AKA "The Car Thread"

The new issue of Car and Driver came in the office mail, so I'm perusing it as I check the boards and wait for lunch to be delivered.

I was surprised at the outcome of their high-end performance comparo: BMW M3 vs. Porsche 911 Turbo vs. Nissan GT-R. For those of you who want to be surprised, I'll use the fancy spoiler button:



So I'm thinking, what will my next fun car be? I miss my 1997 BMW Z3. I would really like another convertible, but alas, with the new practice still getting up to speed, student loans, yada yada, it's probably not in the cards for a couple of years. That said, it's still fun to speculate what I'd get if I had the ready cash. In my price range, I'd consider the BMW Z4, although I only partially warmed up to their styling, or a used Boxster, or a new Mini, or a 350Z.

For 4-seaters, the Volvo C70 and BMW 3 series look good.

If price were no object, I'd get a low miles BMW Z8, my dream car.

Many of you (Dennis' recent post leaps to mind, as well as HomeDad's NSX and mdrew's various toys) have shared what automotive toys you have or would like to have. How about the rest of you? What cars get your guys' motors running?

I'm not really a car guy, but I'm interested in the Tesla Roadster.

I'm pining for more money. Then I'll pine for a new car. With the price of gas, perhaps a 6-seater moped?

Yeah, I've checked it out (not in person, in print/web), but between the price ($100,000) and it being based on the ultra-tiny Lotus Elise, sounds like it's not a good fit for me.

But if they embiggened it and money were no object, then ...

MD,

I have always loved the Z8 as well, when I get enough money someday, I will sport that convertible for sure! My other dream car is a BMW M5, I love how its the wolf in sheeps clothing, with the current generation sporting 500hp, it truly is the master of disguise.

AC Cobra(427), the original supercar. I am sure I will have to build a kit version, I am pretty sure I will never have the ~$1,000,000 to get an original.

That's my dream car. But like you, I will have to settle for a kit. I've been looking at the latest offerings from Factory 5 Racing. They have a rolling chassis with carbon fiber body now that looks like it might be worth a closer look. I’d drop a LS7 crate motor and vette six speed into it.

Either that or I’m probably going to buy a new Shelby Mustang convertible. That is if I can find one that the dealer hasn’t added 20K to the MSRP.

Grr, tell me about it with the dealer mark-up on the nice, select cars. Just because a person is discriminating with cars, the bargaining power goes out the window. Stupid law of supply and demand!

How big are you? I saw on JayLenosGarage.com that he drove one just fine. But then you still have the price tag....

I am a fan of "less common" cars. I was a fan of Lamborghini back before anyone knew what they were. I liked De Tomaso Pantera back then too. Always a fan of the 427 Cobra, and with Gone in 60 Seconds, I'd love to drive an Elanor. You can keep the Porsche and Ferrari, for massive fun in a small package, give me the Ariel Atom!!!! That car is INSANE in performance but doesn't cost $1.5M like the Bugatti Veyron.

If I could ever afford to buy a car for someone else though, I'd pick a 1967 Pontiac Firebird convertible for my dad. He bought one new and had it for 2 years before he had to sell it for a STATION WAGON when my sister was born... He talks about that car to this day.

Porsche Carrera GT, Ferrari Enzo (GT's prettier, I'm sorry to say), Ferrari 250 GTO. Hell, pretty much any Ferrari.

In the vaguely more affordable realm, I think the Porsche Cayman is gorgeous (better looking than the Boxster), Corvettes are always a good option, and of course the M3 is marvelous.

In my affordable realm... well, nothing, really. Sigh.

LOL, tell me about it. Hopefully on my 5-year plan it'll be a different story.

I really liked the 1980s "Magnum PI" Ferraris, the 308GTSi, 308 GTB, etc. Never liked the Testarossa design. Am warming up to the 355/360 Modena design a little. A few months ago, I was startled to see a young punk in a 360 on my drive home. We don't get that kind of action around here.

I don't think I'll ever own a Ferarri because of the $5k outlay for routine services. So I've heard.

The F430 is a gorgeous car, as long as you ignore the front...

I'm sure they're godawful expensive to repair.

Not even repair, try oil changes for $800, belt replacements for a few thousand, etc...

I should be getting a job working for one of those dealerships. The mechanics should be bringing in at least $50/hr for those kinds of prices.

My father in laws friend came to visit one August on his way to Hot August Nights in Reno, NV. He used to talk about his friend driving around in this sport convertible all around New England. I thought it was some sort of MG, since this was during the 60's.

Low and behold, my wife calls me to tell me to go and see his car. It's an original 289 Cobra w/ the knock offs on the rims. All original AND he's the original owner. Now THAT is a car.

