The Car Thread ... !

[2298754]

You really have no clue, do you? You brag about the R35 GTR, when it was the NSX that sent Ferrari, the greatest automotive company in history back to the drawing board.

Why are you stuck in the past? Acura is not the same company that it was back in 1990. They were actually respected back then.

Now they struggle to sell anything that isn't a MDX or RDX.

It's competition is faster and has far more brand prestige. That is something that actually matters when you're paying $200k for supercar.

I'm not sure an Acura fan should be commenting on any other manufacturer's styling, especially when they've been overstyled trash for years now.

The MK2 R8 V10 plus is one of the fastest naturally aspirated supercars on the market. If that isn't noteworthy, you're not a real car enthusiast.

The new Ford GT will be far more successful than the NSX 2.0. It doesn't even matter if it will cost twice as much. Acura's reputation is nothing but a joke these days anyways.
[doublepost=1454330835][/doublepost]RIP Defender

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/news/a28032/last-land-rover-defender/

After 68 years of continuous production, the last original Land Rover Defender rolled off the line Friday. To celebrate what is arguably its greatest achievement, Land Rover threw a party after the last Defender was finished.

What eventually became the Defender, the Land Rover Series, entered production very shortly after World War II in 1948. Land Rover built three Series models until renaming its truck Defender in 1990. Over two million Land Rover Series and Defenders were built since production began.


Thanks to a shortage of steel after the war, the Land Rover Series I was built with an aluminum body and designed mainly for agricultural use. Quickly, it became the UK equivalent of the American Jeep. It was adapted for all manner of purposes and became a cultural icon.

Defender production was reportedly supposed to end in 2015, but high demand for final edition Defenders pushed production into 2016. Land Rover announced the eventual end of Defender production in 2013 due to increasingly stringent emissions and safety regulations.

Land Rover has a herculean task ahead of itself in following up the original Defender. The original is one of the most beloved trucks of all time and while the new one will be objectively better than its predecessor, it has a nearly impossible task in winning over the Defender's many fans.

 

[AustinIllini]

Why are you stuck in the past? Acura is not the same company that it was back in 1990. They were actually respected back then.

Now they struggle to sell anything that isn't a MDX or RDX.

It's competition is faster and has far more brand prestige. That is something that actually matters when you're paying $200k for supercar.

I'm not sure an Acura fan should be commenting on any other manufacturer's styling, especially when they've been overstyled trash for years now.

The MK2 R8 V10 plus is one of the fastest naturally aspirated supercars on the market. If that isn't noteworthy, you're not a real car enthusiast.

The new Ford GT will be far more successful than the NSX 2.0. It doesn't even matter if it will cost twice as much. Acura's reputation is nothing but a joke these days anyways.
[doublepost=1454330835][/doublepost]RIP Defender

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/news/a28032/last-land-rover-defender/

"Brand Prestige".

It's the Honda NSX. The Honda NSX has plenty of brand prestige. You can hide behind your fairy lights, but at the end of the day Audis are overengineered trash where any regular joe is subservient to their dealer as they're paying thousands to get their car fixed.

You don't like Acura, fine. But Audi has rested on its laurels since 2009. The new A4 isn't new at all. The R8 looks like two parts R8 and one part Monstro. Porsche, McLaren, Honda, and Ferrari have actual racing pedigree after years of competing and bolstering legends. Honda belongs right there, because the legendary Senna cars wouldn't go anywhere without them.

Stop pretending you know anything about brand pedigree. You would buy a pile of garbage if they could glue four rings or a roundel on it.

 

[2298754]

Stop pretending you know anything about brand pedigree. You would buy a pile of garbage if they could glue four rings or a roundel on it.

Please spare me this non-sense. You drive a tarted up Euro Accord and think it's a premium car.

You're stuck in the past, just like every other Acura apologist. Constantly making excuses for their shortcomings.

Not to mention, resorting to personal attacks when you have no leg to stand on. Grow up. This is just childish.

Acura only exists because the fancy CRV/Pilot are keeping them afloat. Nothing else sells.

As someone who has actually owned a few German cars (something you probably can't claim), no you aren't spending thousands to keep it on the road. Stop spewing crap.

