designed could be so balanced near and at the limit almost defies all logic. 

The car you posted is the 996 generation, which is a very divisive generation because of the headlights, the fact that they are the first water cooled generation, and also the fact that they moved to more efficient parts bin construction. As a result those cars are currently a bit of a bargain, but that might not be the case for long.


----------



## wannabguitarist

996s are deeply disliked by Porsche purists for the reasons Bulb listed above, but despite all the hate they are pretty fucking great to drive. Honestly better than the much loved and praised 993 (final air-cooled car). Similar weight (can be lighter depending on spec), more power, updated transmission and suspension geometries. Really great if you can get past the headlights and questionable interior quality 

I just confirmed that I have a burnt exhaust value on cylinder 4 in my AP2 and slightly lower compression on that cylinder. Debating whether or not I want just live with it (cheap and I'm probably not losing that much power), do an OEM rebuild, or blow my 2020 bonus on hot cams and an aggressive rebuild. Leaning towards option 3 if I can get confirmation that hot cams can still pass California's absurd smog checks.


----------



## sakeido

wannabguitarist said:


> 996s are deeply disliked by Porsche purists for the reasons Bulb listed above, but despite all the hate they are pretty fucking great to drive. Honestly better than the much loved and praised 993 (final air-cooled car). Similar weight (can be lighter depending on spec), more power, updated transmission and suspension geometries. Really great if you can get past the headlights and questionable interior quality
> 
> I just confirmed that I have a burnt exhaust value on cylinder 4 in my AP2 and slightly lower compression on that cylinder. Debating whether or not I want just live with it (cheap and I'm probably not losing that much power), do an OEM rebuild, or blow my 2020 bonus on hot cams and an aggressive rebuild. Leaning towards option 3 if I can get confirmation that hot cams can still pass California's absurd smog checks.



lumpy idles are awesome so you gotta go for that... I don't see how that could possibly pass inspection, though. I thought most guys running hot cams in California are cheating their checks by swapping top ends & tunes back and forth for the inspection?

996s did drive nice too, my shortlist was 996 Carreras and RX-7s. The flat six was a dream. Couldn't get over the looks at all though, guy had it parked next to a 991 which imo is when Porsche perfected the styling.. the 996 looks horrible in comparison. The old air cooled cars are almost certainly worse cars but they've got classic looks.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

bulb said:


> Ah I'll say Porsche is an interesting brand, it's not for everyone, and certainly if you care about having a car that stands out or you want something that looks exotic, most of them fall quite short. But my god, the driving experience, the refinement, the reliability, the way they adapt to all situations, it's just something else. It's one of those things that when you drive a good 911, you understand why it's the benchmark.
> How something so strangely designed could be so balanced near and at the limit almost defies all logic.
> 
> The car you posted is the 996 generation, which is a very divisive generation because of the headlights, the fact that they are the first water cooled generation, and also the fact that they moved to more efficient parts bin construction. As a result those cars are currently a bit of a bargain, but that might not be the case for long.


I haven't driven a 911, but I feel my S3 hits a lot of the perks you've mentioned here, so totally understand. Even for an entry level sports car, the attention to detail, refinement, reliability, and driving experience are absolutely phenomenal. One day I'm sure I'll own a 911, that is the dream.


----------



## bulb

ElysianGuitars said:


> I haven't driven a 911, but I feel my S3 hits a lot of the perks you've mentioned here, so totally understand. Even for an entry level sports car, the attention to detail, refinement, reliability, and driving experience are absolutely phenomenal. One day I'm sure I'll own a 911, that is the dream.


I had an S3 for a little bit and it was a great little car, was an awesome daily and practical car that was still way fun to drive!
If you like, and kinda count on german refinement when you spend money on a car, I think you would be blown away by a good 911, especially if you get a chance to push one. The RWD ones have the RWD turn in and steering feel, with AWD corner exit grip.


----------



## bulb

wannabguitarist said:


> 996s are deeply disliked by Porsche purists for the reasons Bulb listed above, but despite all the hate they are pretty fucking great to drive. Honestly better than the much loved and praised 993 (final air-cooled car). Similar weight (can be lighter depending on spec), more power, updated transmission and suspension geometries. Really great if you can get past the headlights and questionable interior quality
> 
> I just confirmed that I have a burnt exhaust value on cylinder 4 in my AP2 and slightly lower compression on that cylinder. Debating whether or not I want just live with it (cheap and I'm probably not losing that much power), do an OEM rebuild, or blow my 2020 bonus on hot cams and an aggressive rebuild. Leaning towards option 3 if I can get confirmation that hot cams can still pass California's absurd smog checks.



Doug DeMuro made a great point about the 996, which is that even if you hate the headlights, from any angle other than the front, it's a beautiful and well proportioned 911. I still say that makes 996 one of the most cost effective ways to get into a great modern 911.

Sucks about the AP2. I love s2000s, it's a shame the prices of the motor are just going up and up, but that's to be expected at this point.


----------



## diagrammatiks

if you do get a 996. make sure it's a turbo or one that has the ims problem factory fixed already.

otherwise your engine will 100 percent blow up eventually.

also can i say i hate the new generation of 911. 

The styling looks like they just cut the middle section off a panamera ick


----------



## wannabguitarist

sakeido said:


> lumpy idles are awesome so you gotta go for that... I don't see how that could possibly pass inspection, though. I thought most guys running hot cams in California are cheating their checks by swapping top ends & tunes back and forth for the inspection?



Depending on the year of your car you either have to do a sniffer test or the smog station checks the emissions codes through your OBD2 system (this is what's done with my car). At the moment I swap to my OEM tune and change the mid-pipe on my exhaust every two years. The concern with cams is whether or not you can safely run them on a tune that won't trip the OEM emissions codes. If someone has cams that can't be smogged or any other non-CARB legal mod that isn't easily reverisble they usually just find a sketchy smog person ($$$$).

I'd prefer boost over an N/A build but there are currently zero California smog legal options on the market.



bulb said:


> Doug DeMuro made a great point about the 996, which is that even if you hate the headlights, from any angle other than the front, it's a beautiful and well proportioned 911. I still say that makes 996 one of the most cost effective ways to get into a great modern 911.
> 
> Sucks about the AP2. I love s2000s, it's a shame the prices of the motor are just going up and up, but that's to be expected at this point.



I'm not a fan of his review style but he's definitely right there! 

Thankfully there are plenty of shops in SoCal that do head rebuilds and using all new OEM parts comes out to a fairly reasonable price (less than a USA made guitar )



diagrammatiks said:


> if you do get a 996. make sure it's a turbo or one that has the ims problem factory fixed already.
> 
> otherwise your engine will 100 percent blow up eventually.
> 
> also can i say i hate the new generation of 911.
> 
> The styling looks like they just cut the middle section off a panamera ick



I believe the 3.4 996s also don't have IMS concerns, or at least it's rare compared to the 3.6


----------



## Riffer

Waiting until the weather gets a little better before I finish up some stuff on my 1972 Nova. Have to get the exhaust put on and work on a tune up. Here's the fleet all together 

Left to right:
1969 Chevy Nova (my brothers)
1972 Chevy Nova (mine)
1965 Chevy C10 Truck (my dads)
1966 Chevy II Nova (my brothers)


----------



## MoonJelly

My little 95 Explorer, all cleaned up and ceramic coated.


----------



## bulb

What do you guys think of the 992 GT3?


----------



## Millul

bulb said:


> What do you guys think of the 992 GT3?



"Yes"


----------



## Seabeast2000

MoonJelly said:


> My little 95 Explorer, all cleaned up and ceramic coated.


Ceramic coated? Like cerakote?


----------



## wannabguitarist

bulb said:


> What do you guys think of the 992 GT3?



Gotta figure out how to sell our house without my wife knowing.


----------



## MoonJelly

Seabeast2000 said:


> Ceramic coated? Like cerakote?


Yes, another product but same effect. I got it for a fraction of the cost, thanks to the "I work in the industry" discount 

Some mild paint correction on two of the fenders, but mostly this is just a detail. I asked the guy I know and he said they use Glänz


----------



## jaxadam

https://www.rezvanimotors.com/#rezvani-tank-specifications-starting-at-155000-usd


----------



## xzacx

bulb said:


> What do you guys think of the 992 GT3?



I usually hate big wings...one of the reasons I love the 911R so much...but the hung wing puts it over the top for me.


----------



## Seabeast2000

Slow start to the bolt on truck accessories project. 
First set of running boards should have done more research. Heavy fuckers with unconfident mounts. Read a little further on reviews and turns out custy service experiences were bad. Decided to pack em and return. Onto the next option....
Just ordered some OEM skid plates and some aftermarket guards for the bottom of the shocks. Brilliant idea. 
Have an idea on running boards now from diff, more serious, mfgr. 
Thinkin about de-raking with a 2" levelling kit up front. Don't really feel like compressing springs at home these days so will find a shop to do for me. Almost took a 12mm bullet to the face once.....
Also just need to pull the trigger and black-out powder coat the stock wheels.


----------



## wannabguitarist

MoonJelly said:


> My little 95 Explorer, all cleaned up and ceramic coated.



That might be the cleanest Explorer of that generation on the road  Looks fantastic.


----------



## Steinmetzify

jaxadam said:


> https://www.rezvanimotors.com/#rezvani-tank-specifications-starting-at-155000-usd



Dig this but my specs came out to $353k and change lol


----------



## jaxadam

steinmetzify said:


> Dig this but my specs came out to $353k and change lol



Did you add the electromagnetism pulse protection? I feel this is non-negotiable.


----------



## Steinmetzify

jaxadam said:


> Did you add the electromagnetism pulse protection? I feel this is non-negotiable.



Didn’t feel the need, I thought it extravagant lol


----------



## narad

I try to stay away from thinking about cars since it's completely unnecessary in my area and actually a big nuisance, and very costly. But dammit:


----------



## John

I usually don't geek out over cars, trucks, etc. That being said, only a few exceptions come to mind such as this-


----------



## LordCashew

First world problem thread crossover: I'd like to take this moment to thank Honda's designers for putting the 8th gen Civic's starter behind a CV axle _and _an exhaust pipe.


----------



## Acaciastrain360

LordIronSpatula said:


> First world problem thread crossover: I'd like to take this moment to thank Honda's designers for putting the 8th gen Civic's starter behind a CV axle _and _an exhaust pipe.


That’s just as bad as some of the 6cyl E46 BMWs with it between the top of the gearbox bell housing and the bulkhead.... wtf bro


----------



## _MonSTeR_

narad said:


> I try to stay away from thinking about cars since it's completely unnecessary in my area and actually a big nuisance, and very costly. But dammit:




This is the car that I would have designed when I was 12 years old.

If I had multiple PhDs in engineering.

And an unlimited budget.



Oh, and it would have turned into a giant robot too!


----------



## LordCashew

Acaciastrain360 said:


> That’s just as bad as some of the 6cyl E46 BMWs with it between the top of the gearbox bell housing and the bulkhead.... wtf bro


Seems like German cars are notorious for design choices like that. One of my friends had a VW that needed a new water pump, but the shop was going to need to take the entire front clip off the car to get to it. All the labor involved made the repair quote so expensive he just ditched the thing.  Still though, I guess it seems more reasonable to want a starter to be accessible than a water pump.

In other news, I managed to maneuver my starter into its near-unreachable position, past a tight and super stiff wiring harness, and fasten the top mounting bolt that can only be seen from places where it can't be reached. What a PITA. I would have paid the extra $100 for an OEM Honda starter if I knew how annoying it was to replace because I sure don't want to do it again!


----------



## bulb

Sold the Perf


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

Possibly a stupid question, but for my future midlife crisis, what would it cost to buy a classic muscle car from the 70s and have it gutted and rebuilt with modern everything well enough to be a daily driver? Assuming I do literally nothing myself.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Possibly a stupid question, but for my future midlife crisis, what would it cost to buy a classic muscle car from the 70s and have it gutted and rebuilt with modern everything well enough to be a daily driver? Assuming I do literally nothing myself.



Google "[insert car here] Restomod" and go from there. Really the sky is the limit, but if it's not going to be a daily and you only want it looking good from afar you can probably find a home-cooked something or a kit.


----------



## MFB

I've had my car for going on 4 years next month, and now that it's been paid off for a bit and I'm a little bored with the aesthetics - I'm looking to change it up; so I'm finally going to knock off something that I've not been entirely crazy about on the 2014 Focus, which is the front bumper. For reference, here's what the front end normally looks like on top, and what will be going replacing it on the bottom. 









The original is just bland as boiled ham, they couldn't have found a better way to design the bar/badge area so it's not this awkard gap, like some mouth breather equivelant of a car?

Especially considering that was the last year they used this design, because then in 2015, Ford dropped this beaut on us but I couldn't afford what they were going for (nor did I really look at the next year up because at the time I was in immediate need of a car with my lease ending). I mean seriously, what the actually fuck, is so simple and straight forward comparing to the god damn Selkath mouth wannabe that mine is currently rocking.


----------



## LordCashew

MFB said:


> I've had my car for going on 4 years next month, and now that it's been paid off for a bit and I'm a little bored with the aesthetics - I'm looking to change it up; so I'm finally going to knock off something that I've not been entirely crazy about on the 2014 Focus, which is the front bumper. For reference, here's what the front end normally looks like on top, and what will be going replacing it on the bottom.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The original is just bland as boiled ham, they couldn't have found a better way to design the bar/badge area so it's not this awkard gap, like some mouth breather equivelant of a car?
> 
> Especially considering that was the last year they used this design, because then in 2015, Ford dropped this beaut on us but I couldn't afford what they were going for (nor did I really look at the next year up because at the time I was in immediate need of a car with my lease ending). I mean seriously, what the actually fuck, is so simple and straight forward comparing to the god damn Selkath mouth wannabe that mine is currently rocking.


I usally loathe aftermarket body kits but this is a good upgrade. I would go so far as to say the stock front end sucks ass. "Mouthbreather"  The other two seem to nod at Aston Martin a little.


----------



## dr_game0ver

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Possibly a stupid question, but for my future midlife crisis, what would it cost to buy a classic muscle car from the 70s and have it gutted and rebuilt with modern everything well enough to be a daily driver? Assuming I do literally nothing myself.


35K$ for a daily, 60+K$ for a perf street racer.


----------



## p0ke

MFB said:


> 2014 Focus



I've got the same car (2011, but yeah, same body) and I quite like the front bumper on it  It looks much better IRL though. In that picture it looks almost like it's trying to be a SUV or something with those tires, mine's a fair bit lower due to the low profile tires (summer tires are 225/45 R17) and that also somehow makes the front bumper look less weird.
But I agree that the next model is waaaaaay nicer. In general, IMO Ford nailed that front grill on the later models. I remember the first time I saw a 2017 (or whichever year they updated to the current design) Mondeo, I thought it was a Maserati or something before noticing the badge...






Then I googled and almost shat myself when I realized I could actually own one of those if I wanted to put the money into it  But I prefer to have a slightly smaller car, so the Focus isn't going anywhere for now.

That said... My Focus just had its' 10 year anniversary, so soon it'll be time to trade it in for something newer. It'd be a bit boring, but chances are I'll just get the next Focus...


----------



## Furtive Glance

I spent 6 cumulative hours over the span of the last two weeks at the Nevada DMV. My car is officially registered. I have the entire history of the car back to when it was originally sold and I _STILL_ had to dig up other forms and sheets so they would actually do it.

Never again.


----------



## sakeido

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Possibly a stupid question, but for my future midlife crisis, what would it cost to buy a classic muscle car from the 70s and have it gutted and rebuilt with modern everything well enough to be a daily driver? Assuming I do literally nothing myself.



Absolutely. It's a huge business. If you've got a well supported platform, you can just bolt on everything you want and basically turn your old car into a Corvette, but better. Look up Detroit Speed Engineering.