I'd rather spend the money on older muscle cars. Anyone w/ cash can buy a Ferrari. How about a Ferarri 250 GT California or a 65 GTO convertible?

Nice story, nickbuol - a lot of guys have gone that way for the kids...

I'm 6'4", two hundred harumph something. Maybe if the price comes down, the Tesla could be a go!

Seems like a lot of my friends are shopping for mid-life crisis sports cars right now.



I'm guessing that it means something that my first reading of that was "carbs".

As I've observed before, my daughter will be driving in a couple years and my wife deserves a nice newer car. She claims that I once weakened and consented to a British car (like an MG), but I think she made up the story while I was drunk.

I'm not passionate enough about cars to spend stupid amounts of money on them, but I'd get a newer Corvette if I could afford it.

I was easily seduced by a friend's Lexus SC430.

We'll probably end up with a Miata. Or maybe a modest Mustang.

I saw a new Z06 in San Francisco last week. THAT is a nice car.

1967 Karmann Ghia convertible.

I've recently fallen in love with the Bugatti Veyron. As soon as I come up with an extra $1.6m I'm getting one. At its top speed of 253 mph (407 kph) it used up a tank of gas in 12 minutes, so I might need another million for fuel.

I've always like Aston Martins, but lately I want one of the new generation electric sports cars.

Scratch that. I want Danica Patrick AND her car

I drove my buddies. Yes, IT IS a nice car. Unfortunately, like the Shelby Mustang, dealers are tacking onto the MSRP a thing they call "market adjustment fee". The fee is roughly 20K for the Mustang and 30K for Z06. The dealer has a burnt orange 05 on the showroom floor with a 65K price tag on it. A two year old, used Z06 selling for more than its original MSRP. .……sigh……

Ferrari Dino Concept:

Doc, you need a Mazda Miata MX-5. It'll fit you like a glove!

I was momentarily startled when I saw your new avatar. We haven't seen it for over four years here, but it was used by "sushi"(Dr. Masashi Yanagisawa)on his many very informative posts before he suddenly just stopped. He's been sorely missed by the veteran members here, and seeing the avatar on a new post brought back pleasant memories(and admittedly, a brief twinge of disappointment).

I didn't think I'd be the only one pining after sushi upon seeing his avatar resurrected from the grave. I did check the url of the image to be sure doc wasn't stealing bandwidth from him. He did the decent thing and copied it to photobucket.

Now back to cars....

yeah, those markups are crazy. you're better off buying the originals at those prices.

Perhaps a Yenko Camaro?

That would look nice parked in your driveway, eh?

Ditto on the 65 GTO

There was either one or a replica of one (had to be a replica...) that parked at my Dad's old place of work, an aerospace company. Had to be a replica...

I thought that this thread could use some more pictures, so here are some of my favorites:

The Ariel Atom (insane to drive car)


The De Tomaso Pantera:


The 427 Cobra (what a sexy beast)


Eleanor

Bugatti Veyron

The problem I have with the Veyron is that they had all sorts of targets, but no engineering. Heck, they had the body before they did any aero work!

I suppose in some ways that makes it amazing, but in other ways it's remarkably short sighted.

But you sell just one and your R&D is all paid for....

Ah, the Bugatti Veyron!! My favorite. Here's a abbreviated video from Top Gear, quite the car!

video

I saw a Veyron before I knew what it was. I was in Menlo Park, CA and saw it drive by. It look like it had rockets on the back. My wife asked me how much, I figured maybe $300K. Who knew I was off by $1.1M.

Some older guy driving, had to be some Silicon Valley CEO...

I'm taking a fancy to the 2008 Automobile of the year, the Audi R8. Saw one at a dealership in France this last summer. Beautiful car.
Always a fan of just about anything Aston Martin puts out, the Ferrari 430, and am kinda interested in the 2008 Lambo Miura Concept.
And lets not forget about the Lambo Reventon.
And finally, Ive always been in love with the Shelby GT 500 aka "Eleanor." About a year ago I saw Ahman Green piling his family into one in the parking lot of a Best Buy here in Omaha.

The 1970 Impala is still the sexiest body style I've ever seen.

Bren R.

AMC Pacer. Nothing built like it before, and nothing wver will be.

Ha, that and the 1974 VW Thing may be the worst cars ever built.

I have a 2000 Honda S-2000 in perfect condition, so my 2 seater needs are taken care of ... I have a 2005 Acura RL which averages about 16 mpg of premium which I see is up to $4.50 in Southern California, so I've been thinking about a nice Civic Si. I'd consider the EX with nav and 5 speed manual except you can't get a limited slip differential in any Civic except the Si.

If gas were affordable, then I'd say my dream car is a Cobra 427 side oiler, a Ferrari California, or if I were actually going to put my money down for an exotic, I'd get a low mileage late model NSX, black with pimp red interior, 6 speed of course.

