Car Enthusiast Thread

[NeoSneth]

Hand Waxed. Next purchase is a random orbital. I don't mind the hand waxing because is a damn good workout, and I'm afraid of buffing in scratches with a power tool. That surface has to be damn clean before using power tools.

 

[MuppeT]

 

[NeoSneth]

dem flared wheel wells... nice

 

[Teddy KGB]

^Know what you mean, Coming back from London the other day and got stuck in traffic when this pulled up at the side of me.

Driver said he'd just collected it from Southampton docks. Paid close to ｣35k for it.

Someone said its a fastback? no idea what year

[/URL][/IMG]

Nice. It's a 67 GT Fastback.

 

[Late]

Karmann Ghias are awesome, seen two very nice ones around, also some guy (gal) down the road has an Aston Martin Vanquish.

 

[lithy]

View attachment 27735

So Skullz, are you claiming this one as yours? Or just reposting it because you like it?

 

[NeoSneth]

So Skullz, are you claiming this one as yours? Or just reposting it because you like it?

reverse image lookup on google.

https://www.google.com/search?tbs=s...2nFM9olU3qz4S_1UxNvx89CPFx4fI6gaAbTObVhKCqCwY

 

[lithy]

reverse image lookup on google.

https://www.google.com/search?tbs=s...2nFM9olU3qz4S_1UxNvx89CPFx4fI6gaAbTObVhKCqCwY

Oh I know, I was just giving him a chance to sink himself.

 

[MuppeT]

Oh I know, I was just giving him a chance to sink himself.

the only thing we know is that you are one hell of a smelly turd. Now move on and try doing something positive for a change.

 

[Late]

A 1965 Alvis TE Drop Head Coupe, ain't it cool?

 

[smokehouse]

I find it ironic that I'm putting this in the "enthusiast" thread...but I love cars so why not.

Where our '13 Subaru Impreza has been a good car...it's wearing the wife a bit thin. It's has a seriously harsh ride and the worse part is that fucking engine/trans combo. 1st off, Subaru going to the CVT was dumb...the transmission is dumb and I mean that literally. Dumb. the thing really never knows what to do and the engine is seriously under powered. Where we can live with the harsh ride because of how well the thing handles...the power we are just getting tired of. In all honesty, the power rating across the entire Subaru line are just plain retarded. Have a look at these numbers:

Impreza Curb W-3109lbs HP-148 (21lb/hp)
Forester Curb W-3419 HP-170 (20lb/hp)
Outback Curb W-3638 HP 175 (21.4lb/hp)
(In comparison, my hoss of a truck, ext cab, 4x4 has 395hp and a curb-w of 5054lbs (12lb/hp)

Long story short...unless you drop BIG $$ on the Forester XT Premium (turbo, 250hp $35-38K) or the Outback R Limited (flat 6, 256hp, $38-40K), you're stuck with some of the worse hp/lb ratios I've seen in almost any car, especial given that the Forester and Outback are easily $30K vehicles with the shit low tier engine. Long story short, drove an Outback...it's even slower than the Impreza (by just a touch), the same CVT...no good. Where we've been pretty happy with the car for the most part...the HP thing kills the entire line in my opinion.

Spending 12hrs in the Impreza a few weeks ago...I decided it may be time to move on...

And this is there part where you all are going to make fun of me.

Looking at a 2016 Dodge Caravan R/T.

Yeah...I know...

Last wed, had to take the truck in for service and I landed up getting a stock, 2015 Caravan for a loaner. Due to the guy making the mistake of telling me I had "unlimited miles" on the thing, I decided to take it to Chicago on a business trip. 6hr round trip, shitty driving on I355/294 (for those that know, this is a fucking terrible, hostile stretch of road that is littered with non stop traffic, congestion and tolls). So, not only did I spend hours in the thing, but with 3 grown men and a good amount of equipment...that thing performed wonderfully. When I took it back the next day, I landed up look up the thing and found this:

Caravan Curb W- 4510lbs HP-283 (15.9lb/hp)

Pretty solid numbers, figuring it's a stupid mini-van.

I'll gladly admit that it isn't as refined as my buddy's Honda odyssey...but his '14 not only set him back $40K, it's been in the shop again and again with a shit of problems (definitely not typical of Honda...but his has been a major headache). A Toyota Sienna, bone stock is $31K (for any nice feature, you're well over $40K)...and outside of that...I'm not really interested in a Kia, GM, or Nissan...

