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Ars just visited the Lane Motor Museum in TN. Plenty of interesting vehicles. Is this where your collection goes when you get your reward?
They have a neat collection, been there a couple times. I already have a place for most of my collection, but several of my muscle and classic American cars are on loan here: Floyd Garrett Muscle Car Museum and a few are here: Hollywood Star Cars Museum
"I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character." - M.L.King Jr
With me and the RX-8, that's appearance, horsepower, and price. I should probably be looking at torque too, but I don't feel like I have a good frame of reference with which to translate the numbers.
For people who want a quick car, torque is, IMO, the the number to put more weight on. Maybe average the torque and hp to get a good comparative feel. Horsepower is a build-up thing, which might weigh more into top speed, but torque is that snappy feel.
I've only read the last two pages, so missed the original context... but for someone who isn't going to pay much attention to a car, but also wants it to be quick and reliable, maybe a Civic Si... and learn to drive a stick!
Or, if you're willing to give me more than VW will to buy-back my Jetta TDI, it's been very reliable, is quite quick, and pretty practical. (Of course, they've mucked up some of that with the last couple firmware updates, trying to cover up the scandal before it broke... and who knows if they'll be able to fix it without killing most of what made it great.)
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
Status:
Online
Jun 27, 2016, 10:05 AM
Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson
For people who want a quick car, torque is, IMO, the the number to put more weight on. Maybe average the torque and hp to get a good comparative feel. Horsepower is a build-up thing, which might weigh more into top speed, but torque is that snappy feel.
I've only read the last two pages, so missed the original context... but for someone who isn't going to pay much attention to a car, but also wants it to be quick and reliable, maybe a Civic Si... and learn to drive a stick!
The first half of your post advocates lots of torque. The second half of your post advocates no torque.
Torque is more practical, horsepower is more fun. Of course, not having enough torque isn't fun at all, but I'd much rather drive a car with 200 ft/lbs and 350hp than the other way around (like you'd find in many diesels).
"I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character." - M.L.King Jr
The first half of your post advocates lots of torque. The second half of your post advocates no torque.
True, though an Si (especially older one) is pretty light and feels zippy. But, the big thing is that I can't think of any cheap, reliable, high-torque cars that would be a good fit for her. I suppose an older Subaru WRX, but those have to be picked carefully and aren't going to be (relatively) maintenance free.
Torque is more practical, horsepower is more fun. Of course, not having enough torque isn't fun at all, but I'd much rather drive a car with 200 ft/lbs and 350hp than the other way around (like you'd find in many diesels).
Most of the fun cars I've had have been pretty high torque, though I guess usually the HP has been high as well. My Jetta TDI is pretty quick and fun (for what it is) and it's upside down like that. My 928 *might* have had a slight bit more torque than HP. My BMW 325i, the torque and HP were extremely close. My first sport car, an Isuzu Impulse Turbo had 140 hp and 168 ft/lb torque. Even the Miata I owned was pretty matched, I think. Even the couple of clunker Volvo 240s I owned had more torque than HP.
It's the fastest car in the world <$1M, so yeah. (The standing half-mile still goes to the Corvette Z06, though. Barely.)
"I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character." - M.L.King Jr
NM, I just found out the Aventador SV does 168. Geez.
"I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character." - M.L.King Jr
Looks like she finally roped a gig, and a car is required, so test drive road diaries are in the near future!
I may have asked this before, so forgive me this refresher.
I get how negotiating works, but how does getting the car checked out by a third party fit into it. You want a car, settle on a price, and then it's good faith until the inspection?
Also, I apologize if this is a dumbass question, but how important is the inspection if the dealer is reputable and there's like, four years left on the warranty?
If there's four years left on the warranty, I would confirm that the warranty transfers to second owners. Some manufacturers trim the warranty down for second owners. If the balance of the factory warranty transfers, an inspection probably isn't necessary. I would still ask for the Carfax on the vehicle, though.
I'd still have it inspected, even if it's only dragging the car to Pep Boys for an "oil change" during the test drive. (I found out about this Life Hack a few years ago. Works like a charm, in a pinch.)
"I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character." - M.L.King Jr
Yeah. PPIs (Pre-Purchase Inspections) require scheduling, oil changes usually don't (and they're much cheaper). Just tell them to look over everything (oil level, brakes, coolant, etc.). To potentially sell you more crap, they'll be very thorough, then bring you a list of everything that's wrong. Of course you don't actually fix any of that stuff, but it gives you a nice list to take back with you for negotiating. Just pay the $50 for the "oil change" (double points if you take a coupon, which you can get out of a local newspaper).