If you could afford to buy the 427 cobra, fuel prices wouldn't matter to you.

Doc,

I don't think I am "pining for" any Car, but I will say this about that......I recommend for you: A '08 Ford Mustang GT.

For myself, the same.

My Dream Car is: A 1969 AMC AMX with a 390 c.i. v8, 4 speed, with the "go pack" option, and painted in "Big Bad Green". (in NOS condition of course)

I was watching the Mecum Auto Auction last night, on Mojo I think.

They had a bone stock '69 Camaro LT1, IIRC. It was VERY clean and close to original, though they didn't call it concourse level. Bids got up to $375K but the owner wouldn't sell for less than $410K. CRAZY.

Bet you'll never see an modern day American cars hold value like that any more... The new GTO is nice but c'mon, it's an Australian Holden.

That's insane. That car had to cost $4000 new...

Looks like it's been put through one of those old-fashioned laundy devices that squeezes water out of clothes via rollers operated by a hand crank. No disrespect to your taste, or anything.

You and I have a different definition of sexy, Bren. I like curves.

Uh, like Peter said, no disrespect...

I enjoy sports cars when I get the chance, but if I had the money, I wouldn't be buying a new car. I'd be lost in my garage for about a month adding a 6" long arm suspension. Probably a V8 conversion. Nothing too big, probably a small block 350 as I really just need the extra torque and they bolt into a TJ nicely. Also, by necessity of the long arm kit, I'd need to upgrade to a CV style rear drive shaft. Something hefty to handle the new power and 35" tires that would accompany the lift. The Rubicon already comes with a heftier drive train than a normal Jeep so I'm pretty well set to begin.

Hmm, I guess I don't really fit in to this thread. Although, I will need a second car to drive while the Jeep is modified into something that will drink too much gas to remain our daily driver.

I still have trouble thinking too big. I really like the Subaru SRX. The sleeper power and handling of a rally car without a look that screams mid-life crisis. Also, it retains a good all wheel drive system to help out in my commute from the country in the winter time.

The most fun I ever had driving a car was an imported Japanese Skyline. It didn't have a limiting chip so you got the full 450 horsepower on a pretty light frame. Handled better at speed than any of the European sports cars he has brought over, at least in my opinion. Was a right hand drive though, that's a bit freaky. Especially if you want to pull out and pass a truck or something.

I almost bought it from him right there and then but my wife would have killed me and him, as he is a neighbor who imports fast bikes and cars, so he is well with her reach.

Do you mean a Subaru WRX? I owned a 2005 WRX sedan for about 18 months before I sold it. It had been sort of a 'dream' car for a while, then I finally made enough money to afford one. It was a whole lot of of fun when you were in the mood to have fun. As a daily driver, I got very tired of the poor gas mileage and horrible turbo lag. It couldn't keep up with minivans at stoplights unless you were prepared to dump the clutch at 5k RPM. It must be noted that my '05 had the 2.0, and not the 2.5 as found in the new ones. Once the turbo kicked in it was like getting hit in the back of the head with a frying pan, which got old after a few months. Sure, it went like stink and was freaking incredible in the snow (all subies are), but you really had to be 'in the mood' and drive like a hooligan.

And I got *really* tired of the insurance payments. Big-time rates due to claims & theft. I have a spotless record and live in a cheap place for insurance (rural), but it was still pretty outrageous. Think 2-3 times what a 'normal' 25-30k car is to insure. Just sayin', if you ever think about buying one, check with your insurance agent first - it can be brutal.

Back to the original topic...

My current, 'if I won the lottery' car would have to be an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.

Love the lines of that thing...

John that's funny that you mentioned the Miata, my Father in-law is 6'4 and around 280lbs, he has two Miatas and it is one of the few small cars he can fit comfortably in.

Huh. They always looked so teeny to me.

Miatas fit drivers up to and including 6'5" perfectly.

That's good to know, not that I'll be in the market for a 2-seater any time soon.

Very true, my father is 6'5" and once had a miata he loved. Needless to say he's upgraded to a Lotus Elise.

This isn't completely true.

I am 6'0" and I do not fit in a Miata with the top up.

My wife and I recently decided we wanted a convertible. The Miata and Pontiac Solstice were at the top of our list. We test-drove a softop '08 Miata at the local dealer. With the top up, my head was jammed against a metal support beam for the top. If I consciously slouched I could fit, but I'd still hit the crown of my head on every bump. Extremely annoying. Not comfortable (for me) at all. Great car otherwise, but I just didn't fit.

I fit just fine in the Solstice. No problem at all. That's what we ended up buying. We absolutely love it.

VERY nice, PeterC. I much prefer the Solstice to the Sky.