----

Clearly, the biggest issue here is our lack of Daewoo discussions. They are the greatest automotive brand in the world.

 

[A.Goldberg]

The wheel damage is a little more than just surface, but I'm figuring just some touch up paint applied liberally, and it'll pretty much disappear (bonus for black, painted wheels). For an initial "fix" on the wheel, I "Sharpied" it, the ding almost disappeared since it's mostly just the color contrast that makes it stand out.

I make such a point to be careful with my stuff, this is a little side street behind the college theater, I should've been extra careful, I know those roads aren't the best.

Ouch, sorry to hear that. I agree with @AutoUnion39 though, I'm sure the next little laceration that's bound to happen will be less traumatic. I've been wondering about the painted black wheels. Can you actually touch them up? It seems to me without repainting them the touch up would just flake off. I'm not a black wheel fan generally speaking- I don't think I could pull off the look regardless of the car.

RIP Defender

Indeed. I'm sure the replacement LR is going to release will be a disappointment to all true LR enthusiasts. I'm expecting a Range Rover Evoke convertible with some body panel modifications. Thankfully, the DC100 concept they released a couple years ago was met with so much resistance JLR announced they were going to scrap it. We'll see.

My vote is get a new lighter weight chassis (perhaps aluminum), find a more efficient and environmentally friendly engine, throw some airbags in it, and pop the old defender shell back on it.

It's the Honda NSX. The Honda NSX has plenty of brand prestige. You can hide behind your fairy lights, but at the end of the day Audis are overengineered trash where any regular joe is subservient to their dealer as they're paying thousands to get their car fixed.

Wait, we're talking about excessive repair costs on $200,000 supercars. I don't think it matters if it's a Ferrari, Aston Martin, or NSX, if you're spending that much money on a car repair costs probably aren't a significant factor. Audi may be "resting on their laurels" but they can afford to since they have no problem selling their vehicles. On the other hand, Acura is completely dead in the water. The ILX, RLX, TLX have been major failures IMO. It's too bad because the TL a decade ago was a fantastic car. The RDX is a pretty good car for the price and the MDX is solid, but essentially the luxury minivan of the 21st century. But anyways, we're comparing apples and oranges here.

To each their own, right?

 

[determined09]

Okay how do you know when it's time to replace your car? Thanks I got 240,000 on a 2000 Toyota Camry. My mechanic today tried to tell me that my Camry is one of the good cars from Japan but the cars that are made in Japan today are crap cars? I'm just thinking really?! I took my car by Toyota and they looked at the for three hours they couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. Then he told me my Hyundai use to be terrible cars that were made in Japan and they are now great cars that are now made in China?! I thought that they were now made in Korea!

BTW, when will Lexus release the RX 200t in the USA? Just curious. Thank you

ETA: I now know that Hyundai is made in the USA and Korea. Plus, I went to a different Toyota dealership, in order to find out what is wrong with my Car. This second dealership recommended that I replace my Alternator assembly and the Idle Air Valve Control, which is what they think is the reason why my car turns off after I turn the motor over. Oh well.

 

[AustinIllini]

Okay how do you know when it's time to replace your car? Thanks I got 240,000 on a 2000 Toyota Camry. My mechanic today tried to tell me that my Camry is one of the good cars from Japan but the cars that are made in Japan today are crap cars? I'm just thinking really?! I took my car by Toyota and they looked at the for three hours they couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. Then he told me my Hyundai use to be terrible cars that were made in Japan and they are now great cars that are now made in China?! I thought that they were now made in Korea!

Moral of the story: buy the car you like best. Don't buy "American" or "Japanese" or whatever.

 

[2298754]

BTW, when will Lexus release the RX 200t in the USA? Just curious. Thank you

There were reports online that we probably won't see it anytime soon. It is currently confined to Asia and Europe where displacement taxes are used.

I really don't think you'd want a turbo-4 in the larger RX! It would be so slow. The 2GR-FKS 3.5 V6 is basically bulletproof anyways.

There are plenty of Lexus models we don't get here. IS300h, ES200t, etc. They also get diesel Lexuses (Lexii?) in Europe too!

