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The Car Thread ... !
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That's where you distinguish car enthusiasts and everyone else. S2000's and Boxster's fall into that category as well. If driving either makes me feminine, I'll take it. I'll continue to drive great driver's cars while you enjoy your "manly" car, whatever that may be.
No, no, no, S2000 owners are brimming with testosterone, men cower before them, women swoon, they've been known to impregnate with just a look.
S2K owner:
Miata owners wear tutus and faint if someone as much as sneezes.
Miata owner:
1. Anyone caring about social perception has insecurity problems.
2. Own it, say "My Miata is manlier than your F-150"
A Miata is an MG or Triumph that's actually reliable. I'd not be ashamed to drive one.
The chassis design was inspired by the Lotus Elan-anyone who would turn down their nose at someone driving a Lotus is not a car guy in any form.
The chassis design was inspired by the Lotus Elan-anyone who would turn down their nose at someone driving a Lotus is not a car guy in any form.
No, no, no, S2000 owners are brimming with testosterone, men cower before them, women swoon, they've been known to impregnate with just a look.
S2K owner:
Miata owners wear tutus and faint if someone as much as sneezes.
Miata owner:
My best friends dad was formerly a Fortune 500 senior exec. During his midlife crisis he shopped for a driver oriented sporte car. He looked at Porsches, Lotus, etc and ended up with a Honda s2k despite probably being able to afford whatever he wanted. I must say the S2000 is an incredibly fun ride.
And 12 years later he still owns it, sub-50,000 miles and doesn't seem to want to give it up anytime soon.
I can appreciate the S2000 for being a quirky product- a blast to drive but without the prestigue of a more exotic brand. The Miata/MX-5 has always been a bit too mainstream (and this kid's dad I played soccer with owned a Miata and touted it was the best sportscar ever... meanwhile some other kid's parents had things like Ferraris and Aston Martins). The Miata therefore has always left a bad taste in my mouth, especially because of that kid and his annoying father.l
In a past life I lived in New Hamsphire (up there for an internship, worst experience of my life... haven't been back since) and I saw an old Miata driven buy a guy in his mid-20's. He had a decal across the rear bumper that said something like "My car is gay but I'm not". (Certainly that would never fly inmost places other than New Hampshire).
Who?
The thing about Honda is they have racing pedigree. Honda and Toyota could both build performance models. Problem is, Honda has no interest in being anything other than a dealer of economy cars. Depressing.
Oh dear, sarcasm doesn't always work like I want. When I went looking for information about a car I bought, I found this:
https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=357614
I don't actually care. For the record, I own and drive a 2000 Miata. It's a load of fun.
Huntn had mentioned that he was looking at them. I should have pointed him to miata.net. They have sections on what to look for, and what to expect will go wrong with each model, along with tried and true fixes.
My comment was not aimed at you directly, it was more of a generalization of the misconception of those cars being viewed as "feminine". From a driving perspective, I would take those cars over say a Mustang, Camaro or any other car that makes you feel more "manly".
To be fair, I've seen/heard people complain on the Miata forum and other places about how "difficult" the 1st gen tops are to put up and down.
I do always get a good laugh at that one.
I do always get a good laugh at that one.
Having had an S2K, and now a Mustang GT/PP, both in various states of tune, I can tell you the GT is +extremely+ fun to drive - and I say this as someone who has owned a decent number of cars from all over the performance spectrum and who has run dozens of track events.
It's not just the overall ownership experience (which highly favors the GT), but just driving it - there's a LOT to be said about the incredible sound and feel of a 32v V8 winding up to 7000RPM, delivering ~470HP, the incredible throttle response - the S2K probably has the edge in the handling dynamics (though some of that is purely the kinetic intensity due to it being "raw"), but there's more to the whole driving engagement for me
I gave a like based on the premise of intended humor.No, no, no, S2000 owners are brimming with testosterone, men cower before them, women swoon, they've been known to impregnate with just a look.
S2K owner:
Miata owners wear tutus and faint if someone as much as sneezes.