--

RX-7 is running decent this year. Needs a bunch of parts like usual... finally got my stance dialed in, but the front hubs don't like the extra camber so I need to rebuild em. Battery has gone flat and won't hold a charge, again (fuck Optima!) so I ordered a little lithium ion battery to replace it. Should save about 25 pounds off the nose and it has almost double the cranking power, which will be nice to have when my rotary inevitably wears out and gets hard to start when its hot. And I seem to be losing reverse in my transmission so I got it stuck in a parking spot and had to push it out once already... gonna put new shifter bearings in and a fluid change and see if that fixes it. Otherwise, tranny rebuild time.

Been a good couple years at work so it might be time to finally put it in at the body shop and get it restored. Seems like a shame to repaint it when most of the paint is in great shape but pretty much every panel has a ding or scrape or paint flaked off it so it needs a full re-do. But we've got a baby on the way, so maybe the car is just gonna get neglected for a few years.. we'll have to see how she goes

Nice shot from a short cruise I did with my buddy and his 30th Anniversary Edition Trans Am a couple weeks ago. This is before I added camber - crazy how less than 1 degree extra negative camber makes such a big difference, it looks way better now with the fronts tuckin into the fenders just right but I haven't done a photo shoot yet hah.


----------



## Mathemagician

Why is the only all electric mustang not a mustang? I want to seriously look at electric vehicles, but arguably the “best” in every category is Tesla, and only the model S is attractive. But I’m not dropping $90+ on transportation.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

Mathemagician said:


> Why is the only all electric mustang not a mustang? I want to seriously look at electric vehicles, but arguably the “best” in every category is Tesla, and only the model S is attractive. But I’m not dropping $90+ on transportation.


That confused me so much too! "check out the all new electric mustang!" 
"oh sweet! That sounds amazing!"
...
"it's an electric honda crv"


----------



## Mathemagician

LiveOVErdrive said:


> That confused me so much too! "check out the all new electric mustang!"
> "oh sweet! That sounds amazing!"
> ...
> "it's an electric honda crv"



*Waits until 2022 for the Lightning to launch*


----------



## wheresthefbomb

Got tired of messing with my old 95 Rodeo. Put it on Craigslist yesterday, it's gone today. See you later, you piece of shit car!


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

So I have a genesis coupe that I've had for almost a decade and I love it. Rwd, manual transmission, v6. I don't drive very hard but it's fun to have a sports car.

Anyway, it's in the shop for a little bodywork right now and I've been driving my wife's ten year old Honda fit and... It's kind of more fun to drive than my genesis. Auto transmission, higher up, fwd, smaller motor, shorter wheelbase. It just feels... More nimble or something. Tooling around town just doing normal driving just feels good. 

Am I crazy?


----------



## MaxOfMetal

LiveOVErdrive said:


> So I have a genesis coupe that I've had for almost a decade and I love it. Rwd, manual transmission, v6. I don't drive very hard but it's fun to have a sports car.
> 
> Anyway, it's in the shop for a little bodywork right now and I've been driving my wife's ten year old Honda fit and... It's kind of more fun to drive than my genesis. Auto transmission, higher up, fwd, smaller motor, shorter wheelbase. It just feels... More nimble or something. Tooling around town just doing normal driving just feels good.
> 
> Am I crazy?



Small cars, hatches and compacts, can be fun as Hell, especially if you're used to something big and heavy.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

MaxOfMetal said:


> Small cars, hatches and compacts, can be fun as Hell, especially if you're used to something big and heavy.


That must be it.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

S3 out. 2019 Mazda Miata RF Grand Touring in.









Absolutely loved the S3, and I'll miss the extra 100hp and cargo space, but this car is absolutely fantastic. It's the 2019 model so it has the 188hp 2.0l SkyActv engine, 6 speed manual, and only 7k miles on it. My S3 had 45k. With how weird the market is right now I have been thinking about moving the S3, as it will never be worth more than it's worth now, and found this car on Autotrader, checked it out and made the swap.


----------



## Mathemagician

Have I already posted about the Ford Maverick? Small truck starting around just under $22k, and between 33-40mpg on the hybrid. 

Maaaaaaaaaan, it’s looking mighty attractive right now.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Mathemagician said:


> Have I already posted about the Ford Maverick? Small truck starting around just under $22k, and between 33-40mpg on the hybrid.
> 
> Maaaaaaaaaan, it’s looking mighty attractive right now.



The wife's been playing around with the builder all day. I have a feeling we're getting one of these. 

I'm into it.


----------



## MFB

Same here 

I posted earlier in this thread about my growing up on a Ford Ranger, and I'm roughly at the age where my dad got his, so there's something quite apt about the timing of it's release. I give my car another three years or so considering it's fully paid off, and that'll let them work out any issues that may come up, but I wouldn't be surprised if I end up in one.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Mathemagician said:


> Have I already posted about the Ford Maverick? Small truck starting around just under $22k, and between 33-40mpg on the hybrid.
> 
> Maaaaaaaaaan, it’s looking mighty attractive right now.


My wife wants one, so will probably be her next vehicle.


----------



## Mathemagician

Ive been in “Well my Hyundai keeps chugging along so when it dies I’ll replace it” mode for like 4 years now. It’s just keeps going and is almost old enough to get its own learners permit. This is high praise, btw. 

So this is taking up the sweet spot between wanting another Hyundai (Santa Cruz mileage is piss poor relatively) and the Tacoma’s I’ve been looking at. I live in the city and just want something to haul stuff to the beach/outdoors trips/burger drive through a to get impossible burgers. 

I’m never going to haul more than like some borrowed jet skis. So the universe is basically saying “Pay extra for Hot pepper red. and a sunroof/moonroof option. It’s an investment.”


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Mathemagician said:


> So the universe is basically saying “Pay extra for Hot pepper red. and a sunroof/moonroof option. It’s an investment.”



It's not just the universe, I'm saying "do it". 

We're leaning towards either white to match her current car or black to be a "baby version" (her words) of my truck. We're boring. Let me be fun and bright and red through you. 

Though we're definitely going AWD, which is still coming in pretty fair under $26k. 

Even with a lower margin, these things are going to make Ford a mint.


----------



## MFB

Hot Pepper is the same color I'm planning to go for. If they still did that Mandarin Orange color, or whatever it was, I'd be eyeing that one too.


----------



## Mathemagician

MFB said:


> Same here
> 
> I posted earlier in this thread about my growing up on a Ford Ranger, and I'm roughly at the age where my dad got his, so there's something quite apt about the timing of it's release. I give my car another three years or so considering it's fully paid off, and that'll let them work out any issues that may come up, but I wouldn't be surprised if I end up in one.



Smol Truck Gang Rise Up!

I’m here from “Never paying $60k for trucks or any transport” gang. 




MaxOfMetal said:


> It's not just the universe, I'm saying "do it".
> 
> We're leaning towards either white to match her current car or black to be a "baby version" (her words) of my truck. We're boring. Let me be fun and bright and red through you.
> 
> Though we're definitely going AWD, which is still coming in pretty fair under $26k.
> 
> Even with a lower margin, these things are going to make Ford a mint.



Ive had a white econo-hatch for longer than I’ve been in my career. It’s time for my love of attention to shine through. I’m def waiting to see what the AWD mileage is at, because if it drops it too much toward the usual 24/26 mpg range then I’m out on that. I am fucking CHEAP on how much I hate paying for gas/using gas/etc. 

This and maybe an all-electric (actual) mustang are the only way US manufacturers can get my attention. I WANT to give them my money. 

But I’m not buying the overpriced shit they’ve been selling for the last 20 years. 



MFB said:


> Hot Pepper is the same color I'm planning to go for. If they still did that Mandarin Orange color, or whatever it was, I'd be eyeing that one too.



Bro that bronco cyber orange is straight fuego. I’d like the shiny blue option more if it was a hair darker. Also curious what shade of black/grey/purple(?) that UFO is IRL.


----------



## Xaios

MaxOfMetal said:


> The wife's been playing around with the builder all day. I have a feeling we're getting one of these.
> 
> I'm into it.


I looked into the Maverick, but I just need something with four/all-wheel-drive around here, and they only offer that on the most expensive trim option, at least in Canada.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Mathemagician said:


> Smol Truck Gang Rise Up!
> 
> I’m here from “Never paying $60k for trucks or any transport” gang.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ive had a white econo-hatch for longer than I’ve been in my career. It’s time for my love of attention to shine through. I’m def waiting to see what the AWD mileage is at, because if it drops it too much toward the usual 24/26 mpg range then I’m out on that. I am fucking CHEAP on how much I hate paying for gas/using gas/etc.
> 
> This and maybe an all-electric (actual) mustang are the only way US manufacturers can get my attention. I WANT to give them my money.
> 
> But I’m not buying the overpriced shit they’ve been selling for the last 20 years.
> 
> 
> 
> Bro that bronco cyber orange is straight fuego. I’d like the shiny blue option more if it was a hair darker. Also curious what shade of black/grey/purple(?) that UFO is IRL.



I'm hopeful about the mileage, especially considering I can get between 19 and 21 in 4WD on my F150 (when not loaded, highway).

If this can do at least that, it'll be hard to fault it. 

But we'll see. 



Xaios said:


> I looked into the Maverick, but I just need something with four/all-wheel-drive around here, and they only offer that on the most expensive trim option, at least in Canada.



Must be a regional thing, all you need for AWD in the US builder is the Ecoboost engine option. 

We're looking at an XL trim.


----------



## MFB

Cyber Orange my ass, that shit is GOLD. 

If I could get them to make it in this exact color, as this was THE model/color that my old man had when he passed, then holy shit would it be a rad combo of his first truck he had with us and the one he ended on.


----------



## jaxadam

Right now my current obsession is the Kia Telluride Nightfall Edition in Wolf Gray.


----------



## p0ke

MFB said:


> Cyber Orange my ass, that shit is GOLD.



More like copper IMO.


----------



## Mathemagician

MFB said:


> Cyber Orange my ass, that shit is GOLD.
> 
> If I could get them to make it in this exact color, as this was THE model/color that my old man had when he passed, then holy shit would it be a rad combo of his first truck he had with us and the one he ended on.





p0ke said:


> More like copper IMO.



It’s SHINY. I think we’re all forgetting that most important of facts. SHI-NY.


----------



## dr_game0ver

Mathemagician said:


> It’s SHINY. I think we’re all forgetting that most important of facts. SHI-NY.


We get it. But what are his IV and EV? What nature is it? What gender? Can it learn surf?


----------



## ElysianGuitars

View media item 4007
Installed my track wheels/tires yesterday, as well as my dash cam. This morning I got UV film applied to the windshield. Have my first autocross event with the MX-5 tomorrow, ready to go. Love how the car looks with black wheels. Tires are Bridgestone Potenza RE71R's. 215/45R17.


----------



## _MonSTeR_

ElysianGuitars said:


> View media item 4007
> Installed my track wheels/tires yesterday, as well as my dash cam. This morning I got UV film applied to the windshield. Have my first autocross event with the MX-5 tomorrow, ready to go. Love how the car looks with black wheels. Tires are Bridgestone Potenza RE71R's. 215/45R17.



Call me a bit too ‘Paul Walker’, but I find that there are very few cars that aren’t improved by black wheels 

I’ve always liked the MX-5 and I think this generation is the best looking yet. I’ve never tracked one, but my understanding is that the chassis can handle everything that the power train can put out which means it can be really ‘driven’ so you feel like an absolute god behind the wheel.

Please tell me that’s true so I can nod at your car with the manly nod of manly knowing


----------



## ElysianGuitars

_MonSTeR_ said:


> Call me a bit too ‘Paul Walker’, but I find that there are very few cars that aren’t improved by black wheels
> 
> I’ve always liked the MX-5 and I think this generation is the best looking yet. I’ve never tracked one, but my understanding is that the chassis can handle everything that the power train can put out which means it can be really ‘driven’ so you feel like an absolute god behind the wheel.
> 
> Please tell me that’s true so I can nod at your car with the manly nod of manly knowing


It's absolutely true, especially with these tires. 188hp has never felt so fast. It's ridiculous.

I will warn you of this... Never drive an MX5 unless you're ready to buy one. If you like performance cars you'll regret not buying one after trying it.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

The autocross event went decently this weekend, learned a lot about the car, and did about as good as I could have hoped for having only owned the car for a week and a half or so. 



View media item 4010
Also picked up the wheel centers for my BMW build today, love how they came out. They didn't mask off the mounting surfaces on the outer edge, so I've got a lot of sanding in my future, but my die grinder with a sanding pad should make quick work of it.

View media item 4011


----------



## wannabguitarist

ElysianGuitars said:


> View media item 4007
> Installed my track wheels/tires yesterday, as well as my dash cam. This morning I got UV film applied to the windshield. Have my first autocross event with the MX-5 tomorrow, ready to go. Love how the car looks with black wheels. Tires are Bridgestone Potenza RE71R's. 215/45R17.



Fuck yeah. I would take an ND2 Miata over a S3 every day of the week. My buddy picked up a base model last month and it honestly had me considering selling my (currently broken) AP2. Very balanced and playful car on the stock setup.


----------



## TheBolivianSniper

anyone got any suggestions for something in the same shitbox sedan vein of a Mitsubishi Lancer or a Subaru Impreza? I really want a kitted out WRX to feed my ego and I'm gonna get offered a job on the line at work any day now so I could afford insurance, gas, and maintainence. I just can't afford something that insane but my dad's Lancer I drive more than him when I'm visiting home is pretty much the perfect car. 

Pretty much looking for a small quick sedan with the same feel as some of the more loaded out shit that won't kill me to buy or keep around.


----------



## diagrammatiks

TheBolivianSniper said:


> anyone got any suggestions for something in the same shitbox sedan vein of a Mitsubishi Lancer or a Subaru Impreza? I really want a kitted out WRX to feed my ego and I'm gonna get offered a job on the line at work any day now so I could afford insurance, gas, and maintainence. I just can't afford something that insane but my dad's Lancer I drive more than him when I'm visiting home is pretty much the perfect car.
> 
> Pretty much looking for a small quick sedan with the same feel as some of the more loaded out shit that won't kill me to buy or keep around.



you want manual?


----------



## TheBolivianSniper

diagrammatiks said:


> you want manual?



doesn't matter, I'll drive either


----------



## High Plains Drifter

TheBolivianSniper said:


> I just can't afford something that insane but my dad's Lancer I drive more than him when I'm visiting home is pretty much the perfect car.



What about trying to talk to your pops about buying his... or something along those lines? Maybe y'all could work out something that would put him into a new car/ another car, while you buy or take possession of the Lancer?


----------



## High Plains Drifter

TheBolivianSniper said:


> I just can't afford something that insane but my dad's Lancer I drive more than him when I'm visiting home is pretty much the perfect car.



What about trying to talk to your pops about buying his... or something along those lines? Maybe y'all could work out something that would put him into a new car/ another car, while you buy or take possession of the Lancer?


----------



## TheBolivianSniper

High Plains Drifter said:


> What about trying to talk to your pops about buying his... or something along those lines? Maybe y'all could work out something that would put him into a new car/ another car, while you buy or take possession of the Lancer?




I would love to but he loves that thing, we got a sick deal on it and it's in perfect shape. He said unless he can get an old camaro to work on that'll be the last car he'll buy and my parents use it for long trips. I have to talk to him about it the next time he calls but definitely by the time I graduate it's gonna start being a problem and with grad school and jobs coming up I don't want it to be an afterthought.


----------



## diagrammatiks

TheBolivianSniper said:


> doesn't matter, I'll drive either



mused car prices are all over the place so it’s hard to gauge. 

mused base wrx or lancer is still a good choice. Tons of them around. Only problem is that most get driven pretty hard. 

Used mid tier a3
Used mid tier 3 series. Maintenance costs are a bit high. But with a bit of luck and a good mechanic. 

more realistically 
Used vw golf
Used Ford focus higher trim

Honda Civic

toyota/subaru brz twins. 2 doors significantly less power but fun to drive. 

Left field suggestion. 
save up. Lease a model 3. The model 3 will be more fun in city driving then any ice car within the same price range.


----------



## diagrammatiks

Also Kia stinger. Jeez Kia is selling a car for 36 grand now. What a world.