 

[determined09]

Moral of the story: buy the car you like best. Don't buy "American" or "Japanese" or whatever.

Okay thanks.
[doublepost=1454383855][/doublepost]

There were reports online that we probably won't see it anytime soon. It is currently confined to Asia and Europe where displacement taxes are used.

I really don't think you'd want a turbo-4 in the larger RX! It would be so slow. The 2GR-FKS 3.5 V6 is basically bulletproof anyways.

There are plenty of Lexus models we don't get here. IS300h, ES200t, etc. They also get diesel Lexuses (Lexii?) in Europe too!

Okay Thanks

 

[AustinIllini]

There were reports online that we probably won't see it anytime soon. It is currently confined to Asia and Europe where displacement taxes are used.

I really don't think you'd want a turbo-4 in the larger RX! It would be so slow. The 2GR-FKS 3.5 V6 is basically bulletproof anyways.

There are plenty of Lexus models we don't get here. IS300h, ES200t, etc. They also get diesel Lexuses (Lexii?) in Europe too!

I'm going to go with "Lexen" because words

 

[A.Goldberg]

Okay how do you know when it's time to replace your car? Thanks I got 240,000 on a 2000 Toyota Camry. My mechanic today tried to tell me that my Camry is one of the good cars from Japan but the cars that are made in Japan today are crap cars? I'm just thinking really?! I took my car by Toyota and they looked at the for three hours they couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. Then he told me my Hyundai use to be terrible cars that were made in Japan and they are now great cars that are now made in China?! I thought that they were now made in Korea!

BTW, when will Lexus release the RX 200t in the USA? Just curious. Thank you

ETA: I now know that Hyundai is made in the USA and Korea. Plus, I went to a different Toyota dealership, in order to find out what is wrong with my Car. This second dealership recommended that I replace my Alternator assembly and the Idle Air Valve Control, which is what they think is the reason why my car turns off after I turn the motor over. Oh well.

I don't think you can really generalize the reliability of a car for sure based on who makes it or where it's made. Every car is going to be different and is a crap shoot. You might buy a nightmare Toyota Camry (one of the most reliable cars) or a bullet proof Fiat 500 (ranked worst in relaibility). That said, Toyota historically has come out on top of reliability studies and chances are you'll have good luck. Hyundai used to be pretty bad but have drastically improved - and also have a phenomenal warranty for extra security.

Basically the guy told you not to buy any car. If your car has issues (I thought you had everything fixed?) and you're putting more money into it than its worth, your wasting too much time with frequent repairs, or are stranded too often then it makes no sense to keep driving what you're driving. Even if a new 2016 Toyota is less reliable than a new Toyota from 15 years ago if your current car is a nightmare then anything new is probably better than what you have.

I would be suspicious about a RX200t coming to the US. I think it might dilute the value of the RX as thats the base engine of the NX. It probably wouldn't be satisfying either based on the size of the car for the American market. Gas is cheap these days and the incentive to make very efficient cars is beginning to fade slightly (thus the increase in SUV sales and offerings).

Best of luck with the Camry.

 

[determined09]

I don't think you can really generalize the reliability of a car for sure based on who makes it or where it's made. Every car is going to be different and is a crap shoot. You might buy a nightmare Toyota Camry (one of the most reliable cars) or a bullet proof Fiat 500 (ranked worst in reliability). That said, Toyota historically has come out on top of reliability studies and chances are you'll have good luck. Hyundai used to be pretty bad but have drastically improved - and also have a phenomenal warranty for extra security.

Basically the guy told you not to buy any car. If your car has issues (I thought you had everything fixed?) and you're putting more money into it than its worth, your wasting too much time with frequent repairs, or are stranded too often then it makes no sense to keep driving what you're driving. Even if a new 2016 Toyota is less reliable than a new Toyota from 15 years ago if your current car is a nightmare then anything new is probably better than what you have.

I would be suspicious about a RX200t coming to the US. I think it might dilute the value of the RX as thats the base engine of the NX. It probably wouldn't be satisfying either based on the size of the car for the American market. Gas is cheap these days and the incentive to make very efficient cars is beginning to fade slightly (thus the increase in SUV sales and offerings).