I think quite a bit of the "fit" issue relates to how upright a person likes to sit. I have just never felt comfortable leaning back very far when driving, so I have the same concerns (and expectations) as Peter.

Some roadsters are OK. At 6'4", I like to drive fairly upright (at least compared to my wife), and I fit in the Z3/Z4, Mini Cooper, SLK350, and 350Z roadsters fine. Honda S2000, no way. Celica, I was sardined. Also couldn't fit in a Corvette, but it was at an auto show where the seat controls were disabled (or broken from abuse), and I think the seat wasn't as far back or down as it could go.

Oh, BTW, I was shocked to hear that a 6'5" person drove an Elise.

I suspect I'd also fit in a TT and Boxster, but haven't tried them on.

I think you'd fit in my trunk rather well.

Okay, so it's not as scary when you know I don't have a car.

Interesting comments on the WRX earlier. I've had one since 2002 when they first came out in the states. Turbo lag is minimal and the car really goes and handles well too. It's been a good daily driver for me. I haven't heard great things about the new design for this year, so I wouldn't get another (not to mention that I just like to change it up whenever I get a new car), but it's been really good. I'm up to 93k miles and am thinking about getting in the market soon, but there is nothing out there I really want when I factor in MPG/Performance/Price.

BTW...my Subie gets 23-24 MPG. Not great, but certainly not horrible either.

I routinely get 37-38 aggregate MPG in my 2002 Civic LX 5sp, 40 on long highway drives. I coast down hills when safe to do so, shift fairly low, etc.

Actually that makes it even MORE scary!

Tell me about it. It's so fun to drive, though, that I don't pass up the opportunity to borrow my father-in-law's car when I visit. The Dodge Viper (original body style, at least) is similarly a tight squeeze, surprisingly.

Helps when you know how to move the seat in the Viper.

It was all the way back. It wasn't so much a depth of legroom issue as it was a width of him and kneeroom issue.

For some reason I have been looking at getting a 350z convertible, yes the coupe looks better, but there is somthing about a roadster that, to my mind at least, makes for a very magical driving experience.

If and it's a big "if" I go that way I'll have to get a winter car. Not that I can't drive rear wheel drive in the winter, I can, I just feel that the car deserves better than to be driven around our salty winter roads.

There is nothing practical about this decision, and it certainly isn't anything I "need", perhaps that why this idea is gathering momentum.

Well that and my other goal to replace my 60s/QS8s/VP150 and older than dirt EP350 with VaSSallo Series speakers that can match the M3s (Cherry/Chestnut/Semi-Gloss) that I picked up last month during my Axiom visit.

...any bets on them fitting into a Z?

One at a time with multiple trips to the Axiom factory. Definitely a win/win situation!

If I could afford it, here is my dream vehicle. I drove something similar quite a few years ago but as you'll see the price is a little much; and that's in American dollars . Pretty cool though!

Link

I think you should go for it, Wayne.

I was very close to buying a 350z coupe a couple of years ago. From the several longish test drives, I can attest that it's a fun car. Definitely. The only reason it didn't happen is that the dealer and I couldn't agree on the price.

Hey, with the top down, you can always stack vertically!

I was just reading this.... http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=125924

2009 Vette ZR1 with 638HP. It'll outrun the Z06. MSRP to be 'around' 100K

Will it make it from one gas station to the next on an Alaskan road trip, though?

Yeah, but when it is all said and done, you will still have a car that to most people still looks like every other Corvette from the past decade or so. They are great machines and very well made, but almost "too" common...

That's amazing. Very cool indeed.

Unless he's an elephant ...

Oops Typo, I did mean the WRX. The turbo lag can be fixed, improved even, with a quick chip swap. I agree though, the last few years don't look nearly as nice. Too plain. I like a sleeper car concept but they did tone it down a bit too much.

A Miata is my least favorite looking of the currently popular sports car. I know it's a great running vehicle but I'm not digging the look at all.

If I were be retardedly rich and assuming I live somewhere other than P.E.I. where the paved roads are as bumpy and full of holes the lunar surface, I've always had a soft spot for the look of a Ferarri. Ya it's almost boringly, stereotypical now but I always loved the visual lines they come up with in their designs. An Enzo would do nicely.

Sounds like Calgary's roads as well.

All of North America it seems.

I refer to our road craters as "looking like the streets of Beirut."

Bren R.

You guys need to move south - without snow to wreck our roads, and excepting a few, like I-95, the roads I've driven in Georgia and Virginia are A-OK.

Yep, it's the water and subsequent freezing that pops the asphalt. Any place that sees lots of the melting/freezing cycle gets to look forward to many of potholes and with our runs of warm and then cold during winter, our roads are always in a state of disrepair.