----------



## _MonSTeR_

The Golf and A3 are very different animals to something like a Lancer or Impreza/WRX, in both feel and intention.

I'd suggest in the US that you go for a used WRX and find a good specialist mechanic who loves working on them. They're a very connected drive, they feel analogue, and you feel like you're driving the car, rather than the car driving itself.

I'd say if you want to "go fast" then the Golf R or Audi S3 is probably a better choice, but if you want to "DRIVE fast" then the Subaru would be a better choice. You might not actually be going quite as fast as in a German technomobile, but you'll be having more fun


----------



## diagrammatiks

_MonSTeR_ said:


> The Golf and A3 are very different animals to something like a Lancer or Impreza/WRX, in both feel and intention.
> 
> I'd suggest in the US that you go for a used WRX and find a good specialist mechanic who loves working on them. They're a very connected drive, they feel analogue, and you feel like you're driving the car, rather than the car driving itself.
> 
> I'd say if you want to "go fast" then the Golf R or Audi S3 is probably a better choice, but if you want to "DRIVE fast" then the Subaru would be a better choice. You might not actually be going quite as fast as in a German technomobile, but you'll be having more fun



Ya best choice is still the wrx. It’s being refreshed soon. But used car prices are wack right now. 

although after driving sports car for the last 10 years or so...the most exciting thing to drive is something like a smart or fiat 500. You’re never going fast but ever drive can be an adventure.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

wannabguitarist said:


> Fuck yeah. I would take an ND2 Miata over a S3 every day of the week. My buddy picked up a base model last month and it honestly had me considering selling my (currently broken) AP2. Very balanced and playful car on the stock setup.


Swapped the stock open diff for a limited slip yesterday morning, completely transformed the car. Have another autocross event next weekend to try it out, as well as my track alignment.


----------



## _MonSTeR_

diagrammatiks said:


> although after driving sports car for the last 10 years or so...the most exciting thing to drive is something like a smart or fiat 500. You’re never going fast but ever drive can be an adventure.



I agree that driving a tiny car adds a sense of speed that is hard to achieve at road legal speeds in a normal sized car.

That’s one of the best things about the MX-5, it’s small enough to have that extra sense of speed, but has a big enough engine to actually have some speed.

I’m talking myself into a second car here


----------



## sakeido

ElysianGuitars said:


> View media item 4007
> Installed my track wheels/tires yesterday, as well as my dash cam. This morning I got UV film applied to the windshield. Have my first autocross event with the MX-5 tomorrow, ready to go. Love how the car looks with black wheels. Tires are Bridgestone Potenza RE71R's. 215/45R17.



that's shit hot 

the ND Miata is the best car since the NA and easily the best looking Miata they've ever done. At the time I had a budget for the RX-7... didn't wanna spend too much on it, so I didn't get an FD or look at new cars like the 86 or Miata. Even 996 Carreras were in the running for a bit but I hated the headlights. But I decided to go cheap and leave a bunch for mods... except my "cheap" car didn't pan out at all and lookin back on it, I wish I had sprung for an FD at the very least... or even better, the ND Miata. Man they look fantastic. The one mitigating factor I guess woulda been, at the time, it still had the old engine in it that nobody liked.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

sakeido said:


> that's shit hot
> 
> the ND Miata is the best car since the NA and easily the best looking Miata they've ever done. At the time I had a budget for the RX-7... didn't wanna spend too much on it, so I didn't get an FD or look at new cars like the 86 or Miata. Even 996 Carreras were in the running for a bit but I hated the headlights. But I decided to go cheap and leave a bunch for mods... except my "cheap" car didn't pan out at all and lookin back on it, I wish I had sprung for an FD at the very least... or even better, the ND Miata. Man they look fantastic. The one mitigating factor I guess woulda been, at the time, it still had the old engine in it that nobody liked.


I'd love an FD, but they're so different from the Miata experience. Back in the early 2000s I had an 87 Turbo II, an 88 Turbo II, and an 84 GSL that I put a 13B in, and those cars were fantastic, but at least the FC's were still heavier than the Miata, and while they handled great for the time, suspension tech has come a LONG way, and the suspension in the ND really shines.

I'm really glad I got the 2019 with the 181hp engine, it's got just enough power to be a blast most any time you drive it. It's not going to win many drag races, but the handling, the lightness, and the quality of build on the car are just absolutely fantastic. I really appreciated how they engineered the rear end when I was installing the LSD this weekend, it's incredibly well thought out, easy to disassemble, and easy to reassemble. I had no issues, didn't even have to touch an alignment bolt even.


----------



## soul_lip_mike

Here’s my new dad mobile.


----------



## sakeido

ElysianGuitars said:


> I'd love an FD, but they're so different from the Miata experience. Back in the early 2000s I had an 87 Turbo II, an 88 Turbo II, and an 84 GSL that I put a 13B in, and those cars were fantastic, but at least the FC's were still heavier than the Miata, and while they handled great for the time, suspension tech has come a LONG way, and the suspension in the ND really shines.
> 
> I'm really glad I got the 2019 with the 181hp engine, it's got just enough power to be a blast most any time you drive it. It's not going to win many drag races, but the handling, the lightness, and the quality of build on the car are just absolutely fantastic. I really appreciated how they engineered the rear end when I was installing the LSD this weekend, it's incredibly well thought out, easy to disassemble, and easy to reassemble. I had no issues, didn't even have to touch an alignment bolt even.



drag racing is boring! Slow Car Fast is the best and the Miata does that better than almost anything this side of a Caterham, I think. Looking at bringatrailer prices for recent FC sales have me wondering now... maybe it's time to change it up


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Had another autocross event this weekend, first event with the limited slip. Had a blast, though I only got 2 dry runs in out of 6. Still managed to beat my best dry time in the wet though. Can't wait for the next event on the 25th.

Here's some pictures from the autocross event:


----------



## ElysianGuitars

View media item 4114View media item 4115
Went to a Miata meet/cruise this weekend, was good fun. Mine is in the 2nd picture. Don't know who invited the Civic Type R


----------



## LordCashew

ElysianGuitars said:


> Don't know who invited the Civic Type R


Based on how those are being driven around here, they seem to be a preferred car of total douchebags. I’m pretty sure I hate the rear end design, but I could be biased because almost every time I see it I’m frantically trying to avoid a collision. Psychologists call that classical conditioning, right?


----------



## ElysianGuitars

LordIronSpatula said:


> Based on how those are being driven around here, they seem to be a preferred car of total douchebags. I’m pretty sure I hate the rear end design, but I could be biased because almost every time I see it I’m frantically trying to avoid a collision. Psychologists call that classical conditioning, right?


The person driving this one was pretty slow truth be told, but they were also at least 60 

And I don't like the design at all, but I did get beat by one in an autocross last year in my S3, placed 2nd in novice class to him.


----------



## wheresthefbomb

Whoops, I bought a car. 2019 Nissan Rogue with 22k miles. Total Momwagon.

I asked my bank for another $1k on my credit card and they approved me for 3k instead, I figured I'd go be an adult with it and see what I could get at the dealership with that and my meager savings.

Normally the payments are way higher than I'd want (just over a second rent payment) but I have 12 months of rent relief on the way and I have a good work-for-rent situation with my landlords otherwise. 

I've never bought a car that was more expensive than an $800 rustbucket on the side of the road, this thing is like a fucking spaceship. Looking forward to letting the warranty handle whatever wintertime car issues await.


----------



## MFB

wheresthefbomb said:


> Whoops, I bought a car. 2019 Nissan Rogue with 22k miles. Total Momwagon.



I want to dispute you, but unfortunately my mom just bought a Rogue SL after her lease on a Murano ran up


----------



## wheresthefbomb

MFB said:


> I want to dispute you, but unfortunately my mom just bought a Rogue SL after her lease on a Murano ran up



I was waiting on a table of five little old ladies last night, all talking about their new Nissan Rogues hahahaha.


----------



## _MonSTeR_

My wife had two Nissan Qashqais which I think is what you guys call the Rogue Sport. Mechanically they’re very similar.

Apart from a noisy windscreen seal that was never fixed, neither had any issues over the 6 years combined that we had them.


----------



## FourT6and2




----------



## bulb

LordIronSpatula said:


> Based on how those are being driven around here, they seem to be a preferred car of total douchebags. I’m pretty sure I hate the rear end design, but I could be biased because almost every time I see it I’m frantically trying to avoid a collision. Psychologists call that classical conditioning, right?



Despite being ugly, they are phenomenal cars. If I hadn’t found my gt3 touring I’d probably have just gotten that tbh


----------



## bulb

Also got a 720s spider, and found out I got an allocation for a 765lt spider (would trade in the 720), never spec’d a car before, feeling the option paralysis.

obviously it will be blue, the question is what shade?


----------



## jaxadam

This just moved WAY up on the mommy mobile list.

https://www.cadillac.com/electric/l...MI1tTSlZ-a8gIVA5SGCh0EHQ6vEAAYASAAEgLI4fD_BwE


----------



## LordCashew

bulb said:


> Despite being ugly, they are phenomenal cars.


I don't doubt it. I was actually pretty stoked when I found out there would be a USDM Type R, with a turbo, no less.

But then I saw the rear end.

Maybe as it ages it will become somehow idiosyncratic yet charming... like an AMC Gremlin.


----------



## Adieu

jaxadam said:


> This just moved WAY up on the mommy mobile list.
> 
> https://www.cadillac.com/electric/l...MI1tTSlZ-a8gIVA5SGCh0EHQ6vEAAYASAAEgLI4fD_BwE



Dafuq is that?


----------



## FourT6and2




----------



## philkilla

Sold the 2011 5.0, paid off my Tacoma and finally got ahold of a 07' C6 Z06.

This car is way too much fun


----------



## jaxadam

philkilla said:


> Sold the 2011 5.0, paid off my Tacoma and finally got ahold of a 07' C6 Z06.
> 
> This car is way too much fun
> 
> 
> View attachment 96510



How many full stacks can you fit in there?


----------



## philkilla

jaxadam said:


> How many full stacks can you fit in there?



1.5


----------



## sakeido

LordIronSpatula said:


> I don't doubt it. I was actually pretty stoked when I found out there would be a USDM Type R, with a turbo, no less.
> 
> But then I saw the rear end.
> 
> Maybe as it ages it will become somehow idiosyncratic yet charming... like an AMC Gremlin.


Acura just announced they're bringin the Integra back so I'm thinking if that's all Type R underneath except without the horrific styling and only 2 doors instead of 4... that could really be somethin


----------



## LordCashew

sakeido said:


> Acura just announced they're bringin the Integra back so I'm thinking if that's all Type R underneath except without the horrific styling and only 2 doors instead of 4... that could really be somethin


A new Integra? Sounds super cool. I drove a '92 for many years and it was a fun car despite the many botched repairs by previous owners I kept having to correct. It had some questionable but very stiff aftermarket suspension that made it by far the best handling car I've ever had, not that the bar is especially high.

I hope they don't make it over-the-top high tech and expensive like they did with the new NSX. I'd be fine with a turbo and a little more legroom but other than that the closer to the original concept the better IMHO.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Got my car back Friday, the dealership repainted the entire front end for me after I found evidence of a subpar respray. Looks much better now, just need to let it cure a bit then I'll get PPF.

View media item 4180


----------



## narad

sakeido said:


> Acura just announced they're bringin the Integra back so I'm thinking if that's all Type R underneath except without the horrific styling and only 2 doors instead of 4... that could really be somethin



Sure, but their design language as a brand is so bad right now... I don't have high hopes for it.


----------



## sakeido

narad said:


> Sure, but their design language as a brand is so bad right now... I don't have high hopes for it.


I don't mind Acura right now! The new TL ain't bad, the RDX is my favorite SUV going and I dig the NSX.

Better than Toyota, in any case, who are turning out some of the ugliest cars ever made. The new Supra, Tundra, Land Cruiser, all the Priuses (priui?) every single Lexus but especially the RC... Absolute vomit


----------



## narad

sakeido said:


> I don't mind Acura right now! The new TL ain't bad, the RDX is my favorite SUV going and I dig the NSX.
> 
> Better than Toyota, in any case, who are turning out some of the ugliest cars ever made. The new Supra, Tundra, Land Cruiser, all the Priuses (priui?) every single Lexus but especially the RC... Absolute vomit



Yea, compared to some other brands right now, it's not the worst thing out there, but compared to Acura of old it's not something I can get excited about.

Did you see this guy's for-fun concept renderings?







Now THAT is something I can get excited about.


----------



## sakeido

So 


narad said:


> Yea, compared to some other brands right now, it's not the worst thing out there, but compared to Acura of old it's not something I can get excited about.
> 
> Did you see this guy's for-fun concept renderings?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now THAT is something I can get excited about.


So clean and simple.. love it, but I don't see it happening. Gotta be all creased up like an origami boulder


----------



## narad

sakeido said:


> So
> 
> So clean and simple.. love it, but I don't see it happening. Gotta be all creased up like an origami boulder



Yea, sadly. Gotta say lately I'm more impressed with these fan designs that what the industry is actually putting out (at least in the regular-guy price demographics).


----------



## Crash Dandicoot

Can't remember if I updated you guys on this:














It's _done_ done now, 9 years after getting it. What a colossal pain in the ass... worth it though . Currently peaking at 1090 WHP on E85, something around 800+ on 94 with meth. We could go further with it with the current fuel/turbo setup but Eagle rods are not famous for longevity and the set we used are rated for _only_ 1200-ish hp. Play it on the safe side until the urge for more power creeps up again.


----------



## wannabguitarist

@Crash Dandicoot we're gonna need some sound clips and/or videos of highway pulls 

That's so sick.


----------



## thebeesknees22

New Nissan Z incoming 2022.

https://www.newnissanz.com/threads/nissan-coo-says-nissan-z-will-have-400-horsepower.558/

400hp. 
$40k base price

I miss my old 370z. It was such a fun car.


----------



## narad

thebeesknees22 said:


> New Nissan Z incoming 2022.
> 
> https://www.newnissanz.com/threads/nissan-coo-says-nissan-z-will-have-400-horsepower.558/
> 
> 400hp.
> $40k base price
> 
> I miss my old 370z. It was such a fun car.



Better than expected, a lot of good news. Not jiving with the headlights myself, which is a shame since so many Zs have cool/unique headlights.


----------



## MFB

Yeah, the Z headlights to me were always part of it's look, and IIRC weren't the tail lights the same design? This one has headlights that looks like a Miata opened it's eyes.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Worked on all 3 cars today, nothing I did on the Golf is really worth posting. The Miata on the other hand... Got a few new bits from JBR. Battery bracket was the easiest bit:

View media item 4233
And I got mud flaps. These are made from urethane and are really nice. Very happy with my purchase. I thought I clicked black when I ordered but somehow clicked blue, but decided to send it anyways, and honestly love the way they look. They add a nice contrast, and don't look out of place.

View media item 4232View media item 4231View media item 4230
I also cut off the weird plastic flap Mazda put on these between the rear wheel and the rear bumper. Here's an old pic with that bit circled:

View media item 4229
Looks much nicer without it, and it was pretty easy to fix since I own a bandsaw.

Car is dirty as hell, I'll probably wash it tomorrow.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

ElysianGuitars said:


> Worked on all 3 cars today, nothing I did on the Golf is really worth posting. The Miata on the other hand... Got a few new bits from JBR. Battery bracket was the easiest bit:
> 
> View media item 4233
> And I got mud flaps. These are made from urethane and are really nice. Very happy with my purchase. I thought I clicked black when I ordered but somehow clicked blue, but decided to send it anyways, and honestly love the way they look. They add a nice contrast, and don't look out of place.
> 
> View media item 4232View media item 4231View media item 4230
> I also cut off the weird plastic flap Mazda put on these between the rear wheel and the rear bumper. Here's an old pic with that bit circled:
> 
> View media item 4229
> Looks much nicer without it, and it was pretty easy to fix since I own a bandsaw.
> 
> Car is dirty as hell, I'll probably wash it tomorrow.