Best of luck with the Camry.

Thank you! Yes you're right that is what the guy told me not to buy a car and but my father thought that guy was going to tell me not to fix this Camry and replaced it with a new car. No, my car isn't fixed, last Friday Toyota said that they had to order my parts and dad said that those are used after market parts and it will take several days in order to get them in stock. Plus at first they said that they didn't find anything wrong with my car but they said that they can hear a noise coming from my alternator needs to be replaced and it was holding a charge a at 12.8 Volts but that should be at 14 Volts for a Camry. But after they checked my fuel pump and my fuel filter they also said that it was the Idle Air Valve control that needed to be replace and that is why my car turns off, after I start the car. They recommended these two repairs and Toyota didn't use the words required. So my father thinks that Toyota is incorrect in this diagnostic. My fathers thinks I need a second opinion.

 

[D.T.]

Ouch, sorry to hear that. I agree with @AutoUnion39 though, I'm sure the next little laceration that's bound to happen will be less traumatic. I've been wondering about the painted black wheels. Can you actually touch them up? It seems to me without repainting them the touch up would just flake off. I'm not a black wheel fan generally speaking- I don't think I could pull off the look regardless of the car.

They actually touch up pretty well, they're gloss black, and the same color as the whole exterior, so a single bottle of Shadow Black touchup paint, and I'll be good to go. To be honest, it's barely visible, it's just at where the rim contacts the tire, maybe 1/2" x 1".

I re-RE-examined the tire, it's maybe 1/8th-1/12" of peeled back rubber, maybe an inch long, in the really meaty section of the sidewall (in fact, it's the "sidewall protector" area in low profile performance tires). I think it's fine.

 

[FX120]

The problem with the NSX is that Honda has completely lost it's identity. The old NSX was great (and still is) because of what it wasn't. It wasn't over styled, it wasn't overly complex, it wasn't full of technical wizardry and acronym-laden subsystems. It is a great car because it was rear wheel drive, balanced, lightweight, and had enough oomph to get out of it's own way but it didn't need to be the fastest in the market.

With the new NSX, Honda went out and made an overly complex, heaxy, overpowered, ugly and underwhelming car to try and reinvigorate a brand with no passion. You can tell the whole thing was made to check boxes in comparison sheets, as if the market is led by persons making rational, feature based decisions when they seek out an entry level supercar. Honda may sell a few cars to the hardcore Acura enthusiast and I'm sure Honda doesn't really care about that. What they want is people to cross-shop an ILX just because they remember the NSX. As Road and Track put it "There was a time when you felt a little NSX in your Accord. Now there's too much Accord in your NSX."

 

[A.Goldberg]

They actually touch up pretty well, they're gloss black, and the same color as the whole exterior, so a single bottle of Shadow Black touchup paint, and I'll be good to go. To be honest, it's barely visible, it's just at where the rim contacts the tire, maybe 1/2" x 1".

I re-RE-examined the tire, it's maybe 1/8th-1/12" of peeled back rubber, maybe an inch long, in the really meaty section of the sidewall (in fact, it's the "sidewall protector" area in low profile performance tires). I think it's fine.

I might be a tad neurotic, but I think I'd switch out that tire. You can't have too much wear on it anyways given you haven't had it very long... then again, I can see you "taking it out for a spin" and not returning for a week after driving to California and back.

 

[determined09]

I don't think you can really generalize the reliability of a car for sure based on who makes it or where it's made. Every car is going to be different and is a crap shoot. You might buy a nightmare Toyota Camry (one of the most reliable cars) or a bullet proof Fiat 500 (ranked worst in reliability). That said, Toyota historically has come out on top of reliability studies and chances are you'll have good luck. Hyundai used to be pretty bad but have drastically improved - and also have a phenomenal warranty for extra security.

Basically the guy told you not to buy any car. If your car has issues (I thought you had everything fixed?) and you're putting more money into it than its worth, your wasting too much time with frequent repairs, or are stranded too often then it makes no sense to keep driving what you're driving. Even if a new 2016 Toyota is less reliable than a new Toyota from 15 years ago if your current car is a nightmare then anything new is probably better than what you have.

