[vexborg]

Originally Posted by grayware 

My 3-season toy. 1200 lbs | 38 mpg | 32 bhp

You lucky bastard!

My first car was a 1973 Morris Mini 850 in a rusty blue metallic - great car, even for a 197 cm tall guy like me!

[EricTheRed]

I have an F-150 and a Caddy but I rather be doing more of this:



Help keep race tracks open and keep me from playing in traffic.

So I said, "Lets make an iMovie on the way home."

[scaught]

^Your "personal freedoms" do not allow for infringing on the safety of others. That's just reckless and stupid.

[edit]see y'all on page 13

[Cadaver]

My transportation...
2006 BMW 330xi with iDrive.


Hurray for the MacNN bimmers.

[centerchannel68]

Blech. All these bmws are getting annoying, actually. Especially since they're all the fat ones with Chris Bangle's bungled up styling.

[cjrivera]

Originally Posted by Cadaver 

My transportation...

Very nice ride.
By the way, how is the iDrive working for you?
I've heard good and bad about it...

[cjrivera]

Originally Posted by angelmb 

About the Mustang, I think it's a steal for the money, as Goldfinger says That's pretty darn incredible actually. 20k $, that's Renault Clio money (15k-16k euro)., but the Clio is the best small car you can get here, wanna spend $ 20k and get a sporty euro Ford?, this is all they can offer to you, pretty much the same, huh? big LOL:

15000 euro

\

This is the Focus that Ford needs to bring to the US.
and not this...

[Lateralus]

Actually, I do believe that the picture angelmb posted is of a Ford Fiesta, not a Focus.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by Lateralus 

Actually, I do believe that the picture angelmb posted is of a Ford Fiesta, not a Focus.

Yeah, definitely too small to be a focus.
From the magazine review I've read, pretty much all of the writers/drivers seem to hate iDrive.

BTW Cadaver, I think your car looks great!

[cjrivera]

Originally Posted by Lateralus 

Actually, I do believe that the picture angelmb posted is of a Ford Fiesta, not a Focus.

Whoops. You're right.

I thought it was the Cosworth Focus.

In that case, that would make 2 cars (the Euro Focus and Fiesta) that Ford should bring to the US.

[grayware]

Originally Posted by vexborg 

You lucky bastard!

My first car was a 1973 Morris Mini 850 in a rusty blue metallic - great car, even for a 197 cm tall guy like me!

Thanks Vexborg. I've not ridden in an 850 yet, but the other side of that: a 66 Cooper w/ a ridiculous 1380!

This one's especially a treat: 1979 998 cc, 12000 original miles , waxoyled and honestly not a speck of rust. Literally sotred away under blankets in an old British guy's garage. Picked it up through West PA Minis; couldn't be a better source for classic Minis. One day I may put in a tuned 1275.

[macroy]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

Blech. All these bmws are getting annoying, actually. Especially since they're all the fat ones with Chris Bangle's bungled up styling.

Funny how everyone was just crapping all over Bangle's designs.... (myself included) And now its starting to become stylish (i.e Toyota Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES'). And I think as somone said earlier.... cars are getting "fatter" in general. I'm sure there are exceptions, but I'd be curious to see which mainstream cars have NOT gained weight.

A lot of these is due to the preference of having amenities with your "sports" cars. Not only do you want a rocket, but you also want AC / CD Changer / full size spare / Premium stereo with a dozen speakers / sunroof / hardtop convertible / quiet ride / etc... having all that is kinda hard without increase in weight.

I do think there is much more character with the older cars... but I don't think BMW is alone in this one.

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by cjrivera 

Whoops. You're right.

I thought it was the Cosworth Focus.

In that case, that would make 2 cars (the Euro Focus and Fiesta) that Ford should bring to the US.

Yes, that small Ford is a Fiesta, the Focus ST would be something like $32000, which is any longer powered by Cosworth Racing, the ST comes with a Volvo-born five cylinders engine.