That is a damn fine looking car.


----------



## CovertSovietBear

Anyone here have any experience driving an Alfa Romeo Giulia base or Ti? Have two test drives this week for both models (a 2017 and 2018) and from pics alone I really like the interior. Looking for a daily driver with a 20-30min daily commute one way. 
Only issues I've seen on other forums have been electrical (software update fix), but not sure on mechanical bits. I can do most basic repairs and parts should be available as Alfa is FCA?


----------



## dr_game0ver

It's an Italian. It is allergic to water, mods, has to be driven like it is made out of cristal, needs more attention than a millionaire Chinese 18yo girl the day of her wedding. Other than that, it's an Italian. The styling, the interior, the engine ( that V6...)...


----------



## ElysianGuitars

CovertSovietBear said:


> Anyone here have any experience driving an Alfa Romeo Giulia base or Ti? Have two test drives this week for both models (a 2017 and 2018) and from pics alone I really like the interior. Looking for a daily driver with a 20-30min daily commute one way.
> Only issues I've seen on other forums have been electrical (software update fix), but not sure on mechanical bits. I can do most basic repairs and parts should be available as Alfa is FCA?


I don't have any personal experience, but the one person I knew who had one could relate to this article...

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a23145269/alfa-romeo-giulia-quadrifoglio-reliability-update/


----------



## CovertSovietBear

dr_game0ver said:


> It's an Italian. It is allergic to water, mods, has to be driven like it is made out of cristal, needs more attention than a millionaire Chinese 18yo girl the day of her wedding. Other than that, it's an Italian. The styling, the interior, the engine ( that V6...)...


Oof, I've only had American cars up to this point, terrible interiors but reliable to me.


ElysianGuitars said:


> I don't have any personal experience, but the one person I knew who had one could relate to this article...
> 
> https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a23145269/alfa-romeo-giulia-quadrifoglio-reliability-update/


 I wonder if this is the case for the base 2.0 models and not just the Quadrifoglio? Also can't have a car in the shop for 31 days, that's madness.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

I was pretty happy with my 2018 S3, besides a software issue it had that took a while to get properly diagnosed, but the dealer handled the case incredibly well. Once that was fixed it was fantastic.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Finally washed it...

View media item 4239View media item 4238View media item 4237
Damn I love this thing.


----------



## jaxadam

ElysianGuitars said:


> Finally washed it...
> 
> View media item 4239View media item 4238View media item 4237
> Damn I love this thing.



Paint looks excellent man.


----------



## jaxadam

A little on the fence about this one:

https://jalopnik.com/the-2022-toyota-tundra-this-is-the-first-new-one-in-15-1847707105

So there's the new twin turbo V6 that will produce more power and have better fuel economy than the 5.7 V8. I love the 5.7 V8 and think it is bulletproof, but this may just have to be the way forward. The new front grill is horrible. Interior desperately need updating now that you have competition with trucks like the Ram Rebel. We'll see. I won't be getting a 2022, but here's to 2023 maybe.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

jaxadam said:


> A little on the fence about this one:
> 
> https://jalopnik.com/the-2022-toyota-tundra-this-is-the-first-new-one-in-15-1847707105
> 
> So there's the new twin turbo V6 that will produce more power and have better fuel economy than the 5.7 V8. I love the 5.7 V8 and think it is bulletproof, but this may just have to be the way forward. The new front grill is horrible. Interior desperately need updating now that you have competition with trucks like the Ram Rebel. We'll see. I won't be getting a 2022, but here's to 2023 maybe.


I'm not too thrilled about the design, feel like it's a fairly ugly truck. Twin turbos also have a tendency to lower reliability, not sure how they're going to get around that, considering turbos will always need rebuilding eventually.


----------



## jaxadam

ElysianGuitars said:


> I'm not too thrilled about the design, feel like it's a fairly ugly truck. Twin turbos also have a tendency to lower reliability, not sure how they're going to get around that, considering turbos will always need rebuilding eventually.



Agreed. The 5.7 V8 is just tried and true and very reliable. I won't get the first year it comes out, I'll let them sort through the bugs, and I don't keep them forever, so I won't be around for a rebuild hopefully.


----------



## Crungy

I don't know what's going on with Toyota, but whoever is designing their grills has a problem.

I like Toyota and Lexus but this is gross.


----------



## narad

Crungy said:


> I don't know what's going on with Toyota, but whoever is designing their grills has a problem.
> 
> I like Toyota and Lexus but this is gross.
> View attachment 97879



Design software:


----------



## Crungy

The 2023 Lexus RX was leaked


----------



## CovertSovietBear

I like the new Tundra, nowhere as egregious as some BMW designs. I guess everyone wants to slap an Ecoboost variant on everything that had a V8 previously.


----------



## Crungy

Now what if, hear me out, they put two four cylinders in it and each had a turbo? It's just two four cylinders, and they would both have turbos so it will be _*super*_ fuel efficient! 











I'll see myself out.


----------



## Crungy

I don't mind the Tundra as much compared to the Lexus grill but it looks like a weird hole that will swallow cars or small children in front of you.

I'm actually surprised Americans cars didn't do something like that, akin to wide mouth beer cans.


----------



## CovertSovietBear

Crungy said:


> Now what if, hear me out, they put two four cylinders in it and each had a turbo? _*super*_ fuel efficient!
> I'll see myself out.


 Close and lock the door when you leave please. 


Crungy said:


> I'm actually surprised Americans cars didn't do something like that, akin to wide mouth beer cans.


GM chinese plastic parts bins can't accommodate something so well designed. It would take care of bikers as well


----------



## sakeido

jaxadam said:


> A little on the fence about this one:
> 
> https://jalopnik.com/the-2022-toyota-tundra-this-is-the-first-new-one-in-15-1847707105
> 
> So there's the new twin turbo V6 that will produce more power and have better fuel economy than the 5.7 V8. I love the 5.7 V8 and think it is bulletproof, but this may just have to be the way forward. The new front grill is horrible. Interior desperately need updating now that you have competition with trucks like the Ram Rebel. We'll see. I won't be getting a 2022, but here's to 2023 maybe.


the Tundra is absolutely no bueno... but it sharing a platform with the Tacoma has me really interested in what's coming next for that.

I've been driving a red, 6 speed manual, Tacoma extended cab since 2007 and it's been rock solid, a blast to drive, taking it through rivers and shit but it's not family friendly so it'll have to go at some point. We've been looking at SUVs or hopefully a wagon, if I can convince my GF. But we also want to get a little trailer for camping so if I could get a hybrid Tacoma that actually gets acceptable mileage, fuck yeah!


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Last night I upgraded the brake pads and rear sway bar on my Miata (still on stock front sway bar) in preparation for autocross today. Had a blast, the new bar did exactly what I wanted it to. I only had 30 minutes of seat time before autocross this morning so the whole day was a learning experience, but I consider it a success. I placed 4th in novice, only 0.6s off 1st, and had a blast driving the car. This was also likely my last autocross in Texas, I don't know that I'll have time to do another till we get to Ohio. Here's my best run:



Direct link: Best run


----------



## wannabguitarist

Went to the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend before last. Didn't take any pictures, but god damn Indy cars on a street circuit are cool. Was able to hangout in the Acura "VIP" section because they let anyone in that came in an Acura and my buddy just bought a $400 1st gen MDX. We had the shittiest car in the lot 

Also dropped my AP2 off at a friend's shop to install my refreshed head. Short list of what's going on:

OEM rebuild by Port Flow Designs with Supertech valves and dual valve springs
Urge Designs Bumpstix cams (why I needed upgraded valve springs). I run their exhaust and have high hopes for these: https://urgedesigns.com/bump-stix/
New OEM clutch+11.5lbs flywheel (down from 21lbs)
New Koyorad aluminum radiator
The shop is also replacing all the 14 year old coolant and oil lines that are easily accessible with the head off. I should hopefully have the car freshly tuned and back in my hands by month end. I want 260whp but given that my block has 100k miles on it 240-250 is probably more reasonable. Either would be plenty for a 2,700lbs car. 

Lots of money to still be slower than a C5 Corvette


----------



## sakeido

wannabguitarist said:


> Went to the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend before last. Didn't take any pictures, but god damn Indy cars on a street circuit are cool. Was able to hangout in the Acura "VIP" section because they let anyone in that came in an Acura and my buddy just bought a $400 1st gen MDX. We had the shittiest car in the lot
> 
> Also dropped my AP2 off at a friend's shop to install my refreshed head. Short list of what's going on:
> 
> OEM rebuild by Port Flow Designs with Supertech valves and dual valve springs
> Urge Designs Bumpstix cams (why I needed upgraded valve springs). I run their exhaust and have high hopes for these: https://urgedesigns.com/bump-stix/
> New OEM clutch+11.5lbs flywheel (down from 21lbs)
> New Koyorad aluminum radiator
> The shop is also replacing all the 14 year old coolant and oil lines that are easily accessible with the head off. I should hopefully have the car freshly tuned and back in my hands by month end. I want 260whp but given that my block has 100k miles on it 240-250 is probably more reasonable. Either would be plenty for a 2,700lbs car.
> 
> Lots of money to still be slower than a C5 Corvette


lemme know what you think of the drivability with the lightened flywheel.

stupidest reason to upgrade ever but I hate how slowly my car puts on revs when I rev it in neutral  I wanna zip up to redline and shoot flames instantly, plz. but I won't do it if it becomes impossible to leave a light smoothly


----------



## wannabguitarist

sakeido said:


> lemme know what you think of the drivability with the lightened flywheel.
> 
> stupidest reason to upgrade ever but I hate how slowly my car puts on revs when I rev it in neutral  I wanna zip up to redline and shoot flames instantly, plz. but I won't do it if it becomes impossible to leave a light smoothly



I really hope it doesn't make the car suck in traffic (not that it's already great). I've wanted a lightened flywheel for years, for similar reasons, but couldn't justify the cost or work without doing the clutch at the same time. I think it'll be fine since the AP1 came with a 14lb flywheel and 11.5lb ones are pretty popular.

I wish my car could shoot flames. 

Got some pictures from the shop this morning:
Pistons look good. No damage or pitting from detonation. Cylinder walls aren't scored.





My valves on the other hand are trashed 

















Coming into this I knew I had low compression on #3 and #4 due to burnt exhaust valves, I wasn't expecting to see so much pitting on #1 and #2. My friend says he believes it's from detonation (second explosion after combustion at TDC) but we don't know the cause. Could be too many tanks of bad gas, a bad tune (this is what I suspect), or maybe I overheated the car at some point. It's irrelevant now since everything is getting replaced and the car is getting a real tune on a dyno instead of the e-tune I got years ago.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

I ran a 12lb flywheel in my 2nd gen RX7s back in the early 2000s, they were fine in Seattle/Tacoma traffic.


----------



## Furtive Glance

I hit two important milestones in the ol’ land yacht.


----------



## Riffer

Took my 72 Nova out about a month ago and went to dinner with the woman. Had to park next to the new Vette in front of the restaurant. Pretty sure I got more looks than him.








Also, my dad just got a new toy. He sold his 1965 Chevy truck and went and bought a 1972 Vega drag car. Totally impractical. I tried to talk him out of it but he always wanted a drag car and now he's got it. It's got a 468ci big block making 960HP. The guy he bought it from has the 1/4 mile slips and it runs 8.6 seconds at 160mph.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Your Nova is honestly a much better looking car than the C8. I understand why Chevy gave the car a rear trunk (boomers and their golf clubs), but it just screws with the proportions.

960hp out of a 7.5L (?) is wild. I love it.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

ElysianGuitars said:


> Last night I upgraded the brake pads and rear sway bar on my Miata (still on stock front sway bar) in preparation for autocross today. Had a blast, the new bar did exactly what I wanted it to. I only had 30 minutes of seat time before autocross this morning so the whole day was a learning experience, but I consider it a success. I placed 4th in novice, only 0.6s off 1st, and had a blast driving the car. This was also likely my last autocross in Texas, I don't know that I'll have time to do another till we get to Ohio. Here's my best run:
> 
> 
> 
> Direct link: Best run



I recently heard someone say that after a certain point, upgrading brakes was pointless because the thing that will slip is your tires. Thinking back, they may have specifically said this was for daily drivers, where ability to handle heavy and consistent use and heat wouldn't be an issue.

It kinda made sense, though I had never thought of it before. What is your take on this?


----------



## ElysianGuitars

LiveOVErdrive said:


> I recently heard someone say that after a certain point, upgrading brakes was pointless because the thing that will slip is your tires. Thinking back, they may have specifically said this was for daily drivers, where ability to handle heavy and consistent use and heat wouldn't be an issue.
> 
> It kinda made sense, though I had never thought of it before. What is your take on this?


That's actually true. Most stock brakes can lock up tires if you stamp on them hard enough, upgrading wheels/tires can help braking quite a bit. However, there are many reasons beyond that to upgrade the brakes, as brake fade is an issue with hard driving, so getting better pads and/or rotors, going with bigger brakes, upgrading brake ducting, etc can all have positive impacts on your cars ability to stop when the brakes are hot.


----------



## dr_game0ver

Getting rid of unnecessary weight, tires and wheels and suspension are more importent than brakes, unless they are already toasted or too old.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

dr_game0ver said:


> Getting rid of unnecessary weight, tires and wheels and suspension are more importent than brakes, unless they are already toasted or too old.


Agree to disagree.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

ElysianGuitars said:


> That's actually true. Most stock brakes can lock up tires if you stamp on them hard enough, upgrading wheels/tires can help braking quite a bit. However, there are many reasons beyond that to upgrade the brakes, as brake fade is an issue with hard driving, so getting better pads and/or rotors, going with bigger brakes, upgrading brake ducting, etc can all have positive impacts on your cars ability to stop when the brakes are hot.


Thanks. That makes a lot of sense. 

I'm glad my daily driver came with what they claim are fancy racing brakes. No doubt I need those for my 8 mile commute and light grocery shopping I do all while staying at the speed limit. /s


----------



## sakeido

dr_game0ver said:


> Getting rid of unnecessary weight, tires and wheels and suspension are more importent than brakes, unless they are already toasted or too old.



He only did pads, those are very important. Most factory pads are made to keep brake dust and noise down, even the "entry level" aftermarket upgrade tends to be a big step up. Maybe not in terms of stopping distance, but for glazing or other causes of fade. He's driving it hard so that's important. Always thought it was funny that, if your car has squeaky brakes, either your brakes are very bad or very good..

If you're tracking your car changing the brake fluid is important too. Most cars come with pretty good stuff these days, likely not an issue on an ND Miata, but older cars might use DOT3 fluid which can boil off in hard driving... meaning you completely lose your brakes when you need them most.

Nice set of lightweight (expensive) wheels are great upgrades but again ND wheels, really light. BBS from the factory. Lighter than a lot of aftermarket wheels of equivalent size. Mazda knows less unsprung weight is king


----------



## ElysianGuitars

sakeido said:


> He only did pads, those are very important. Most factory pads are made to keep brake dust and noise down, even the "entry level" aftermarket upgrade tends to be a big step up. Maybe not in terms of stopping distance, but for glazing or other causes of fade. He's driving it hard so that's important. Always thought it was funny that, if your car has squeaky brakes, either your brakes are very bad or very good..
> 
> If you're tracking your car changing the brake fluid is important too. Most cars come with pretty good stuff these days, likely not an issue on an ND Miata, but older cars might use DOT3 fluid which can boil off in hard driving... meaning you completely lose your brakes when you need them most.
> 
> Nice set of lightweight (expensive) wheels are great upgrades but again ND wheels, really light. *BBS from the factory.* Lighter than a lot of aftermarket wheels of equivalent size. Mazda knows less unsprung weight is king


Close, I didn't get the Club, so have the Mazda wheels, but they are surprisingly light (and super easy to clean).


----------



## Metropolis

We had all sorts of leasing/rental cars over the years and finally decided to get our own vehicle. Ended up with a 2011 Volkswagen Golf mk6 GTI with DSG transmission. Moves quite well with 260hp/350Nm, because it has re-mapped ECU.