I would be suspicious about a RX200t coming to the US. I think it might dilute the value of the RX as thats the base engine of the NX. It probably wouldn't be satisfying either based on the size of the car for the American market. Gas is cheap these days and the incentive to make very efficient cars is beginning to fade slightly (thus the increase in SUV sales and offerings).

Best of luck with the Camry.

I got a second opinion on my Camry. My mechanic discovered that there was a loose bolt inside the alternator, thus he tighten the bolt. I just learned that if the alternator a bad, you will not be able to start your car. Then he serviced the throttle body and he said that the Idle Air Valve controls usually just need to be cleaned and not replaced. He cleaned that also. He told me to drive the car and if it does it again to bring it back to him. This is the second time that he has fixed my car when Toyota couldn't. He is a that use to work at large local dealership.

 

[A.Goldberg]

I got a second opinion on my Camry. My mechanic discovered that there was a loose bolt inside the alternator, thus he tighten the bolt. I just learned that if the alternator a bad, you will not be able to start your car. Then he serviced the throttle body and he said that the Idle Air Valve controls usually just need to be cleaned and not replaced. He cleaned that also. He told me to drive the car and if it does it again to bring it back to him. This is the second time that he has fixed my car when Toyota couldn't. He is a that use to work at large local dealership.

Glad you got it worked out! Hope those repairs resolve your problems.

 

[D.T.]

There is yet _another_ intake manifold for the S550/Coyote. I guess it's been a while since I've been an "early adopter" on a car and watched the development take place, the aftermarket grow.

The prototype has welds, but I believe the company is suggesting it won't have heat soak, and the weight specs are light, so the final production version will most likely be some kind of composite. It doesn't implement CMCVs, so that's a big tuning change, probably a notable loss in low/mid range for a street car, and will likely be more for FI applications.

Just interesting to have so many options (in the last 2-3 months!)

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

Here's a special treat! This is a picture I took of a 2005 Maserati Quattroporte Neiman Marcus edition. I did a whole photoshoot of this beautiful machine, but I went to further lengths with this specific photo, in that I edited it quite a bit in Photoshop. Some may not agree with the styling choice, but I wanted to make the car pop and also look good on a computer screen. Here you are! Note that it's a protected image, so please ask permission if you would like to use it for whatever reason. It may not be distributed without my consent and without credit towards myself.

 

[2298754]

The QP is such a beautiful sedan with an intoxicating exhaust note!

too bad, the car, itself, was such a pile of junk

 

[A.Goldberg]

Here's a special treat! This is a picture I took of a 2005 Maserati Quattroporte Neiman Marcus edition. I did a whole photoshoot of this beautiful machine, but I went to further lengths with this specific photo, in that I edited it quite a bit in Photoshop. Some may not agree with the styling choice, but I wanted to make the car pop and also look good on a computer screen. Here you are! Note that it's a protected image, so please ask permission if you would like to use it for whatever reason. It may not be distributed without my consent and without credit towards myself. View attachment 615135

Beautiful! Especially with the Neiman Marcus package. Hopefully the car comes with the same level of customer service as Neiman Marcus! I always liked the first phase of the 5th generation Quattroporte with those tail lights. My neighbor I believe had a 2004 Quattroporte back in the day. He kept it a couple years but had a lot of issues, particularly with the transmission. It was also green which I think is a poor choice for a Maserati sedan. Hopefully the new models have some of the big kinks worked out. My parents friends have a Ghibli which is a great looking car (the inside and performance is a bit disappointing but the exterior is gorgeous).

While the 5th generation is beautiful, it's even more beautiful parked next to its predecessor, the 4th generation QP.

 

[iLog.Genius]

The QP is such a beautiful sedan with an intoxicating exhaust note!

too bad, the car, itself, was such a pile of junk

This. To this day, I think the QP has the best sound for a production car. Too bad the car itself doesn't reflect the price, especially the interior which looks half-assed.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

This. To this day, I think the QP has the best sound for a production car. Too bad the car itself doesn't reflect the price, especially the interior which looks half-assed.