Miata owner:
[doublepost=1494780132][/doublepost]
My 82 Fiat Spider top is easy to pop and get down, but very difficult to latch it back up.
My 82 Fiat Spider top is easy to pop and get down, but very difficult to latch it back up.
My MG top is...neither. It's a minimum of a 10 minute job either way, and if you're putting it up when it's colder that 50º or so outside, heaven help you. I've been known to let it bake in the sun for a few hours to help in cooler weather.
Than goodness for the full tonneau-when the top goes down it often stays down for a week or two at a time.
Is anyone impressed with the looks or performance of:
2017 Audi TT Convertible Roadster srarts at $48k
Performance (at least of the TT-RS and TT-S)? yes. Looks? Not so much. I think they lost the unique design edge that they cornered with the Gen 1.
I put a decent amount of money and a LOT of track time into learning my ALMS TT back in the mid 2000's B.C. (before children.)
But then the family happened so I got something a little more kid-friendly but still track-able... and with little more effort than removing one of the cats and adding some sticky tires, had a track star that ate that little Audi's lunch by a considerable margin. I miss that 'speed3 still. Very fun little appliance.
I don't know about the TT-RS or the TT-S, but I know some Audi purists don't like the Haldex-based quattro system in the TT.
Hello everyone!
A few months back, I posted about the new diesel Chevy Equinox. Well, our decision has finally been made!
We just put down a deposit for the first 1.6TD Equinox in our area. Delivery should be in late summer, early fall. My mother and I were able to negotiate $2000 off MSRP. She drove the petrol one and really loved it. It was far more spacious than our current SUVs. Should be more economical too! GM has done a great job with the Delta platform!
The color we picked out is Ivy Metallic with the brandy/black interior. It will be a nice change from all the blue cars we have owned.
A few months back, I posted about the new diesel Chevy Equinox. Well, our decision has finally been made!
We just put down a deposit for the first 1.6TD Equinox in our area. Delivery should be in late summer, early fall. My mother and I were able to negotiate $2000 off MSRP. She drove the petrol one and really loved it. It was far more spacious than our current SUVs. Should be more economical too! GM has done a great job with the Delta platform!
The color we picked out is Ivy Metallic with the brandy/black interior. It will be a nice change from all the blue cars we have owned.
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Yeah, I ran in an Audi club with a bunch of "purists," a.k.a. snobs. Generally, the ones who had unfavorable opinions on the "Haldex-based quattro system" were the same ones who found themselves being passed by one on track day.
While I certainly enjoyed seeing the comeuppance, it was learning skills that didn't depend solely on a car's abilities that was ultimately my reward.
An expensive, fast car does not a good driver make.
Honestly, I trust VW et al to pick the right AWD system for the Audi lineup. Even this new quattro with ultra technology that everyone's freaking out about is probably going to be just fine.
So, I did a thing yesterday:
This wasn't a lightly made or whimsical decision. My wife and I own 3 coupes, and with a kiddo planned for a couple years from now, and her Beetle paid off, we figured we want to keep the Beetle as long as possible but we will still need a family hauler. So we figured it might be best to get something sooner than later and get it paid down as far as possible before we have a kid. What we were originally planning to do was do this, but then also get my wife a replacement for the Beetle when the kid arrived (the thinking being that we didn't want to be on the front end of two car loans with a new kid). But with how easy the Tiguan is for my wife to drive, we might not even do that - might just keep the Beetle as long as possible even after having a kid and just switch off who drives what depending on who has the kid, at least until the Tiguan is paid off also. So taking a long term view of future finances here with this decision.
I know there's a new Tiguan on the horizon, I've seen it, and I know it has double the warranty. It's nice, but I'm sure there will be teething issues and it's going to be a lot bigger since we are getting the long wheelbase version only. We like the current Tiguan, as old as it is, for its size. So we decided to pull the trigger on a top of the line SEL for me and I traded in the Mustang which was the best car I've ever owned, bar none.