Just a quick picture at local gas station.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Metropolis said:


> We had all sorts of leasing/rental cars over the years and finally decided to get our own vehicle. Ended up with a 2011 Volkswagen Golf mk6 GTI with DSG transmission. Moves quite well with 260hp/350Nm, because it has re-mapped ECU.
> 
> Just a quick picture at local gas station.


My wife has a 2011 Golf 2.5, it's a fantastic car. GTI should be even more betterer.

Although, if you notice any oil spots on my driveway it's also from her Golf


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Installed window louvres on the Miata today, absolutely love them. 

View media item 4337
View media item 4338


----------



## p0ke

Anybody here drive an electric car yet? With petrol prices exploding sky high I'm seriously considering one, but I'm wondering if they're actually convenient yet.
I rarely drive further than the range those seem to have and if I do, I don't think it'd be a problem to investigate where to stop for a fast charge (and charging stations are all over the place already), but ... Idk 

Tesla seems to be way ahead of the competition, but what about other brands?
At the moment I'm sort of CAS'ing for a Porsche Taycan 4S, but it probably doesn't make any sense as a family car


----------



## bulb

p0ke said:


> Anybody here drive an electric car yet? With petrol prices exploding sky high I'm seriously considering one, but I'm wondering if they're actually convenient yet.
> I rarely drive further than the range those seem to have and if I do, I don't think it'd be a problem to investigate where to stop for a fast charge (and charging stations are all over the place already), but ... Idk
> 
> Tesla seems to be way ahead of the competition, but what about other brands?
> At the moment I'm sort of CAS'ing for a Porsche Taycan 4S, but it probably doesn't make any sense as a family car



That mustang Mach e seems like a competitive package at a good price!


----------



## _MonSTeR_

p0ke said:


> Anybody here drive an electric car yet? With petrol prices exploding sky high I'm seriously considering one, but I'm wondering if they're actually convenient yet.
> I rarely drive further than the range those seem to have and if I do, I don't think it'd be a problem to investigate where to stop for a fast charge (and charging stations are all over the place already), but ... Idk
> 
> Tesla seems to be way ahead of the competition, but what about other brands?
> At the moment I'm sort of CAS'ing for a Porsche Taycan 4S, but it probably doesn't make any sense as a family car



There's a guy on my parent's street who has a Taycan and a family... Just saying...


----------



## Adieu

Nope, V8 truck

I don't commute though


----------



## p0ke

bulb said:


> That mustang Mach e seems like a competitive package at a good price!



Yeah, that does look like something to consider. Pretty good range too with the extended battery option.
I could've test driven one a few months ago, they had a little tour here that even came to my town but I noticed it a couple of days after 
The local Ford dealer is like half a mile from my house, they 99% certainly don't have one in stock, but I guess I could ask them to get one.

I think the Taycan is out of the question atm because it has pretty little boot space... If I'm going somewhere with my wife and kids, there's just no way all their gear is gonna fit in there. Even our current Focus is a pretty tight fit, and soon we're also gonna have to cram a baby pram in there... But the Mustang looks like it might have decent space as it's almost like a hatchback.

Another problem with having an electric car is that I'd probably have to have my wiring and all that redone to avoid burning down the house while charging it  But that's on the todo-list in a few years anyway.

If I get the job I'm currently applying for I could afford to buy one and pay it of in ~2 years or even less, so fingers crossed.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

p0ke said:


> Yeah, that does look like something to consider. Pretty good range too with the extended battery option.
> I could've test driven one a few months ago, they had a little tour here that even came to my town but I noticed it a couple of days after
> The local Ford dealer is like half a mile from my house, they 99% certainly don't have one in stock, but I guess I could ask them to get one.
> 
> I think the Taycan is out of the question atm because it has pretty little boot space... If I'm going somewhere with my wife and kids, there's just no way all their gear is gonna fit in there. Even our current Focus is a pretty tight fit, and soon we're also gonna have to cram a baby pram in there... But the Mustang looks like it might have decent space as it's almost like a hatchback.
> 
> Another problem with having an electric car is that I'd probably have to have my wiring and all that redone to avoid burning down the house while charging it  But that's on the todo-list in a few years anyway.
> 
> If I get the job I'm currently applying for I could afford to buy one and pay it of in ~2 years or even less, so fingers crossed.


My local Ford dealer has a Mustang Mach E on the lot just for people to test drive so they can place an order for one. Yours might have the same.


----------



## p0ke

ElysianGuitars said:


> My local Ford dealer has a Mustang Mach E on the lot just for people to test drive so they can place an order for one. Yours might have the same.



This is a pretty small town, so I don't think so, but the closest slightly bigger one probably does.


----------



## Adieu

In small town Finland? Sounds unlikely


----------



## wannabguitarist

It's alive!


262hp to the hubs at 8,300rpm:




I'm pretty happy with these numbers because a tuned AP2 (no bolt-ons, just tuned on the stock setup) puts down 220-230hp on this dyno depending on conditions (weather, mileage, gas, etc). I really wish I had a way to do a before/after dyno with the cams but that would have been extremely cost-prohibitive as it would have required rebuilding my head, dynoing the car, then disassembling the head again to install the cams, followed by more dyno time to tune the car. All I can really say is the car is _a lot_ faster and the intake noise now has this mean metallic rasp to it after the VTEC transition. It's still a slow car by 2021 standards but god damn does make smile like an idiot.


----------



## _MonSTeR_

Absolutely love it  The thing is it’s not about outright speed unless you’re on a racetrack. It’s about enjoying the drive and there are not many lightweight convertibles that have a naturally aspirated inline engine that screams to a redline north of 8000 rpm. There’s a reason s2000 prices are rising


----------



## wannabguitarist

p0ke said:


> Anybody here drive an electric car yet? With petrol prices exploding sky high I'm seriously considering one, but I'm wondering if they're actually convenient yet.
> I rarely drive further than the range those seem to have and if I do, I don't think it'd be a problem to investigate where to stop for a fast charge (and charging stations are all over the place already), but ... Idk
> 
> Tesla seems to be way ahead of the competition, but what about other brands?
> At the moment I'm sort of CAS'ing for a Porsche Taycan 4S, but it probably doesn't make any sense as a family car



Drive a base Model 3 if you can. It's not a "fun" car, but I'd argue the comparable Audi/BMW/Mercedes isn't either. The interior is very lackluster for the price but other than that it's a fantastic way to get from place to place. Effortless acceleration, comfortable, and silent. The charging network in some areas alleviates practically all range concerns. Totally changed how I thought about EVs and now I really want one as a commuter to compliment my weekend car.

Haven't driven the other nice EVs but I've been seeing a lot of Taycans and some Polestar 2s in San Diego of the last couple of months. Very good looking cars.



_MonSTeR_ said:


> Absolutely love it  The thing is it’s not about outright speed unless you’re on a racetrack. It’s about enjoying the drive and there are not many lightweight convertibles that have a naturally aspirated inline engine that screams to a redline north of 8000 rpm. There’s a reason s2000 prices are rising



Definitely! Most people buy more performance than they can actually use (myself included). I've seen what a similarly setup S2000 can do on track with a professional driver and it's far beyond what I'm capable of. Mostly killed my want for a faster car.


----------



## p0ke

wannabguitarist said:


> Haven't driven the other nice EVs but I've been seeing a lot of Taycans and some Polestar 2s in San Diego of the last couple of months. Very good looking cars.



Yeah, the Taycan is IMO by far the best looking EV at the moment. I don't like how the Polestar looks at all, but I guess it might look better IRL. Prices seem to be relatively similar across the board though, except the Taycan being double the price. I'm mainly considering it because maybe it'd be more fun to drive, but realistically, the price is almost what my house cost, so maybe it's a bit too expensive  Like I said though, the Mustang Mach-E does look like the most reasonable choice at the moment. 
But we'll see, maybe I'll get a plug-in hybrid first and look more into full EV's a bit later.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

p0ke said:


> Yeah, the Taycan is IMO by far the best looking EV at the moment. I don't like how the Polestar looks at all, but I guess it might look better IRL. Prices seem to be relatively similar across the board though, except the Taycan being double the price. I'm mainly considering it because maybe it'd be more fun to drive, but realistically, the price is almost what my house cost, so maybe it's a bit too expensive  Like I said though, the Mustang Mach-E does look like the most reasonable choice at the moment.
> But we'll see, maybe I'll get a plug-in hybrid first and look more into full EV's a bit later.


I saw a Polestar on the road recently and came away thinking it was one of the best looking EVs on the road 

I also saw a VW ID.4 in person recently, which also looked pretty amazing.


----------



## IwantTacos

p0ke said:


> Anybody here drive an electric car yet? With petrol prices exploding sky high I'm seriously considering one, but I'm wondering if they're actually convenient yet.
> I rarely drive further than the range those seem to have and if I do, I don't think it'd be a problem to investigate where to stop for a fast charge (and charging stations are all over the place already), but ... Idk
> 
> Tesla seems to be way ahead of the competition, but what about other brands?
> At the moment I'm sort of CAS'ing for a Porsche Taycan 4S, but it probably doesn't make any sense as a family car



my dad has had a model s for years now. Other than regenerative breaking being hard to get used to I love driving electric vehicles. 

I'm definitely looking at an electric for my next family car. I live in a city so range isn't a big consideration and we've got 4-5 other cars for long range needs. But, if you plan on going road tripping and stuff it's definitely much different then being able to pull over and just get gas. 

The majority of my friends are "downgrading" from big luxury cars to models 3s and y's as well. 

The Taycan is cool. I still need to go see one when I get my car serviced next. 

The polestar is really cool.

China has a bunch of homegrown brands that are cheap as hell and look like spaceships.

We also get the Benz EQB which isn't being sold in the states. That's a nice looking car as well.

My favorite one out of this generation is definitely the Audi though.


----------



## Crash Dandicoot

ElysianGuitars said:


> That's actually true. Most stock brakes can lock up tires if you stamp on them hard enough, upgrading wheels/tires can help braking quite a bit. However, there are many reasons beyond that to upgrade the brakes, as brake fade is an issue with hard driving, so getting better pads and/or rotors, going with bigger brakes, upgrading brake ducting, etc can all have positive impacts on your cars ability to stop when the brakes are hot.



Another point many forget is to appropriately up-size your master cylinder when getting bigger brakes. I recently removed the old 2/1 pot brakes from my JZA80 for an SRT8 Brembo swap and the factory master cylinder is definitely not going to cut it. On a related note, SS brake lines are super nice. Way more consistent pedal feel and no "squish".



wannabguitarist said:


> I'm pretty happy with these numbers because a tuned AP2 (no bolt-ons, just tuned on the stock setup) puts down 220-230hp on this dyno depending on conditions (weather, mileage, gas, etc). I really wish I had a way to do a before/after dyno with the cams but that would have been extremely cost-prohibitive as it would have required rebuilding my head, dynoing the car, then disassembling the head again to install the cams, followed by more dyno time to tune the car. All I can really say is the car is _a lot_ faster and the intake noise now has this mean metallic rasp to it after the VTEC transition. It's still a slow car by 2021 standards but god damn does make smile like an idiot.



AP2 supremacy - congrats dude! Turbo time?


----------



## philkilla

Added some aero parts to the Z; was a bit nerve racking to drill into a perfectly fine car...but why not lol.


----------



## jaxadam

philkilla said:


> Added some aero parts to the Z; was a bit nerve racking to drill into a perfectly fine car...but why not lol.



A motherfuckin' Taco!?


----------



## philkilla

jaxadam said:


> A motherfuckin' Taco!?



YOU BETCHA. I fuckin love that truck; 6 speed manual TRD Offroad.

I had a shitty ass shit ford focus hatch (I lovingly referred to ass the Fuckus) and after thr 3rd transmission swap under warranty (CVT Trans are fucking garbage) I drove it across the street to Toyota to get appraised.

They exceeded my expectations and I left with a taco. That thing is paid off, so the vette is purely a fair weather, face melter.


----------



## ElysianGuitars

philkilla said:


> Added some aero parts to the Z; was a bit nerve racking to drill into a perfectly fine car...but why not lol.


Sick, love the color scheme.

My E30 V8 build is back on the ground and starting to look like a car again.





https://i.imgur.com/L7mcaf2h.jpg




https://i.imgur.com/wQGNs89h.jpg

Those wheels/tires are temporary. I had to get it rolling for the upcoming move. We'll be showing our house and couldn't have a car looking that rough in the garage. This isn't beautiful by any means but at least it looks like it moves (and it does, it rolls really easily now!).

The wheels/tire are E38 7 series, hence they are very large, but that's actually helpful since the 17s I'll be running are also fairly large in diameter compared to what the E30 was meant to fit. I went ahead and very loosely mocked up the wide body fenders so figure out where to cut, and left a little extra so I have some wiggle room in the future. Also installed Aerocatch hood pins and the rest of the front end minus the bumper itself.

Now that I've gotten it this far the work has largely shifted to clearing out the garage, so I work on that every evening for a few hours.


----------



## sakeido

jaxadam said:


> A motherfuckin' Taco!?



Tacos are the fucking best

Been driving this bad boy since 2007. Super slick 6 speed manual. Thing has been amazing. I think I only just rolled over $1,000 in unplanned maintenance this past summer, having to replace all the serpentine belt pulleys after beating on it crossing a river a few times.

Only problem is, we just had a baby and the extended cab is now no bueno. It should all work out fine though - new Tacoma is on the same chassis as the new Tundra with coil springs in the rear, which sounds amazing, and there's rumors of a hybrid 4 cylinder powertrain. I'm hoping its a PHEV, Rav4 Prime style, and not just there to add more grunt. If I could get a new Tacoma that can do my whole commute on full electric power... that'd be shit hot






ElysianGuitars said:


> Now that I've gotten it this far the work has largely shifted to clearing out the garage, so I work on that every evening for a few hours.



lol that's a really underappreciated project car upgrade. My garage was a shitshow and working on the car was a complete and total pain in the ass because I had no space and was always tripping over shit. I finally had enough and spend a good chunk of change on big metal racks, a proper workbench, hooks to get stuff up off the floor, to free up space... gonna build a shed this summer if wood prices come down. Getting those last few things out of there will make working on the car even easier.

Next house, gonna go for an oversized detached garage if at all possible so I could have space for the RX-7, one of our dailies, and hopefully a better welding area too. Unfortunately alleys and detached garages aren't trendy anymore and I love 2020+ new build amenities a lot so maybe I'll just have to continue suffering with an undersized attached but we'll see.


----------



## jaxadam

sakeido said:


> Tacos are the fucking best
> 
> Been driving this bad boy since 2007. Super slick 6 speed manual. Thing has been amazing. I think I only just rolled over $1,000 in unplanned maintenance this past summer, having to replace all the serpentine belt pulleys after beating on it crossing a river a few times.
> 
> Only problem is, we just had a baby and the extended cab is now no bueno. It should all work out fine though - new Tacoma is on the same chassis as the new Tundra with coil springs in the rear, which sounds amazing, and there's rumors of a hybrid 4 cylinder powertrain. I'm hoping its a PHEV, Rav4 Prime style, and not just there to add more grunt. If I could get a new Tacoma that can do my whole commute on full electric power... that'd be shit hot
> 
> View attachment 100392
> 
> 
> 
> 
> lol that's a really underappreciated project car upgrade. My garage was a shitshow and working on the car was a complete and total pain in the ass because I had no space and was always tripping over shit. I finally had enough and spend a good chunk of change on big metal racks, a proper workbench, hooks to get stuff up off the floor, to free up space... gonna build a shed this summer if wood prices come down. Getting those last few things out of there will make working on the car even easier.
> 
> Next house, gonna go for an oversized detached garage if at all possible so I could have space for the RX-7, one of our dailies, and hopefully a better welding area too. Unfortunately alleys and detached garages aren't trendy anymore and I love 2020+ new build amenities a lot so maybe I'll just have to continue suffering with an undersized attached but we'll see.