"I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character." - M.L.King Jr
I think that's more of a young person thing, or with cars that are higher priced. Come to think of it, the last time a dealer insisted on coming with me was the Alfa/Fiat place when I tested a 4C, and I can't remember the last time before then.
"I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character." - M.L.King Jr
Not braggin' or nuthin, but the good folks at KIA let me take the Forte out by myself. It's kind of awkward when the dealer rides along, especially for a used car under 10k. Yeah dude, my master plan was to steal your 2004 Toyota Camry with an 1/8th tank of gasoline in it.
"I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character." - M.L.King Jr
Went to look at a Mazda3 hatch. She instantly hated it. The battery was dead, and while the 103-year-old salesman went to get a jumper box, she decided it wasn't even worth driving.
Guess who got to tell the guy as he shuffled back?
Next was the Juke. She was a billion times happier with that, both with the external appearance and the trim level (leather seats, navigation, backup camera). Downsides are it's a bit dinged up, and is just about to go out of warranty. Salesman came for the ride-along. I was crammed into the thimble-sized back seat.
Within about 30 seconds, we almost have a major collision as a Comcast truck cuts her off. Now that everybody is awake, the salesman starts with the irritating pitch... "it has 4-wheel drive, which is great for snow!"
Oh, really?
We get back. Talk it over. Not much time to dilly-dally, she needs the car now. She decides she's sold. Great! Let's get the show on the road!
As is their wont, the salesman is a little too eager to get the show on the road. It definitely should be looked over, and I almost had to beat the guy with a hammer to get him to understand "no, I'm not going to rush over to the mechanic unannounced, right before they close, and get it inspected now."
Manager got pulled in and he seemed to better understand the idea (though insisted the car was in tip-top shape). She put down a deposit, and lucky me, I get to go back tomorrow and take it to a mechanic because I'm the one with insurance.
If all goes well with the inspection, it's pretty much a foregone conclusion she's finally roped herself a car she's happy to drive and be seen in.
Ironically, when her budget was low, she had resigned herself to getting a car she didn't want, so silly things like how the ****er drives were relevant. As the budget went up, cyoot quotient took over, and to be fair, the Juke is pretty adorable.
The salesman was problematic the whole way through. I actually would have offered to sit in back, but the salesman insisted... "sorry, I have to ride in front". Okay, whatever. When we get back, he says "do you (subego) want to take it for a spin while her and I get down to brass tacks?" Umm... WTF? She said "wait, he gets to drive alone?" I declined due to the (correct) assumption I'll get a chance to drive it more than I want.
Unfortunately, she has no leverage. This is the best deal at the moment, and after getting fired for such penny-ante shit, she's overly desperate not to make waves with her new employer (like saying she doesn't have a car yet when she starts in a week).
Seemed to have decent pickup. Two things I disliked which immediately jumped out.
The brake pedal is way closer than the throttle. I can't "side to side" my foot. I actually have to take my foot off the floor to get over the brake. Maybe futzing some more with the seat would fix it, but I doubt it.
The suspension was ultra stiff. Did not like that at all.
Test drive 2 (2.5?) was a success! She's buying an apparently better maintained Juke from an actual Nissan dealer. Has a three years warranty left, so no (or less) worries about it being a lemon.
She likes it... I haven't driven it yet. It was hard to tell on the other one because the ride was so rough.
This one felt smoother from the back seat. This dealer correctly offered me the front seat (which I declined... figured I'd give her a "rear passenger comparison review").
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Last edited by subego; Sep 19, 2016 at 04:55 PM.
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Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
Status:
Online
Sep 19, 2016, 05:23 PM
As a father of a three-year-old, that rear door handle bugs me. He's just getting to be big enough that he can open the door on his own, but something that high would preclude him from being able to do that for several more years.
I must admit, there was a not insignificant portion of this entire process which was a big drag.
However, it was a new (and quite delightful) experience to have all the excitement of buying a car, without having to be the one who deals with sitting on the phone with Geico, going through all the financing bullshit so it can get paid off tomorrow instead of today, getting a city sticker, finding monthly parking, and most important... not having to deal with "what in the holy **** did I just do" burning a hole through my stomach.
I've bought three cars, and that last one has sapped almost all the enjoyment out of each experience.
(Of course, they've mucked up some of that with the last couple firmware updates, trying to cover up the scandal before it broke... and who knows if they'll be able to fix it without killing most of what made it great.)
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