The Tiguan stickered for $37,660, I got a discount of $5,828, meaning I paid $31,832. 15.5% off, so not too bad in a month with bad rebates. They gave me what I wanted for my 5.0 without any back and forth - $22,000 and I kept my Nokian snow tires since they will fit on the Tiguan as they are the same size (meaty 255s on this thing!), so that's like $1500 more saved there since those tires were expensive as hell and only have 4k miles on them. Since money is cheap I decided to pull out the positive equity in my Mustang, and walked away with a check for north of $5,500 that I can do something else with, which is more than I thought I'd be able to walk away with. Throughout the process Inver Grove VW in MN was great and I encountered zero BS from anyone. Price of the Tiguan was good, trade was what I said I wanted with no arguing, and pulling out positive equity was no problem. One thing that was nice about the dealer was they told me since I had DNR license plates on my Mustang that I could actually transfer them to the new car, which I did not expect to be able to do in MN (standard plates cannot be transferred, I didn't know any plates could be transferred at all and I don't think most people know that either). I had just re-upped registration in February, so that saved $500 or so. Only downside is the car looks used since it has real plates already instead of paper tags and a temp permit in the window, lol. Car drives fantastic.
Likes:
-Handling and chassis response
-Size
-Feature content
-Fit and finish
-Good overall packaging for the interior size
-40/20/40 rear seat
-Fender stereo is fantastic once you really dial it in and head unit is great
-Adaptive headlights are really cool and less gimmicky than I thought
Dislikes:
-No homelink (WTF?) - I was sure that was what the button under the mirror was for but it's just the auto-dimming on/off switch
-Can't do voice commands to navigate my iPod on USB, have to use menus via head unit touchscreen (WTF?)
-Would be nice if the front passenger seat could fold flat like the manual ones can on lower trims but alas, I'll sacrifice that for the 12 way power passenger seat instead
-Spongy gas pedal, will need to get used to
-Halogen fogs/no LED tails
I still have some things that I need to set up like my wife's memory settings as well as getting the passenger side mirror to dip when in reverse, but for the most part I have things set the way I want them. Really happy with it, and while it is old, it really doesn't feel that old once you are inside surrounded by all the creature comforts. It still looks and feels good in the flesh, despite looking old as hell in pictures, particularly the interior.
This wasn't a lightly made or whimsical decision. My wife and I own 3 coupes, and with a kiddo planned for a couple years from now, and her Beetle paid off, we figured we want to keep the Beetle as long as possible but we will still need a family hauler. So we figured it might be best to get something sooner than later and get it paid down as far as possible before we have a kid. What we were originally planning to do was do this, but then also get my wife a replacement for the Beetle when the kid arrived (the thinking being that we didn't want to be on the front end of two car loans with a new kid). But with how easy the Tiguan is for my wife to drive, we might not even do that - might just keep the Beetle as long as possible even after having a kid and just switch off who drives what depending on who has the kid, at least until the Tiguan is paid off also. So taking a long term view of future finances here with this decision.
I know there's a new Tiguan on the horizon, I've seen it, and I know it has double the warranty. It's nice, but I'm sure there will be teething issues and it's going to be a lot bigger since we are getting the long wheelbase version only. We like the current Tiguan, as old as it is, for its size. So we decided to pull the trigger on a top of the line SEL for me and I traded in the Mustang which was the best car I've ever owned, bar none.
The Tiguan stickered for $37,660, I got a discount of $5,828, meaning I paid $31,832. 15.5% off, so not too bad in a month with bad rebates. They gave me what I wanted for my 5.0 without any back and forth - $22,000 and I kept my Nokian snow tires since they will fit on the Tiguan as they are the same size (meaty 255s on this thing!), so that's like $1500 more saved there since those tires were expensive as hell and only have 4k miles on them. Since money is cheap I decided to pull out the positive equity in my Mustang, and walked away with a check for north of $5,500 that I can do something else with, which is more than I thought I'd be able to walk away with. Throughout the process Inver Grove VW in MN was great and I encountered zero BS from anyone. Price of the Tiguan was good, trade was what I said I wanted with no arguing, and pulling out positive equity was no problem. One thing that was nice about the dealer was they told me since I had DNR license plates on my Mustang that I could actually transfer them to the new car, which I did not expect to be able to do in MN (standard plates cannot be transferred, I didn't know any plates could be transferred at all and I don't think most people know that either). I had just re-upped registration in February, so that saved $500 or so. Only downside is the car looks used since it has real plates already instead of paper tags and a temp permit in the window, lol. Car drives fantastic.