Tacos are great. Bulletproof and hold their value well. I’m on my second Tundra Crewmax and I have no idea how I did it without this amount of space previously.


----------



## Adieu

Pfft that's just tiny.

Unless you really really need the truck bed, try an Expedition/Navigator, better yet an EL/L/Max model.

Now those things are roomy


----------



## ElysianGuitars

https://i.imgur.com/EV4Jfhqh.jpg

Installed the diff, bolted the driveshaft and axles up, got the e-brake working, and bolted the fuel cell back in the trunk. Also finished the rear brake lines (not pictured when I took this shot). Big progress today.


----------



## p0ke

Owning a car is just so goddamned much fun sometimes...

We were gonna drive to a place my mom rented where we'd celebrate Christmas, and I had just packed all the stuff in the trunk when I notice it just won't latch. I tried to just slam it really hard, but no dice. The place was close and the kids already sat in the car, so I figured fuck it, let's just go. No problems otherwise, but for every little bump the car would beep about the trunk being open.
When we got to the place, I unloaded the trunk and then I had to slam it in a very particular way so the lights would turn of, still didn't latch.
Same operation on the way home. Next morning I decided to try a hot air gun, in case it's frozen (it was around -20°C all weekend), and that worked! I heated the mechanism for like 5 seconds and then it latched just fine. When we were leaving I had to melt it once again, and yet another time in the evening when we got home.
I guess there's some moisture inside the mechanism that freezes again when it gets cold


----------



## Adieu

Don't y'all have zipties in Finland?


----------



## p0ke

Adieu said:


> Don't y'all have zipties in Finland?



Yeah but there's nothing to wrap one around back there, and besides, it wouldn't be very convenient when I have to open and close it often. And the pressurized struts keep it shut anyway, it's just really annoying when it keeps beeping about it after every bump.
I guess the best solution would be to park the car in a heated garage for a while to let it melt and dry up properly...


----------



## Adieu

Actually the struts keep it OPEN


----------



## p0ke

Adieu said:


> Actually the struts keep it OPEN



Yeah, technically gravity keeps it closed, but I guess my struts are a bit worn so they provide a bit of extra resistance before it opens like 1/3 of the way.


----------



## p0ke

Went to the grocery store today and the trunk latched just fine again, even though the temperature is still a fair bit below 0°C. Oh well, I'll just have to avoid opening it when it's really cold from now on...


----------



## Furtive Glance

My 2006 Lexus is now officially over 50,000 miles... At this rate, it will outlive the heat death of the universe.


----------



## maliciousteve

So my Wife's uncle has gone on holiday for a couple of months and he's given me his 2011 Range Rover autobiography to take care of until he gets back






^Looks very similar to this one but with all black interior.

4.4 Litre V8 diesel. Absolute* unit* of an engine and possibly the most comfortable car I've ever driven (2015 Suburban may be on par from what I remember). 

One downside, fuel here in the UK is running at £1.50 per litre which sucks as this is thirsty and has a 100 litre tank


----------



## ElysianGuitars

Picked up a winter beater/tow rig for the BMW race car today.



















It's a 2005, has the 5.7l Hemi V8 and 4x4. Has 146k miles on it, runs flawlessly, drives great. Also traded our Golf 2.5 in on it as well, since we don't need to bring that to Ohio.

It's rated to pull 7200lbs, so more than enough headroom to haul my E30 or Miata to track days. It's been in central Texas its whole life so not a speck of rust on it. This specific configuration is kind of a unicorn in this area, most people are speccing these RWD or with smaller engines. Pretty excited about it. Going to go through it a bit, do some fluid changes and just check it over in general before we drive it the 1500 miles to our new home next month.


----------



## p0ke

I think I'm gonna get a plug-in hybrid next.

EV's don't seem to be cut out for the winter over here quite yet, so I think those are out of the question for now. Once they get in the ballpark of their current WLTP values, I'll consider again - I mean, something around 500km on a full charge sounds good enough, but according to tests EV's at the moment only reach something like 200km when it's cold, and charging is apparently also super slow despite using the fastest kind of charger (+ ends up being expensive too). 
I think my absolute minimum would be to be able to drive to Helsinki and back on one charge. That's roughly 250km + needs to be a have a bit extra so I don't have to worry about running flat due to some minor detours or having to look for a parking spot etc. So I guess a guaranteed 300km range would be enough, plus they have to figure out the charging in cold weather.

So what I've been looking at is the Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in (not the ugly af newer EV-version) - looks pretty nice and running with combined electric+petrol the fuel consumption should be around 1L/100km (about 235mpg). Which is like 1/6 or less of what my current car consumes...


----------



## SlipknotKoRnfan

She turns 1 year old in a week or so. Still love driving a manual!


----------



## narad

This has been around for a while I guess but I just found it:


----------



## Mathemagician

Who else is blown away by the new GR Corolla? I’ve been shopping for a sub-$40k sporty car and damn dude. I just wish it was offered other than a hatch. -Check your SSO Bingo cards.


----------



## Mathemagician

Furtive Glance said:


> My 2006 Lexus is now officially over 50,000 miles... At this rate, it will outlive the heat death of the universe.



Just had to comment my 2008 Hyundai is over 110k with just basic/mandatory maintenance.

Bravo fellow “I hate payments” bro


----------



## AMOS

I have a 2005 GMC Envoy, LOL all you want, is has 300 HP


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Mathemagician said:


> Just had to comment my 2008 Hyundai is over 110k with just basic/mandatory maintenance.
> 
> Bravo fellow “I hate payments” bro


looks at his 06 corolla with 160K miles


----------



## CanserDYI

Man I hate cars so much at this point. My wife and I have been through so many cars and issues and accidents that arent our fault, etc, not to mention all the car troubles my immediate family has had. My wife said somewhere in my family we had a horse thief or something and we're all just paying for his crimes.

The car I'm driving right now cost me $6,900 to purchase. I have put about $17000, yeah SEVENTEEN THOUSAND, dollars into it. New motor (6000 bucks right there....), new suspension well, everything, new cats, new radiator, interest on the loan, etc. 

I hate that fucking car but paying a monthly on it just so I can build up my credit again and fuck I just want a new car. About to start leasing new cars and just getting a new car every year. Who else does this and can advise me to or against it?


----------



## Mathemagician

If you want a new car every X period a lease is not a terrible way to do it because typically all maintenance falls on the dealer and you know what your payment is. Depending on what you do for work:if you have a business it may be possible to expense the lease expense, etc. 

It’s typically not a great deal, but there’s math that others know better that shows it doesn’t have to be a full wash out. Especially if you are not picky about what you lease/go for something where the manufacturer is offering some really attractive financing, etc.


----------



## CanserDYI

Mathemagician said:


> If you want a new car every X period a lease is not a terrible way to do it because typically all maintenance falls on the dealer and you know what your payment is. Depending on what you do for work:if you have a business it may be possible to expense the lease expense, etc.
> 
> It’s typically not a great deal, but there’s math that others know better that shows it doesn’t have to be a full wash out. Especially if you are not picky about what you lease/go for something where the manufacturer is offering some really attractive financing, etc.


Shit I keep seeing ads around for leases for like $150 bucks a month, my car payment alone is $293.


----------



## Mathemagician

The difference is your payment ends. Assuming you buy a reasonably priced car, like Toyota/Honda/Hyundai and do basic maintenance it should run 10+ years. 

Cars are not assets/depreciating assets, they are liabilities and expenses. Collectibles and this fucked up market excluded. 

So a lease can be cheaper month to month and may make a great option, but after your 4-5 year loan you can go another 5-8+ years with no payment at all. 

That’s why it’s partially a financial decision and partially personal preference. We all spend money on stuff we like/want so if you want shiny new cars and the payment/interest is reasonable to you then do your thing. 

Financially it’s “non optimal” a lot of the time. But so is buying a $3.5k guitar when squires exist.


----------



## LordCashew

Mathemagician said:


> Just had to comment my 2008 Hyundai is over 110k with just basic/mandatory maintenance.
> 
> Bravo fellow “I hate payments” bro


My wife's 2012 Elantra is pushing 180,000. Haven't dealt with anything I can't DIY yet and it's been paid off for years.

As someone who grew up fairly poor the idea of paying several hundred a month to lease when I can pay several hundred a _year _in parts instead seems pretty hard to swallow.

But then again, the cars unfailingly need my attention only when I'm already busy with other things. So I could see how for someone with a demanding but lucrative job, paying a premium to never have to worry about wrenching would be worth it even if you had the skills. Especially if you could write it off.

For now, my plan is to keep one of our current cars as an extra when we upgrade. Then if something goes awry, I have a backup so I can postpone repairs to a convenient time.


----------



## BornToLooze

Mathemagician said:


> Just had to comment my 2008 Hyundai is over 110k with just basic/mandatory maintenance.
> 
> Bravo fellow “I hate payments” bro



My Jeep is at 300k and hasn't had a working A/C since Obama was in office.


----------



## High Plains Drifter

'99 4runner with 225,000 miles on it. A/C "works" but gets progressively louder as you turn the fan up. Been a good vehicle but I'm tired of replacing stuff the past few years. ATM I need to replace the water pump and thermostat.. no big deal but I'm hesitant to tear into it b/c something's telling me that there may be a bigger issue with the engine... seeing signs of blown head gasket. That's honestly more than I really wanna mess with these days so may be time to let this one go... sad face.


----------



## jaxadam

High Plains Drifter said:


> '99 4runner with 225,000 miles on it.



Shit if you think that’s a lot just switch the display units over to kilometers!


----------



## CovertSovietBear

AMOS said:


> I have a 2005 GMC Envoy, LOL all you want, is has 300 HP


I can smell old GM cars in my sleep - nice parts bin they slapped on during this era


----------



## CanserDYI

ElysianGuitars said:


> Picked up a winter beater/tow rig for the BMW race car today.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's a 2005, has the 5.7l Hemi V8 and 4x4. Has 146k miles on it, runs flawlessly, drives great. Also traded our Golf 2.5 in on it as well, since we don't need to bring that to Ohio.
> 
> It's rated to pull 7200lbs, so more than enough headroom to haul my E30 or Miata to track days. It's been in central Texas its whole life so not a speck of rust on it. This specific configuration is kind of a unicorn in this area, most people are speccing these RWD or with smaller engines. Pretty excited about it. Going to go through it a bit, do some fluid changes and just check it over in general before we drive it the 1500 miles to our new home next month.


Elysian Pickups moving to Ohio I see? Great choice, we need cool shit here!


----------



## ElysianGuitars

CanserDYI said:


> Elysian Pickups moving to Ohio I see? Great choice, we need cool shit here!


Been here since February, love it here. Still building out my shop.


----------



## Riffer

I have a 2015 Mazda 3 and it has 286,000 miles on it  Just changed the oil over the weekend too.


----------



## sakeido

Well she's ugly but I finally welded something for real.... this shit is fucking hard man! I always wondered why we paid these guys $130/hr, now I know. Forgot to take a picture before I wire brushed it but it had a pretty decent color and small heat affected zone, so I did some stuff right. Was quite a learning proces... going to do more practice pieces to get the bead more consistent & prettier then it's on to fabricating a new exhaust center section and a battery box for my RX-7.


----------



## CanserDYI

sakeido said:


> View attachment 106706
> 
> 
> Well she's ugly but I finally welded something for real.... this shit is fucking hard man! I always wondered why we paid these guys $130/hr, now I know. Forgot to take a picture before I wire brushed it but it had a pretty decent color and small heat affected zone, so I did some stuff right. Was quite a learning proces... going to do more practice pieces to get the bead more consistent & prettier then it's on to fabricating a new exhaust center section and a battery box for my RX-7.


Not stacked dimes, but pretty decent weld, man. Good job.


----------



## John

"Want to know how I got these-cars?"


----------



## p0ke

Blah, time for the annual inspection again. I have exactly one week to change to summer tires and fix my passenger side headlight - I've tried to google how those headlights are supposed to be adjusted, and basically what I came up with is that I simply need to swap the H7 bulb for a higher quality one. I bought the cheapest one I could find back when it broke, and apparently those have super high error margins, so it's very likely that it's pointing wrong because it's a piece of crap. Luckily swapping those is a piece of cake.


----------



## p0ke

p0ke said:


> Blah, time for the annual inspection again. I have exactly one week to change to summer tires and fix my passenger side headlight - I've tried to google how those headlights are supposed to be adjusted, and basically what I came up with is that I simply need to swap the H7 bulb for a higher quality one. I bought the cheapest one I could find back when it broke, and apparently those have super high error margins, so it's very likely that it's pointing wrong because it's a piece of crap. Luckily swapping those is a piece of cake.


Changed both H7 bulbs yesterday and put the summer tires on today. Inspection tommorow morning, let's hope they don't find any extra crap...


----------



## p0ke

p0ke said:


> Changed both H7 bulbs yesterday and put the summer tires on today. Inspection tommorow morning, let's hope they don't find any extra crap...


Woohoo, inspection passed with flying colors


----------



## Soya

So glad I don't have inspections or emissions testing where I live. This is my first car literally in the past 20 years that would pass heh. Fewer mods = happier car.


----------



## GTR0B

Don't know if this will appeal to anyone on here but here's my moneypit, an 2009 Audi RS6. Currently tuned to around 740hp / 1000nm (calculated crank figures)


----------



## p0ke

With the constantly increasing petrol prices, I've found myself looking at EV's once again. Not even plug-in hybrids, but full-on EV's. They're expensive, but according to the savings calculator on Tesla's website I'd save roughly 10k€ in 5 years at the current petrol price. So maybe that's the way to go after all... At least I know where my lottery money's going if I ever hit the jackpot


----------



## dr_game0ver

Saving 10K by buying a 80 000€ car? Deal!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

ESPlayer said:


> Don't know if this will appeal to anyone on here but here's my moneypit, an 2009 Audi RS6. Currently tuned to around 740hp / 1000nm (calculated crank figures)


As an owner of three Audis (two current, one previous) I approve of this message!


----------



## GTR0B

TheShreddinHand said:


> As an owner of three Audis (two current, one previous) I approve of this message!


Cheers dude, what did you have and what do you have now?


----------



## p0ke

dr_game0ver said:


> Saving 10K by buying a 80 000€ car? Deal!


That's just in 5 years, hopefully the car will last way longer than that + petrol prices are likely to go up even more. But sure, when you put it that way, it does sound really stupid. The quick fix would be to just get a more fuel efficient car for now, until EV prices become reasonable.


----------



## dr_game0ver

Nothing wrong with EV but i do think teslas are a bit overkill. Get a Nissan leaf.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

GTR0B said:


> Cheers dude, what did you have and what do you have now?


I had a 15’ S4 and now a 18’ S5 sportback (4door). The wife has a 21’ Q7. Love the sportback and the Q7 is our long drive road trip family vehicle. Still tight as anything Audi makes but like riding on a cloud all the same. It’s great!


----------



## p0ke

dr_game0ver said:


> Nothing wrong with EV but i do think teslas are a bit overkill. Get a Nissan leaf.



Yeah, those seem to be the cheapest and would be great as a secondary car / daily shopping trolley. But their range isn't very good, which is the main reason I'm not considering one. Also I think the Leaf is ugly af, tbh.
The latest EV I started looking into is the Cupra Born - looks pretty nice and sounds good at least on paper, and it's not as expensive as Tesla. Plus it's a hatchback, which I very much prefer.


----------



## Riffer

Big local car show yesterday (500-800 cars). Me, my brother, and my dad were able to bring out our cars and enjoy the day. There was a photographer there snapping photos of all the cars as they came in which was nice. 

My car, 1972 Nova




My brothers cars, 1966 Nova




My dads car, 1972 Vega drag car.


----------



## narad

Riffer said:


> Big local car show yesterday (500-800 cars). Me, my brother, and my dad were able to bring out our cars and enjoy the day. There was a photographer there snapping photos of all the cars as they came in which was nice.
> 
> My car, 1972 Nova
> View attachment 109788
> 
> 
> 
> My brothers cars, 1966 Nova
> View attachment 109789
> 
> 
> 
> My dads car, 1972 Vega drag car.
> View attachment 109790



That's good parenting.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

Can anyone here tell me what the protocol is for buying a new car nowadays when cars are so scarce and expensive? I've only ever bought one. 