[Goldfinger]

Originally Posted by macroy 

Funny how everyone was just crapping all over Bangle's designs.... (myself included) And now its starting to become stylish (i.e Toyota Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES'). And I think as somone said earlier.... cars are getting "fatter" in general. I'm sure there are exceptions, but I'd be curious to see which mainstream cars have NOT gained weight.

A lot of these is due to the preference of having amenities with your "sports" cars. Not only do you want a rocket, but you also want AC / CD Changer / full size spare / Premium stereo with a dozen speakers / sunroof / hardtop convertible / quiet ride / etc... having all that is kinda hard without increase in weight.

I do think there is much more character with the older cars... but I don't think BMW is alone in this one.

Not to mention all those new safety regulations that require fatness. Or the fatness that is required to get 5 stars on NCAP tests so they can put in their brochure that it's a 5 star NCAP car.

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by grayware 

Thanks Vexborg. I've not ridden in an 850 yet, but the other side of that: a 66 Cooper w/ a ridiculous 1380!

This one's especially a treat: 1979 998 cc, 12000 original miles , waxoyled and honestly not a speck of rust. Literally sotred away under blankets in an old British guy's garage. Picked it up through West PA Minis; couldn't be a better source for classic Minis. One day I may put in a tuned 1275.

My wife and I both love original minis...but arne't you worried about getting into an accident with a large SUV or something and being instantly dead?

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by macroy 

Funny how everyone was just crapping all over Bangle's designs.... (myself included) And now its starting to become stylish (i.e Toyota Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES'). And I think as somone said earlier.... cars are getting "fatter" in general. I'm sure there are exceptions, but I'd be curious to see which mainstream cars have NOT gained weight.

A lot of these is due to the preference of having amenities with your "sports" cars. Not only do you want a rocket, but you also want AC / CD Changer / full size spare / Premium stereo with a dozen speakers / sunroof / hardtop convertible / quiet ride / etc... having all that is kinda hard without increase in weight.

I do think there is much more character with the older cars... but I don't think BMW is alone in this one.

Which one's haven't gained weight? Good questions. Chrysler's small car, the neon, used to weigh 2400-2600lbs. The caliber, the neon's replacement, weighs 3200-3400lbs. My wife's 89 accord is SMALLER than today's civic, whereas today's accord is absolutely gigantic in proportions. VWs are especially bad, the original GTI can outperform today's GTI because the modern GTIs weigh so damn much.

What pisses me off is where is all this weight coming from? We have more advanced materials today than we did 20 years ago... I think a lot of it is just the sheer SIZE of teh vehicle. Why are vehicles getting bigger and bigger? Partially to cater to fatasses, and I think, partially, because CAFE regulations stopped increasing the MPG rating in 1980 something, so automotive designs/engineers have gotten 'lazy'. It isn't hard to get over 20mpg in a fullsize car anymore. Bump up the efficiency requirements, and I'm sure you'll see them trim back some of their models to more svelte proportions. Because... honestly, I don't think a CD player and whatnot is really weighing down today's cars much.

[G4ME]

i think it has to do more with higher safty standards then anything else

how many air bags does a car in the 80s have compaired to one today? How many have side crumple zones and such?

[centerchannel68]

What car has a side crumple zone? I know modern cars have side impact beams in the doors...but not crumple zones.

As to the safety argument, I don't buy it. Why?




That passes. And it weighs under 2,000lbs.

[Sub]

Elise: I knew a guy in my highschool that got one of those 3 years ago.
1973 Mini; Friend Just sold it for a 85.

My dominant means of transportation:


91 Volvo 240 SE.

And my dream car:


87 M6

[imitchellg5]

I love the old M6s. Beautiful cars! There is a silver one that I see around my neighborhood sometimes- it's gorgeous!

[G4ME]

guess i mixed up my terminology, thanks for pointing it out.



and your point about the elise is?

[centerchannel68]

My point is a safe car doesn't need to weigh over 3000lbs.

[macroy]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

My point is a safe car doesn't need to weigh over 3000lbs.

No they don't.... but you're also going to have to give up something in return... in essence, folks in general want basically EVERYTHING in their cars today. There's no arguement that an Elise is a great car... but I have two friends who have one... and both are basically track cars (which I guess you can say is what they were made to do). They're just not practical to drive around on a daily basis. So if you're going to have a more balanced car..... its gonna get heavier with the additional equipment/options.