So...started looking at things. We've looked at mini-vans in the past and used models are often a ripoff. By their nature, a mini-van is rode hard and put away wet. Roached interiors, high mileage...still expensive. For example, a used '15 Odyssey EX-L with 32K is still $31K locally...not going to pay that. I can get a 95% loaded, brand new Caravan R/T for $29K...and that's before I go dicker with them on it. The thing has damn near every bell/whistle available in a mini-van: Heated seats (font/back), heated steering wheel, rear DVD/HD display, leather, tuned suspension, etc. Here's the one I'm looking at:

http://www.samlemanmorton.com/new/D...orton+il-3c525bfa0a0e0ae77554effbed0d7562.htm

So...long story short...we'll see where this gets me.

 

[NeoSneth]

I looked at some recent Subaru's, and came to a lot of the same conclusions. The power is quite low, but almost all sedan's are sub 150hp. Corolla_S is 130hp....that is less than my motorcycle.

CVT's are hard to avoid. Nissan uses them very extensively as well. They haven't driven me crazy, but I don't daily anything with a CVT. It will likely take some years before CVT's improve or go away.


Now the Minivan,
Do you need the space? They are awesome for hauling kids or lots of stuff. SUV's are just extra weight and no comfort. Minivan's have it all.
There's nothing exciting about a minivan on the surface. That might wear on your over time. Awesome for Road trips though.

 

[neo_mao]

though it won't compare to a minivan in terms of space - what about something like a Toyota Venza? I never drove one, but it caught my eye as a potentially decent family-hauler.

 

[smokehouse]

I looked at some recent Subaru's, and came to a lot of the same conclusions. The power is quite low, but almost all sedan's are sub 150hp. Corolla_S is 130hp....that is less than my motorcycle.

CVT's are hard to avoid. Nissan uses them very extensively as well. They haven't driven me crazy, but I don't daily anything with a CVT. It will likely take some years before CVT's improve or go away.


Now the Minivan,
Do you need the space? They are awesome for hauling kids or lots of stuff. SUV's are just extra weight and no comfort. Minivan's have it all.
There's nothing exciting about a minivan on the surface. That might wear on your over time. Awesome for Road trips though.

The Impreza is our second CVT, a '06 Freestyle was our first (I believe that one was a Nissan trans). They irritate they shit out of me...the drone of the engine just sitting there at RPM is annoying. Neither car had a single sense of intelligence...they were great on the HWY, but in town, my god...so dumb. They just never knew when you needed to "shit-n-get"...they'd drone, lag, finally figure our you're trying to merge...then move to a different ratio. Nothing close to the speed of a modern auto trans. Like I said before, the Impreza is just abysmal slow and almost always at the worst time. You need to get moving fast? Nope.

As for the mini-van? Something like that is right up our alley purpose wise. of all our cars, the Freestyle was my wife's favorite utility speaking. The car was a slug, would float down the road, had terrible acceleration, and terrible handling...but damn, was it useful. Our '09 accord was nice...but small on the inside with a shallow trunk. The Impreza is better due to the hatch...but it is a base line econobox on the inside.

I like the Ford Flex...but damn, Ford is proud of them. The 365hp EcoBoost will set you back some $35K for a used, 2014...a more trimmed down 287hp '14 SEL with 35K miles will set you back $28K. Either one is too much for too little in my book. Granted, even that SEL with 287hp would smoke the shitty 200hp my '06 had.

Moving on...we're driving more and more with our daughter being 7 and our taking her to more and more places. I really want to do some "road trip" vacations soon and the Impreza is a no-go in that range. Like I said before, my trip out to KC was 6 hours one way...that Impreza made me pay for it, big time.

 

[smokehouse]

I guess I should add this...they're going to have to offer me some sort of screaming deal (liek they did on my Ram) to get me to buy. If not...life goes on. I'll walk. Even with its shortcomings, the Impreza runs just fine...

 

[wataru330]

We traded up from an Escape to a Flex, and man...I couldn't be happier.

Got some loyalty credit for the trade, and went used (store rental vehicle-yikes!)...and found ourselves in the perfect storm, of the price being right, for the right car for us.

Due to the fact it was a dealership rental (they should've *never* told me that, lol) I wigged out about the sticker price. "How do I know this thing hasn't been dogged out? Driven into the ground? Been pulling figure 8s in the parking lot?!?"

I got the extended warranty, gratis.

The thing is so...well...Flex-able (sorry, couldn't resist). Seats 7, 3 rows, not only fold flat...the back seats "transform" for tailgating (the backs become seats/seats become backs-ala jumpseats).

I've gotten 3 car seats, and 3 adults, and all their shit into this thing...worth the price of admission alone.

The Limited is the way to go. It handles like a Continental.

 

[smokehouse]

Well..."LOL" I guess, landed up in a 2015 Chrysler Town and Country Touring. Maroon with a tan leather interior.