So I'm looking at a subaru crosstrek, and the only ones available are all listed as "dealer ordered - in transit" or whatever. How does this work? Do you have to pre-order it or something? How do I go about not getting screwed over by a salesperson when they don't even have the cars on the lot and they sell out instantly?


----------



## MaxOfMetal

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Can anyone here tell me what the protocol is for buying a new car nowadays when cars are so scarce and expensive? I've only ever bought one.
> 
> So I'm looking at a subaru crosstrek, and the only ones available are all listed as "dealer ordered - in transit" or whatever. How does this work? Do you have to pre-order it or something? How do I go about not getting screwed over by a salesperson when they don't even have the cars on the lot and they sell out instantly?



It's nuts, everyone is paying over sticker for whatever is on the lot. 

I wouldn't trust any dealer that doesn't have the actual car on hand. 

If I was in the market today I'd probably go through a car buying service. It's a bit of money up front, around $1k when I did it before, but it's just so hassle free and you make up the outlay in the deal you get. I'm not sure what that looks like now though. Worth looking into though.


----------



## Mathemagician

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Can anyone here tell me what the protocol is for buying a new car nowadays when cars are so scarce and expensive? I've only ever bought one.
> 
> So I'm looking at a subaru crosstrek, and the only ones available are all listed as "dealer ordered - in transit" or whatever. How does this work? Do you have to pre-order it or something? How do I go about not getting screwed over by a salesperson when they don't even have the cars on the lot and they sell out instantly?


Ok so ordered a new car this year because used prices were ass. 

1) Be less picky if you can be, but if you can find the other points this matter less
2) Find dealers who advertise that they do not charge dealer fees/that they sell at MSRP
3) Go in and talk to them about ordering whatever it is you’re thinking about. What would the price be. Is the price protected. You don’t want dealer add-ons etc. are they willing to promise this in writing? 
4) if so go ahead an order, takes no more than a $100 deposit. That’s transferable to the car purchase. 
5) Ensure that the order is entered in your name specifically and not the dealer trying to play funny games. Orders in your name provide your with more protections from shenanigans. 
6) proceed to Wait 4-12 months for you car. Ford took me 4 months this year and I didn’t go wild. Apparently the Asian manufacturers have been quoting dealers 9months +, but not sure how accurate that is now versus a few months ago.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

Mathemagician said:


> Ok so ordered a new car this year because used prices were ass.
> 
> 1) Be less picky if you can be, but if you can find the other points this matter less
> 2) Find dealers who advertise that they do not charge dealer fees/that they sell at MSRP
> 3) Go in and talk to them about ordering whatever it is you’re thinking about. What would the price be. Is the price protected. You don’t want dealer add-ons etc. are they willing to promise this in writing?
> 4) if so go ahead an order, takes no more than a $100 deposit. That’s transferable to the car purchase.
> 5) Ensure that the order is entered in your name specifically and not the dealer trying to play funny games. Orders in your name provide your with more protections from shenanigans.
> 6) proceed to Wait 4-12 months for you car. Ford took me 4 months this year and I didn’t go wild. Apparently the Asian manufacturers have been quoting dealers 9months +, but not sure how accurate that is now versus a few months ago.


Thanks a lot for this. I'll have to do some searching.


----------



## spudmunkey

Random frustration:

We bought a compact-size EV in 2015. At the time, we had a bunch of options.
BMW i3
VW e-Golf (the one we chose)
Fiat 500
Kia Soul
Ford Focus
Hond Fit
Mini
Nissan Leaf
Chevy Spark

If we were to want one in 2022, yes they are all arguably "better", but there are only 3 options:
Mini (only 2 doors)
Hyundai Kona (taller cossover)
Chevy Volt (ugly)

Meh...

Unfortunately, every other EV is too long to even fit in my driveway, ha. Kia Niro, Kia EV6, Hyundai Ionic 5, Ford Mustang Mach E, Tesla 3 or Y, etc, all too big. Which is pretty annoying. We accepted the "early adaptor tax" of a car with shorter range (about 70 (highway) - 100 (city)), and have been thinking we might want to trade up to a newer model with better range. We assumed the section would continue to get better and better. And it has. But the market's left the "compact" class behind, and it doesn't seem there are any more coming on the market, at least for several years.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Can anyone here tell me what the protocol is for buying a new car nowadays when cars are so scarce and expensive? I've only ever bought one.
> 
> So I'm looking at a subaru crosstrek, and the only ones available are all listed as "dealer ordered - in transit" or whatever. How does this work? Do you have to pre-order it or something? How do I go about not getting screwed over by a salesperson when they don't even have the cars on the lot and they sell out instantly?


not sure how much big of a hurry you're in but, if you can wait i would until things settle down. 

used car prices are crazy...as are new cars. a lot of dealers are charging a minimum of 5k over msrp. my father-in-law just picked up a toyota sedan and that's the cheapest he could find.

before all this pandemic stuff, literally no one paid sticker. a few years ago a new supra was teased with the ft-1 concept. i was on the list at 2 dealerships several years before production began. when they launched dealers tried to get $10-30k over. i didn't get it because it ended up becoming a bmw zupr4. 

now im on a list to get the new nissan z. it is a few months away and we are already seeing $10 to 20k adm with some trying to get $30k and up...


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

btw, here's what i ended up getting instead of the zupr4...


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

M3CHK1LLA said:


> not sure how much big of a hurry you're in but, if you can wait i would until things settle down.
> 
> used car prices are crazy...as are new cars. a lot of dealers are charging a minimum of 5k over msrp. my father-in-law just picked up a toyota sedan and that's the cheapest he could find.
> 
> before all this pandemic stuff, literally no one paid sticker. a few years ago a new supra was teased with the ft-1 concept. i was on the list at 2 dealerships several years before production began. when they launched dealers tried to get $10-30k over. i didn't get it because it ended up becoming a bmw zupr4.
> 
> now im on a list to get the new nissan z. it is a few months away and we are already seeing $10 to 20k adm with some trying to get $30k and up...


God. 5k over? Yuck. 

Yeah I have thought about used a few times but I just won't pay new-car-msrp for a 5 year old car with 50k miles.


----------



## jaxadam

M3CHK1LLA said:


> btw, here's what i ended up getting instead of the zupr4...
> 
> View attachment 112196


That’s a sweet Tacoma in the background!


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

jaxadam said:


> That’s a sweet Tacoma in the background!


thanks...that's mine too. it's a 2019 trd sport w/ blackout kit and texas ed wheels. here it is towing my supra...


----------



## wheresthefbomb

I bought a 2019 Nissan Rogue last summer. My first "real" car (not a <$1k POS). Payments are killing me but I've definitely made use of it over the last year.

No issues yet. Still have a good ~40k miles of warranty. Feels good to not be dealing with shitty old car problems anymore, at least. 

About to drive it ~600mi home this week, first real road trip with the mom wagon.


----------



## jaxadam

M3CHK1LLA said:


> thanks...that's mine too. it's a 2019 trd sport w/ blackout kit and texas ed wheels. here it is towing my supra...
> 
> View attachment 112230



That’s a nice combo!


----------



## NotAHoarder

1999 CR-V, got it w/ 63k in 2005, currently sitting at 299k. Hauls a bunch of equipment. Thing is bulletproof


----------



## NotAHoarder

All my Trans Am pictures are long gone or I'd post those haha


----------



## p0ke

Petrol is goddamned expensive these days even though the price just dropped something like 1/3 because the government changed some law temporarily. I paid 87€ for 42 liters (~11 US gallons) yesterday  Even though my car is fairly efficient (I measured 6.6l/100km, roughly 35.5mpg) driving is expensive af. Seriously gotta jump on that EV train real soon..


----------



## NotAHoarder

I just can't dig 'em. We had a huuuuge shutdown on I-95 last winter, road was gridlocked for 50mi. Once the EV battery goes dead, bye bye heat. I can at least get AAA to bring me a gallon of gas and get the heater working again. The tech has a long way to go.

Not to mention when the batteries spontaneously combust. Its terrifying, peoples garages going up in flames while the car's charging overnight


----------



## p0ke

NotAHoarder said:


> I just can't dig 'em. We had a huuuuge shutdown on I-95 last winter, road was gridlocked for 50mi. Once the EV battery goes dead, bye bye heat. I can at least get AAA to bring me a gallon of gas and get the heater working again. The tech has a long way to go.
> 
> Not to mention when the batteries spontaneously combust. Its terrifying, peoples garages going up in flames while the car's charging overnight



Valid points, but that kind of shutdowns don't happen over here so I'm not worried about that. Spontaneous combustion sounds scary for sure, but I haven't heard that happening to anyone over here. My biggest problem is that I don't wanna buy anything with a WLTP range under 500km, and the ones over that are relatively expensive. I also don't want an SUV, which most EV's seem to be...


----------



## spudmunkey

NotAHoarder said:


> I just can't dig 'em. We had a huuuuge shutdown on I-95 last winter, road was gridlocked for 50mi. Once the EV battery goes dead, bye bye heat. I can at least get AAA to bring me a gallon of gas and get the heater working again. The tech has a long way to go.
> 
> Not to mention when the batteries spontaneously combust. Its terrifying, peoples garages going up in flames while the car's charging overnight



A fully charged EV can keep providing heat for many many hours. A modern Tesla Model 3 can heat its cabin by about 40F and only lose about 1-2% per hour, meaning it could be able to provide heat for over 3 days. A Hyundai Sonata could idle about 60 hours from a full tank, so the differences aren't huge, but as EV HVAC systems are continually improved (like, for example, above I specified the "modern" Model 3 because they now have a heat pump-based system which is 30-50% more efficient than the old system) the advantage will tilt more to EVs.

But in that winter survival situation, an EV also has another party trick. If it has electric seat warmers, those are MUCH more efficient at keeping your body warm than heating the cabin, so you could easily push tha max warming tome out to 100 hours by switching between the two heat sources with an EV, but an ICE would need to run the engine to keep the seat warmers powered up anyway.

Yes, to your point, AAA could bring you a gallon of gas. Something to consider though: most people with EVs have chargers at home, so they are much more likely to leave their home with a full charge. So a thought might be: which is more likely to *need* that extra gallon: the car that gets into that traffic jam with only 1/4 tank because it's only filled as needed, or the car that is many times more likely to be more "full" much more of the time? If you got stuck with that Model 3 with a nearly full battery, you could be stuck for 35 hours, with the heat on 65F the whole time, and drive away still with 50 miles of range left. If that Hyundai Sonata was in that same jam with a 1/3 tank, you'd have run out of heat at 20-ish hours, and would depend on someone bringing you gas before you could drive home.

I'm not saying that EV's currently are the only answer, because if you put 300 miles a day on your car, that's a much different scenario than someone who puts on 300 miles a week.

To your last point, gasoline cars are many times more likely to spontaneously combust than EVs. Like...it's not an exaggeration to say that it's 100x more.

EV fires get more press coverage for two reasons, and one of them is because they are so much more rare. In 2018, there were nearly 250,000 ICE vehicle fires, and an average of 1.5 deaths and 4-5 injuries *every day* of the year. ICE vehicle fires killed 60% more people than apartment fires caused by kitchen fires, smokers, electeical fires, or equipment failures. On the flip side, the other reason for the seemingly more common press coverage of EV fires is that they are much more potent when they *do* go up.

I don't point to that data to try to scare you or necessarily try to change your preference, only providing context that isn't well-understood. I am 100% for EVs for myself, but I also realize they are not for everyone. Every person I've recommended an EV to in my personal life have all had very very positive experiences...but I haven't recommended them to everyone. I'd absolutely recommend it to my parents (and I will push the issue when they replace their roof next summer to add solar since all of their appliances are electric already), but wouldn't recommend it to my brother who, at a moment's notice, could be called 300 miles away for work, and would have to spend too much time out of his work time to find operable chargers along his route.


----------



## NotAHoarder

It was a rare occurance. Ice storm, people sliding off the road, just turned into a total mess. The range stuff I don't care for, either. We have hurricanes over here, I can only imagine what would happen if someone was trying to flee inland and their battery died. No way to charge it without a diesel generator in the back of an F350 which kinda defeats the purpose of zero emissions, and it takes hours. 

Theres vids on youtube of them bursting into flames. EV bus in Paris blew up, lithium spraying outta the roof-mounted battery like lava, terrifying


----------



## NotAHoarder

I work in the automotive field. Those things scare the crap outta me. They're extremely dangerous to work on


----------



## NotAHoarder

Most power plants are still fossil-fueled, so regardless of if you have an ICE or an EV, it's still ultimately burning dinosaurs to power it unless you live close enough to nuclear or hydro


----------



## p0ke

NotAHoarder said:


> Most power plants are still fossil-fueled, so regardless of if you have an ICE or an EV, it's still ultimately burning dinosaurs to power it unless you live close enough to nuclear or hydro


TBH being ecological is not the main reason I want an EV, the sky-high petrol prices are. Besides, over here 52% of produced electricity was done using renewable sources in 2020, so we're definitely getting there. Our latest nuclear power plant (biggest one yet) started production at the start of the year as well, so that percentage is likely to be even higher already.

But of course it will depend on where in the world you're situated. Over here the Ukraine situation sky rocketed all the prices so much that I'm genuinely worried that I won't be able to afford to drive at all soon. And what's the point in having a car in the driveway if you can't afford to drive it? Also I don't think my/our driving would suffer from switching to an EV - we rarely drive more than 200km per day, and when we do it's no problem to plan a slightly longer recharging break. We've got 3 kids so we'd probably end up taking breaks anyway.


----------



## spudmunkey

NotAHoarder said:


> Most power plants are still fossil-fueled, so regardless of if you have an ICE or an EV, it's still ultimately burning dinosaurs to power it unless you live close enough to nuclear or hydro


A) You would generally still get more miles out of an EV for the equivalent fossil fuel compared to gasoline in an ICE in terms of air pollution, unless you live somewhere where power is entirely coal like Poland, or West Virginia. Even if only 15% of the power is from natural gas, it starts to tip in EVs' favor.

B) Managing pollution at one source is much simpler, and much more effective, than trying to namage the pollution from thousands of individual vehicles with all of their own exhaust systems. And every time the power generation grid gets an upgrade, instantly every EV that draws power from it gets that same upgrade, whether it's improved environmental/pollution standards, or an increase in renewables.

C) the pollution from power generation is localized to the power plant, as opposed to just a few feet separating the particulate coming from tailpipes to your lungs.

D) More and more renewable energy is brought online all the time. So what might be 60% coal/30% nat gas/10% renewable today will invariably by 58%/28%/14% soon, and then 50%/25%/25% etc, while ICE cars are likely as efficient and clean as they will ever be.

E) if you're able to, throw some solar on the roof, and get at least a good chunk of your miles for free, paying for the solar in just a few years.

Like I mentioned in the last post, I totally get that they aren't for everyone...especially that last point above. Apartment dwellers without parking, for example, is a biggie.


----------



## NotAHoarder

Don't get me wrong, i totally understand the utility behind it. I think there are certain applications where they make perfect sense. For me personally though? I'd rather keep my 23yo Honda rolling along haha. Decent economy for the size and I can't kill it


----------



## spudmunkey

NotAHoarder said:


> Don't get me wrong, i totally understand the utility behind it. I think there are certain applications where they make perfect sense. For me personally though? I'd rather keep my 23yo Honda rolling along haha. Decent economy for the size and I can't kill it


And keeping an already-built car running for as long as possible is the greenest option of all, anyway.


----------



## NotAHoarder

I'm shooting for 400k. Low compression in cyl 2, even still runs great. Original alternator went 283k and A/C compressor I just replaced last month


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

NotAHoarder said:


> All my Trans Am pictures are long gone or I'd post those haha


what year? what happened to it? i used to have built 2000 ws-6 t/a but traded it for a 350z. i really miss that car. ran across some old pics the other day...