But going back to your original question - why are cars "pigs" today compared to yesterday... I guess the easiest way to find out is to take a model and compare them years apart... i.e. take a E30 M3 and compare it to a E46 M3, or take a 1990 Honda Accord and compare it to a 2005 Accord... I'm guessing you've already covered it with the fact that they are bigger today (folks want more room inside), have more options, more safety features etc..... You'll still find "nimble" cars today.. but I think that'll be more "enthusiasts" types... (Elise, M3 CSL). Hell, I remember looking at a Maxima back in 1999. They wanted more money for a 6 speed than the automatic.

Consumer preference....

[centerchannel68]

My neon weighed 2400lbs. It was fun to drive, and safe. It also got good mpg. It didn't have power everything though. I think companies need to make everything lighter... reducing weight increases ALL aspects of performance.

[the_glassman]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

My neon weighed 2400lbs. It was fun to drive, and safe. It also got good mpg. It didn't have power everything though. I think companies need to make everything lighter... reducing weight increases ALL aspects of performance.

I don't know if I would call a Neon safe.
IIHS-HLDI: Dodge Neon

[IceEnclosure]

Rob, just get an E46 M3 and remove the sound deadening, carpeting, interior panels and such, leaving just the dashboard and center console. Brace it up and open up the intake and exhaust.

I'm sure you'll be happier than you ever thought was possible. Seriously.


(Also analyze all that crap when it's removed to see where a lot of that weight was)

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by the_glassman 

I don't know if I would call a Neon safe.
IIHS-HLDI: Dodge Neon

I knew somebody would try to post something like that. It's fine. It's as safe as any other small car of the time. But hey, at least it was tested, unlike your car:

http://www.carfax.com/car_safety/rat...#SARcrashNHTSA

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by IceEnclosure 

Rob, just get an E46 M3 and remove the sound deadening, carpeting, interior panels and such, leaving just the dashboard and center console. Brace it up and open up the intake and exhaust.

I'm sure you'll be happier than you ever thought was possible. Seriously.


(Also analyze all that crap when it's removed to see where a lot of that weight was)

Wouldn't it be a smarter idea to just get one of the cars with less crap in it to begin with?

[G4ME]

what is the weight of the SVX again?

[centerchannel68]

A lot. 3525lbs. About the same as a 3000GT or a supra from the same era. Course, it was produced before a lot of fancy materials were more common. A lot of modern subarus use a lot of aluminum to reduce weight... I'll be reducing the weight of mine eventually, somehow, even if it involves a hole saw.

[fast shadow]

Originally Posted by pooka 

Dood, with as much knowledge as you have about cars, offensive/defensive driving, martial arts, audio equipment and fluid dynamics, you should be working for NASA or Honeywell or Burger King even. WTF you doing here?

I don't know if you have a beef with the guy or what, but speaking as someone that's owned an M car or two, he has a valid point about their having become bloated.

[IceEnclosure]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

Wouldn't it be a smarter idea to just get one of the cars with less crap in it to begin with?

Stiffer, more stable, solid chassis on the newer cars.

My other point being that sound deadening and interior panels(especially on a slick BMW) are much more substantial and massive than on some 1991 car or whatever. People want that stuff - while wrecking the Nurburgring(or, the I-95 offramp into Miami).

Enjoying the older versions of a sports car is great fun. Make it a weekend track warrior and it'd be a hoot. Drive it around every day and (for anybody but Rob) I'm not sure how much fun that would be. Especially if you could afford more comfort with the same performance.

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by IceEnclosure 

Stiffer, more stable, solid chassis on the newer cars.

My other point being that sound deadening and interior panels(especially on a slick BMW) are much more substantial and massive than on some 1991 car or whatever. People want that stuff - while wrecking the Nurburgring(or, the I-95 offramp into Miami).