This car's interior is really nice in many ways, but they cheated out on several aspects of it in order to make the car "lighter." I can give them SOME credit, though, because it's a really heavy car, but they did stupid things like add lots of rubberized plastic (which melts from the heat), cheap parts such as the rear cup holders (which stopped staying closed), and the visors (of which one broke). In addition, the right passenger door (frontal) had its PLASTIC innards break, causing the door to not be able to be opened from the inside; however, that was dealer fixed. Lastly, it was recalled do to a suspension issue. This model didn't seem affected, but they fixed it anyway. Also, since this is the original version of this model of QP, it's full of bugs (as previously mentioned). This thing just has annoying electronic failures and such... quite a shame. However, it's the most beautiful sedan I've seen, next to the 1972 Mercedes 280 SE 4.5.
[doublepost=1455046833][/doublepost]

The QP is such a beautiful sedan with an intoxicating exhaust note!

too bad, the car, itself, was such a pile of junk

It's fast and drives freaking amazingly; but, sadly, it's unreliable and has an interior riddled with a few flaws. It has already had lots of service, even though it only has 24k miles on it and even has retained its new car smell from not having been driven enough.
[doublepost=1455047042][/doublepost]

Beautiful! Especially with the Neiman Marcus package. Hopefully the car comes with the same level of customer service as Neiman Marcus! I always liked the first phase of the 5th generation Quattroporte with those tail lights. My neighbor I believe had a 2004 Quattroporte back in the day. He kept it a couple years but had a lot of issues, particularly with the transmission. It was also green which I think is a poor choice for a Maserati sedan. Hopefully the new models have some of the big kinks worked out. My parents friends have a Ghibli which is a great looking car (the inside and performance is a bit disappointing but the exterior is gorgeous).

While the 5th generation is beautiful, it's even more beautiful parked next to its predecessor, the 4th generation QP.

View attachment 615142
View attachment 615143

Oh yeah, I've seen those older models - pretty funky! The 1990s variant seemed a little better, though, in terms of design. The 5th-gen, though, is great in terms of its design, and it's hard to believe that it's an 11 year-old car. The Neiman Marcus package is especially amazing, since it includes a nicer grille, wheels, and a nicer exterior and interior package. I think it also includes more horsepower. And, there were only 60 of these things ever made!
[doublepost=1455047323][/doublepost]

This. To this day, I think the QP has the best sound for a production car. Too bad the car itself doesn't reflect the price, especially the interior which looks half-assed.

Hearing this thing drive is music to my ears - especially hearing it from afar.

 

[puma1552]

QPs are junk, can pick up '08s for $30k all day long because nobody wants to spend $10k on a clutch. Not even a very good looking car IMO.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

QPs are junk, can pick up '08s for $30k all day long because nobody wants to spend $10k on a clutch. Not even a very good looking car IMO.

They are Italian cars, so they are simply unreliable, and the interior, while nice, included some cheap parts. Note, though, that this is a Neiman Marcus Edition Maserati - there were only 60 made. This isn't some 2008 automatic QP we're talking: This has the interior, exterior, and engine package. Above all, they look really good, especially for their age. One would never guess that this machine is from 2005.

Best to drive this thing in full manual mode so as to not mess with the semi-auto crap.

 

[D.T.]

This isn't some 2008 automatic QP we're talking: This has the interior, exterior, and engine package.

FWIW, I couldn't find anything confirming any sort of performance/engine changes to the Neiman Marcus edition. It appears to be the same F136 S 4.2L that was in use for that generation. All the discussion of the car is around the aesthetic changes, unique materials, custom badging, etc.

For this exclusive offering, Ferrari Maserati Group selected a stunning combination of colors, materials and finishes working closely with Sergio Pininfarina, and each one sold will bear Pininfarina’s signature alongside its owner’s name on an individually numbered nameplate. Each Neiman Marcus Quattroporte features a Bordeaux Pontevecchio metallic paint finish, unique chromed mesh-front grill and side vents and 19″ polished wheels. Inside, the custom handcrafted interior is finished in ivory Poltrona Frau leather with bordeaux piping and mahogany wood accents.