Stickered at $33K, Got it for $27K with 0% financing. Here's the window sticker:

http://www.chrysler.com/hostd/windowsticker/getWindowStickerPdf.do?vin=2C4RC1BG6FR752959

The primary reason for getting the '15 over the '16 was their reducing the 5/100,000 powertrain warranty on the '15 to 5/60,000 on the '16 models.

What's funny is that this thing has a face only a other could love...very plain. But the interior, man is is nice. The thing is comfortable, has plenty of "umph" under the hood, had a great seating position, even the interior lighting is nice...

In the end, the Chrysler seems more "adult" than the R/T Caravan...I also much prefer the color of the interior (tan -vs- black). Never been a fan of black interiors, they feel tight to me. Here's a quick shot of the dash:

 

[StevenK]

Just looking at the extras on the window sticker - what's flex fuel?

 

[smokehouse]

Just looking at the extras on the window sticker - what's flex fuel?

E85, high ethanol blend bullshit. In my opinion, it's US gov horse crap. It'snot much cheaper than just regular gas (currently around $1.85/gal vs $2.15/gal for gas) and you mpg goes to complete shit on it.

In other words, a total joke. Fed gov trying to turn our food into fuel...

 

[madman]

E85, high ethanol blend bullshit. In my opinion, it's US gov horse crap. It'snot much cheaper than just regular gas (currently around $1.85/gal vs $2.15/gal for gas) and you mpg goes to complete shit on it.

In other words, a total joke. Fed gov trying to turn our food into fuel...

You do you realize that there's an annual corn surplus in the US? And that the vast majority of corn produced here is fed to livestock and not humans? My guess is no, you don't know either of those things. And do you realize that govt subsidies help keep the price of corn down? Obviously not.

 

[NeoSneth]

You do you realize that there's an annual corn surplus in the US? And that the vast majority of corn produced here is fed to livestock and not humans? My guess is no, you don't know either of those things. And do you realize that govt subsidies help keep the price of corn down? Obviously not.

this is ridiculously simplified. Yes, there are some serious issues with the price floors for corn. The alternatives can be worse than a free market for farmers. This debate belong in its own thread.


Anyways, If I had a van, it would be a Town and Country. enjoy the ride.

 

[smokehouse]

You do you realize that there's an annual corn surplus in the US? And that the vast majority of corn produced here is fed to livestock and not humans? My guess is no, you don't know either of those things. And do you realize that govt subsidies help keep the price of corn down? Obviously not.

Now hold on a second...why did you go right to being a dick? If I was a asshole to you, sure, fire away...but I wasn't.

...but now that you've sucker punched me...here we go.

First off, shitstick...I am painfully aware of the current corn situation in the US. I happen to live smack dab in in the middle of the fucking corn belt. I'm also fully aware of the "welfare crop" and the history of the US government and their dealing with corn growers.

Ethanol from corn is a fucking joke. Here's a nice, short read that sums it up well:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2014/04/20/its-final-corn-ethanol-is-of-no-use/

(For a long read, try reading something omnivore's dilemma.)

First off, corn takes shit loads of oil to make...oil, that if you want fuel, would better be left as fuel. Second, switching to oh so awesome ethanol, killed that magic "surplus" your flapping mouth is talking about. This consumption caused everything made from corn (which is just about everything), to skyrocket in price. Again...not a good thing. Thanks to that E85 push, millions of everyday products went way up in price, and for absolutely no reason. Gas consumption so didn't go down, E85 made little to no difference on the market. And then there's the added bonus of your gas milage going to shit on the stuff (if you can even find it at the pump), and it thrashing your engine.

Taking oil to make corn to turn it into inefficient fuel instead of food and products is dumb...and only a government as retarded as ours would think this is a good idea.

And apparently a NG member such as yourself as well...jagoff...

 

[NeoSneth]

E85 causing increase to food prices and corn based products was a scare tactic by big oil. it's not really true. Prices did go up, but it wasn't because of E85 fuel.
In this country, it is more efficient to make fuel from oil. Corn ethanol is not a net energy gain in the US, and it won't be any time soon.

 

[hyper]

though it won't compare to a minivan in terms of space - what about something like a Toyota Venza? I never drove one, but it caught my eye as a potentially decent family-hauler.

I test drove the Venza and didn't like it. The ride is just OK, interior is cramped and the dash is an ugly mosaic of like 7 different textures, no way near worth the $30K+ asking price.. Drove the Highlander immediately after and loved it.

 

[IcBlUsCrN]

Anyone have thoughts on the ford focus st? looking for something used under $20k under 4 years old. i was thinking when the rs comes out even though it priced high it should open up the st market. I need something more driver oriented with a MT. Fwiw the other car i was looking at was a honda civic si 4 door. there doesn't seem to be to many in the so-cal market though. I think i have 6 months to think about this.