Enjoying the older versions of a sports car is great fun. Make it a weekend track warrior and it'd be a hoot. Drive it around every day and (for anybody but Rob) I'm not sure how much fun that would be. Especially if you could afford more comfort with the same performance.

You can stiffen an older chassis too. I just don't get the point of a 'new' car. For your $50+ thousand dollar BMW, I could get an older M3, throw a bunch of go fast parts on it, a bunch of handling parts, brakes, paint, etc and for less than half the cost I could have a sweet ass BMW that would be a lot more fun to drive, with more personality, and less weight.

I think you just have a bad taste in your mouth from driving an older FORD sporty car... the SVX is definitely daily driveable. It needs less weight, and a manual, and i'll be pretty satisified. Forced induction would be fun also, but not really necessary.

[IceEnclosure]

My Mustang was a daily driver, and TONS of fun!

Yeah, sure, you can always stiffen an older chassis. If I had the money, I'd rather start with the dope ****. The already stiff chassis. Regarding my 'stang, I didn't have the loot for something new, so I went with what I could afford(and stiffened it with chromoly welded-in subframe connectors, chromoly strut tower brace, and chromoly lower front brace)

Quit talking about personality. We all know that just means A/C that doesn't work!

[centerchannel68]

Haha. Ironically, the AC in my SVX died about 3 weeks before I put it in storage 1.5 years ago.

[Buckaroo]

Originally Posted by Buckaroo 

2006 Winnebago View

Every trip is a potential vacation.

I get 18 mpg.

Better than any SUV, and cost just a little bit more.

There's another great advantage of owning an RV, it is 100% legal to carry alchol in the living area of the RV. No alchol alowed up front in the drivers section, but back in the back it's party time.

[Powerbook]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

What pisses me off is where is all this weight coming from? We have more advanced materials today than we did 20 years ago... I think a lot of it is just the sheer SIZE of teh vehicle. Why are vehicles getting bigger and bigger? Partially to cater to fatasses, and I think, partially, because CAFE regulations stopped increasing the MPG rating in 1980 something, so automotive designs/engineers have gotten 'lazy'. It isn't hard to get over 20mpg in a fullsize car anymore. Bump up the efficiency requirements, and I'm sure you'll see them trim back some of their models to more svelte proportions. Because... honestly, I don't think a CD player and whatnot is really weighing down today's cars much.

Generally speaking development happens because it can. A large part of it plays active and passive security development (airbags, automatically breaking parts, special glas, special crumpling zones, radar systems, etc.), another part is comfort (electric+heated + massaging seats, climate control, heating and cooling functions everywhere, etc.) another part is electronics (navigation systems, communication systems, nightvision, ambient lights...), another part is performance (motors getting bigger and stronger, more variable) etc etc.

Of course most of what is done the first time is done for the luxury class (those buyers expect it!) and then finds its way down to the lower car classes, according to the falling respective prices by mass production. You get the picture...


An example from DC: When we did the latest Mercedes SL (originally "SL" stood for "Super Leicht", for those few who don't speak German, that means "super light") we were meant to include the latest and best, since SL and S-Class would have to show their advantage in their classes. E.g. it was then the first car to get an electronic controlled brake system (sensor measures angle of the pedal, bus-reports to control system, control system bus-reports to the brakes and their settings). But because it was the first car like that, it should have had some kind of fallback level, so we also had to implement a classic pneumatic braking system. Ergo the weight for the brake related parts nearly doubled. There was more like that, especially electronic gizmos who are often useful (radar system warning when driving under secure distance and forcing you to brake...), sometimes ridiculous (Audi A8 has an extra compartment with a umbrella drier!) and always adding up weight.
Don't get me wrong, the SL is still and will always be an especially gorgeous luxury car, but it's also miles away from its original meaning.

Regards
PB

[drnkn_stylz]

There is a lot of Bimmers in here I wouldn't mind picking up an E36 M3 myself, but I am happy with my rice rocket, and paying $600 for a clutch vs $1000 is nice.

[the_glassman]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

Why do you hate that car? It's a bit underpowered....but it has a ton of potential. I can't find the page right now, but this one guy built his up to run 11s, and it's his daily driver. It's freaking bad-ass.