----------



## NotAHoarder

'91 GTA. Red hardtop, TPI 350 w/ 700R4. Sold it back in 2011. Didn't have much done to it but damn it was fun to drive


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

LiveOVErdrive said:


> God. 5k over? Yuck.
> 
> Yeah I have thought about used a few times but I just won't pay new-car-msrp for a 5 year old car with 50k miles.



here is a window sticker for a new z the dealer added $20k to...not including taxes and other fees!


----------



## LiveOVErdrive

M3CHK1LLA said:


> here is a window sticker for a new z the dealer added $20k to...not including taxes and other fees!
> 
> View attachment 112370


Well apparently my local subaru dealer charges msrp so that's good. Granted I'm buying a family car, not a sweet-ass Z.


----------



## NotAHoarder

Thats a dick move


----------



## narad

Fuck that guy. I'd immediately be walking over to the next dealer.


----------



## NotAHoarder

Careful w/ the auto trans. I worked at Nissan a few years back, the automatic transmissions used to blow up so often we'd be fighting over the transmission jacks cuz we didn't have enough of them


----------



## BornToLooze

So one of my coworkers has a 392 Challenger, and he's kinda made me realize I'm a horrible car guy. I have a diesel Jeep, emissions delete, exhaust and a tune just cold enough to not grenade that bulletproof Chrysler transmission. According to my tuner, 220 horsepower, a little over 400 ft lbs of torque and 30 pounds of boost.


We were talking about if we raced, and he was all about you don't fuck with a diesel. He's the one into street racing, all I've raced up until recently was a new Camaro (that I didn't think was a V8) and an early 90s Mustang GT. I wound up getting up to some shennanigans with an R/T Challenger, and we both put the hammer down getting on the highway. Holy Mama June, I get Challengers are heavy, but I'm in a Jeep and I almost rear ended that sumbitch while my Wuhan war whistle was still building boost.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA




----------



## philkilla

Picked up my C6 Z from Mayhem motorsports in Raleigh on Monday; a year of learning the car (the shortcomings of the LS7) and researching how to have it built up plus the patience paid off.

The car is an absolute animal now; torque is all over the place and it's a blast. 

The car spun on the dyno, and it was extremely hot when they ran it.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

philkilla said:


> Picked up my C6 Z from Mayhem motorsports in Raleigh on Monday; a year of learning the car (the shortcomings of the LS7) and researching how to have it built up plus the patience paid off.
> 
> The car is an absolute animal now; torque is all over the place and it's a blast.
> 
> The car spun on the dyno, and it was extremely hot when they ran it.


nice numbers...
what mods?


----------



## philkilla

M3CHK1LLA said:


> nice numbers...
> what mods?



MAMO'fied MSD intake (ported)
Halltech killer bee 108 intake 
Nick William 103 throttle body
BTR Stage 4 cam
Trick flow 260cc heads
2" American racing headers (jet hot coated)
Katech red oil pump
Lingenfelter expanded dry sump tank

Plus basic upgrades like lifters, pushrods and a trunking kit.


----------



## jaxadam

philkilla said:


> Picked up my C6 Z from Mayhem motorsports in Raleigh on Monday; a year of learning the car (the shortcomings of the LS7) and researching how to have it built up plus the patience paid off.
> 
> The car is an absolute animal now; torque is all over the place and it's a blast.
> 
> The car spun on the dyno, and it was extremely hot when they ran it.





But I like the video you sent me yesterday better!


----------



## Carrion Rocket

I've been looking at C6s here recently. They've been getting closer and closer to my "buy it now" price range for a few months. 

There was a black '05 that came up for sale a month or so ago, but the interior was in rough shape. Most of what I find otherwise are white or silver. I hate white and silver might as well just be tan. And no one _wants _a tan car.


----------



## Manurack

I love Corvettes, especially the older models. 

I saw one while I was shopping damn, had to be an 70s or 80s Stingray Corvette! It was beautiful!

Side note, can anyone tell me what year this car is?


----------



## philkilla

Manurack said:


> I love Corvettes, especially the older models.
> 
> I saw one while I was shopping damn, had to be an 70s or 80s Stingray Corvette! It was beautiful!
> 
> Side note, can anyone tell me what year this car is?
> View attachment 112699



That is a 3rd generation, not sure which year though.


----------



## Carrion Rocket

If that bumper is stock it's a '73.


----------



## philkilla

Carrion Rocket said:


> If that bumper is stock it's a '73.



I think so too. Looks so much better without the chrome too.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

Manurack said:


> I love Corvettes, especially the older models.
> 
> I saw one while I was shopping damn, had to be an 70s or 80s Stingray Corvette! It was beautiful!
> 
> Side note, can anyone tell me what year this car is?
> View attachment 112699


that's a c3 vette, they were made between "67 and '82 i believe...


----------



## WillyTheMLGPro

Thought I'd bring in a car from the Land Down Under
My Holden Statesman.
Absolutely love this thing


Looking to eventually getting a ED Ford Falcon with the inline 6 engine and do some mods to it.


I also work across the street from a performance parts store so we get a bunch of interesting cars.
Excuse my heavy breathing. Was busy at work.


----------



## xzacx

Carrion Rocket said:


> I've been looking at C6s here recently. They've been getting closer and closer to my "buy it now" price range for a few months.
> 
> There was a black '05 that came up for sale a month or so ago, but the interior was in rough shape. Most of what I find otherwise are white or silver. I hate white and silver might as well just be tan. And no one _wants _a tan car.


I have to disagree. There’s a tan 997.1 Turbo at the dealership across the street from me right now (“creme white” technically) that’s calling me. Price is a little high, but not really out of line with current reality, and it’s low mileage and super clean. It’s almost the perfect replacement for the 991.1 C4S I totaled this summer (wasn’t my fault). Unfortunately it’s a cab—if it was a coupe I think I’d be in. My point though, is I couldn’t believe how much I was taken by the color when I saw it in person.


----------



## jaxadam

xzacx said:


> I have to disagree. There’s a tan 997.1 Turbo at the dealership across the street from me right now (“creme white” technically) that’s calling me. Price is a little high, but not really out of line with current reality, and it’s low mileage and super clean. It’s almost the perfect replacement for the 991.1 C4S I totaled this summer (wasn’t my fault). Unfortunately it’s a cab—if it was a coupe I think I’d be in. My point though, is I couldn’t believe how much I was taken by the color when I saw it in person.



You need to go get that immediately.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

another crazy window sticker from a stealership asking $73881 over the $54915 msrp...imagine paying $130k for a nissan that's not a gtr


----------



## Mathemagician

Drove a cheap Hyundai for nearly 15 years. Ordered a mustang in Ford’s JDM spec. This is the coolest Honda Civic on the market and I regret nothing. 

Patience has allowed me to enjoy this like I never could have as a kid. And I’m only medium old. Lmao.


----------



## wannabguitarist

M3CHK1LLA said:


> another crazy window sticker from a stealership asking $73881 over the $54915 msrp...imagine paying $130k for a nissan that's not a gtr
> 
> View attachment 112973


 This is just stupid. It's a rehashed decade+ old platform and way heavier than a car that size has any right to be. Pretty but such a disappointment on paper compared to what else you can buy before dealer markup.


----------



## _MonSTeR_

Is that window sticker for just a standard 400Z?

It says ‘proto’ on there, is there a possibility this is a preproduction version?

Or is it really a 200% dealer markup?


----------



## wannabguitarist

2023 Nissan Z Proto Spec | Nissan USA


Explore the limited edition 2023 Nissan Z Proto Spec, featuring a Ikazuchi Yellow Pearl TriCoat exterior with unique yellow interior accents, bronze-finish forged wheels and more.




www.nissanusa.com





"Proto" is essentially a limited edition appearance package on the 400Z. Only 240 made, but it's just a 400Z. Nissan will make as many of those as they can.


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

proto z mark-up is making it's round in car news.









Nissan Dealer Slaps New Z With $73,000 Markup, More Than Doubling Total Price


One dealer in Washington expects people to drop well over six figures on one of its first Z deliveries.




www.roadandtrack.com













2023 Nissan Z Slapped With Eye-Watering $73K Markup at Washington Dealer


When contacted, the dealer wouldn't explain why it thinks someone should pay this.




www.motortrend.com













Nissan Dealer Selling Marked-Up Z For Over Double The Price


UPDATE: Nissan has responded with the following statement: "We are aware of the strong demand for the limited-edition Nissan Z Proto Spec. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) are determined after extensive research to provide the right value proposition for the customer, however, the...




carbuzz.com


----------



## NotAHoarder

Boom


----------



## jaxadam

That is an acomplishment!


----------



## _MonSTeR_

Just about to start restoring my dad’s old ‘06 Mazdaspeed 6 from where it’s sat for 3 years as his dementia has taken more and more from him.

It’s only got something like 12k on the clock so is probably worth sinking a bit into it.

Hoping the engine will at least turn...


----------



## NotAHoarder

_MonSTeR_ said:


> Just about to start restoring my dad’s old ‘06 Mazdaspeed 6 from where it’s sat for 3 years as his dementia has taken more and more from him.
> 
> It’s only got something like 12k on the clock so is probably worth sinking a bit into it.
> 
> Hoping the engine will at least turn...


Pull the spark plugs and shoot some PB blaster into the cylinders and bar the engine over by hand


----------



## Riffer

Hit 300,000 miles on my car 2 weeks ago. It’s a 2015 Mazda 3! I drive a fuck ton.


----------



## NotAHoarder

Yea mine's a '99 haha. Took a smidge longer to get that far

I work on tractor trailers, not uncommon to see 700k+


----------



## _MonSTeR_

Quick update, my dad’s old Mazda started with no issue at all and the engine seems to be running smoothly. I popped open the air box and the filter is white as a sheet and the oil was full and still golden yellow! I let it warm up a bit and Checked that the clutch still works and it goes into gear. Seems like it’s aged better than I expected.

The brakes are corroded so I’m going to try to get the wheels off and clean them up before taking it for a checkup and service, just to try to make it a bit more roadworthy for the first journey in a couple of years.

I just have to find the locking wheel nut first . Chance of my dad remembering where he left it are slim to none


----------



## /wrists

camaro goes vroom


----------



## philkilla

M3CHK1LLA said:


> another crazy window sticker from a stealership asking $73881 over the $54915 msrp...imagine paying $130k for a nissan that's not a gtr
> 
> View attachment 112973



Highway robbery


----------



## M3CHK1LLA

lololol


----------



## NotAHoarder

M3CHK1LLA said:


> lololol


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH


----------



## FourT6and2




----------



## M3CHK1LLA

^ riviera blue?


----------



## FourT6and2

M3CHK1LLA said:


> ^ riviera blue?



Miami


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## /wrists

I think I'm a Camaro lifer.


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## Millul

FourT6and2 said:


>



More, please.
And, it's a music forum! Post clips, for God's sake!!!


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## CanserDYI

Eh nevermind.


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## FourT6and2

Millul said:


> More, please.
> And, it's a music forum! Post clips, for God's sake!!!


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## Riffer

Took the 72 Nova the to track over the weekend. It was the first time there with the rebuilt engine. My brother brought his 66 Nova and my dad brought his 72 Vega drag car. Tons of fun. My best pass was a 13.3 at 102mph. Not too shabby for street tires running normal PSI.


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## Andromalia

Just got a new car worth sharing, instead of whatever I just could barely afford. As an added benefit, I don't think it's even been sold in the US so it's something new for a lot of people here. She's a notable improvement from my old Opel Meriva, who bravely got used in my move outside of the Paris Region.
Peugeot RCZ, 1.6 turbo 4 cylinder, 200 HP, 235km/h top speed. I'm more of a cruising guy but having some power is still nice compared to the 90 HP of the Meriva which made some insertions difficult as the car was too heavy for the 90hp engine.

The nice thing is, I live in Le Mans, I can test drive the Hunaudières straight.
The bad thing is, those ####### put THREE radars there.
(Yes, when I go to buy screws, hammers and other hardware, I actually get to drive on a part of the 24h of Le Mans circuit that's made of public roads... with a speed limit of 90km/h :'( )


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## philkilla

FourT6and2 said:


>




God damn those pics make me feel warm and fuzzy 




Got some hood vents installed to help control under hood Temps, and control front end rise. 

Can see the heat vapors pouring out when parked now.


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## Riffer

My dad ended up trading his 1972 Vega drag car for a more "drivable" 1974 Vega with a small block 355 and a 671 supercharger on it. Now the goal is to find a way to get it legally tagged!


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## FourT6and2

philkilla said:


> God damn those pics make me feel warm and fuzzy
> 
> View attachment 115227
> 
> 
> Got some hood vents installed to help control under hood Temps, and control front end rise.
> 
> Can see the heat vapors pouring out when parked now.



Nice! Vents are good. More vents. Put them everywhere lol.

The ones on my hood route cool air down to the brakes.


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## philkilla

FourT6and2 said:


> Nice! Vents are good. More vents. Put them everywhere lol.
> 
> The ones on my hood route cool air down to the brakes.


They're pretty legit. Under hood Temps are improved, and when parked you can see the vapor dumping out lol.


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## jaxadam




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## Furtive Glance

God, I love the E92 M3.


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## FourT6and2

New shifter install.

Before:







After:


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## p0ke

jaxadam said:


>



^ yup! I always keep thinking "that's a pretty recent car" only to find out it's 20 years old... Because in my head 20 years old => 80's.


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## sakeido

Furtive Glance said:


> God, I love the E92 M3.


it was the peak of the M imo and it really started going downhill after that

maybe BMW gave up. "alright we can't develop another V8 that revs to 8,400rpm and meets modern emissions standards, let's just put a turbo on a normal motor and turn the boost up all the way because that was it. no topping that"


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## philkilla

Riffer said:


> My dad ended up trading his 1972 Vega drag car for a more "drivable" 1974 Vega with a small block 355 and a 671 supercharger on it. Now the goal is to find a way to get it legally tagged!
> 
> View attachment 115707
> View attachment 115710
> View attachment 115711
> View attachment 115712
> View attachment 115713



It's an "antique" 

That's badass, though still on the verge of drivable. 

I'm sure it sounds wicked at full tilt.


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## CanserDYI

Nissan gave me a raging one today...



Oh fuck yeah, looks sick, AND EV? Wish this was production model haha.


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## John




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## oracles

So sad


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## Concerto412

Saw the news just before bed last night. Very sad to hear, just hoping all the best for his family.
Say what you will about Hoonigan culture, but Ken always seemed like a down-to-earth guy, and accomplished some downright unreal things in his time.
To say he’ll be missed is an understatement.
Sigh. “…great rally stage in the sky…” and all that. Damn.


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## BornToLooze

I want to go do some donuts in his honor, but my inner adult keeps telling me you just bought those tires and they weren't cheap.


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## Concerto412

Just finished listening to the latest TST podcast - recorded Dec. 20th - with Betim of BBi talking through the work they’ve done and how far they‘ve come with Hoonipigasus. Ken was scheduled to be back in the car for data runs today, jan 3rd. 
I was always a little bigger fan of Ken’s racing than the Gymkhana series, until Climbkhana. In a strange way, the mountain seemed like a perfect environment for his craft. I would have loved to see what he accomplished taking his pink Nightmare-Porsche to the hill, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that.


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## BornToLooze

So I'm getting to that point in my career where I'm fixing to have enough disposable income where I can get that sports car I've always tried to turn my daily driver into.

Out of all the cars I could get...why am I drawn to the most generic ass Pontiac you could think of because it's actually a Holden??


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## LordCashew

BornToLooze said:


> So I'm getting to that point in my career where I'm fixing to have enough disposable income where I can get that sports car I've always tried to turn my daily driver into.
> 
> Out of all the cars I could get...why am I drawn to the most generic ass Pontiac you could think of because it's actually a Holden??
> View attachment 119417


I've always wished the El Camino like Holdens with beds would make it over here...


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## John

Spotted in the wild, old home state edition and compilation.
_"Want to know how I got these-cars?"_


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