Just an update. After purchasing a Random Tech high flow cat that replaced both catalytic convertors and replacing the front oxygen sensor again it finally shut off the CEL and the car passed inspection!
So we can add two catalytic convertors and and another oxygen sensor (totaling 3) to my list of what has been replaced in the last 10,000 miles.

[jebjeb]

Nice one! Starting to add up all those repairs though.

My wife is starting to get pretty antsy about a new car (which is great as I don't have to keep dropping hints) so we will be looking for something a month or so after the baby comes (any day now...)

Currently got my eye on a year or two old C55 wagon but am toying with the idea of the E55 wagon.

[the_glassman]

Originally Posted by jebjeb 

Nice one! Starting to add up all those repairs though.

My wife is starting to get pretty antsy about a new car (which is great as I don't have to keep dropping hints) so we will be looking for something a month or so after the baby comes (any day now...)

Currently got my eye on a year or two old C55 wagon but am toying with the idea of the E55 wagon.

My credit card reward points are definitely starting to add up. I may turn around and sell the car, but since almost everything that can be replaced has been replaced I may just hang onto it.
I've also looked into some other vehicles and was close to bringing the 7 back on the road, but the cold harsh winter has finally set in and the Subaru is really in it's element this time of year.

E55 Wagon FTW!

[CMYKid]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

I love the old M6s. Beautiful cars! There is a silver one that I see around my neighborhood sometimes- it's gorgeous!

i've been looking for one of those myself, or even just a 635csi. Its the car I learned to drive on and it would be nice to have a slightly larger vehicle occasionally, but still with only 2 doors. I'd really thought I'd want one so I could avoid driving my Z3 in the winter but damned if it hasnt turned out to be a GREAT car in the snow.

Its been a real chore to find a 6 series with the sort fo mileage I'm wanting, but even the high mileage ones are invariably owned by fanatics and collectors so they've been maintained pretty well. I did see one for sale last year in bright red with less than 2000 miles on it...showroom condition, it was more than beautiful.

[CMYKid]

Originally Posted by kc311v2 

Wow, some really nice cars on here. I'm a big fan of a few European cars posted on here.

I'll share some pics of one of my rides that not many of you probably see everyday. A 2003 Mercury Marauder (limited production run from 2003-2004).

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

hmmm, your license plate isnt 'SLACKR' is it? dead ringer for one around here...same wheels too.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by CMYKid 

hmmm, your license plate isnt 'SLACKR' is it? dead ringer for one around here...same wheels too.

That's likely, since it's all stock.

[CMYKid]

hmm, those are the stock wheels eh? not too shabby...

[Cadaver]

Originally Posted by cjrivera 

Very nice ride.
By the way, how is the iDrive working for you?
I've heard good and bad about it...

Its not too bad actually. I know they've improved on it since the first version, but its not nearly as horrible as some make it seem. No worse, and probably a little better actually, than the system in the current-model Acura cars (at least compared with the RL I looked at before buying my car). I can pretty much operate it without needing to look at the screen too much - doesn't seem to distract any more than a conventional dashboard would. Plus, I needed the GPS navigation system, so I had no choice but to get the iDrive option. In the 5-series, you get iDrive regardless of whether or not you opt for the GPS system.

[frido:mac]

Thats my car:

2003 Audi A2 1.4 TDI (now a classic, they stopped making these in June 2005)
All-aluminum body with spaceframe like the A8, gets around 60 mpg on a good day...


http://www.flickr.com/photos/frido_mac/369040575/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/frido_mac/288486966/

I can´t figure out why the images will not show up....

Bye, Frido.

[Sealobo]

will try to post some higher res fotos tonight.

[brassplayersrock²]

i love this car! my first car, a pontiac vibe standard. and for those that remember, my custom plates finally came in, and these are pictures RIGHT after I put my plates on at the DMV

Alex

[jebjeb]

Originally Posted by Sealobo 

will try to post some higher res fotos tonight.

Very nice. I had been wondering how your Boxster was working out for you. What'e the driving like in Hong Kong? Much room to use it properly?