Likes:
-Handling and chassis response
-Size
-Feature content
-Fit and finish
-Good overall packaging for the interior size
-40/20/40 rear seat
-Fender stereo is fantastic once you really dial it in and head unit is great
-Adaptive headlights are really cool and less gimmicky than I thought
Dislikes:
-No homelink (WTF?) - I was sure that was what the button under the mirror was for but it's just the auto-dimming on/off switch
-Can't do voice commands to navigate my iPod on USB, have to use menus via head unit touchscreen (WTF?)
-Would be nice if the front passenger seat could fold flat like the manual ones can on lower trims but alas, I'll sacrifice that for the 12 way power passenger seat instead
-Spongy gas pedal, will need to get used to
-Halogen fogs/no LED tails
I still have some things that I need to set up like my wife's memory settings as well as getting the passenger side mirror to dip when in reverse, but for the most part I have things set the way I want them. Really happy with it, and while it is old, it really doesn't feel that old once you are inside surrounded by all the creature comforts. It still looks and feels good in the flesh, despite looking old as hell in pictures, particularly the interior.
Would love to drive a GT350..... Though if I ever buy a beater to take to the airport, etc a Civic or Accord would be on my radar.
Congrats on the order AutoUnion. My mom loves her 2013 Equinox. Though she is a bit jealous of my 24 MPG average I am achieving with my 455 HP V8 sports car compared to her 25 MPG with her 180 HP 4 banger utility vehicle.
Further GM news.... Looks like the Colorado ZR2 is getting favorable reviews. If only GM didn't screw up their past mid-size trucks to where the Taco can get by reputation alone or Toyota may have been caught with their pants down.
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So, I did a thing yesterday:
This wasn't a lightly made or whimsical decision. My wife and I own 3 coupes, and with a kiddo planned for a couple years from now, and her Beetle paid off, we figured we want to keep the Beetle as long as possible but we will still need a family hauler. So we figured it might be best to get something sooner than later and get it paid down as far as possible before we have a kid. What we were originally planning to do was do this, but then also get my wife a replacement for the Beetle when the kid arrived (the thinking being that we didn't want to be on the front end of two car loans with a new kid). But with how easy the Tiguan is for my wife to drive, we might not even do that - might just keep the Beetle as long as possible even after having a kid and just switch off who drives what depending on who has the kid, at least until the Tiguan is paid off also. So taking a long term view of future finances here with this decision.
I know there's a new Tiguan on the horizon, I've seen it, and I know it has double the warranty. It's nice, but I'm sure there will be teething issues and it's going to be a lot bigger since we are getting the long wheelbase version only. We like the current Tiguan, as old as it is, for its size. So we decided to pull the trigger on a top of the line SEL for me and I traded in the Mustang which was the best car I've ever owned, bar none.
The Tiguan stickered for $37,660, I got a discount of $5,828, meaning I paid $31,832. 15.5% off, so not too bad in a month with bad rebates. They gave me what I wanted for my 5.0 without any back and forth - $22,000 and I kept my Nokian snow tires since they will fit on the Tiguan as they are the same size (meaty 255s on this thing!), so that's like $1500 more saved there since those tires were expensive as hell and only have 4k miles on them. Since money is cheap I decided to pull out the positive equity in my Mustang, and walked away with a check for north of $5,500 that I can do something else with, which is more than I thought I'd be able to walk away with. Throughout the process Inver Grove VW in MN was great and I encountered zero BS from anyone. Price of the Tiguan was good, trade was what I said I wanted with no arguing, and pulling out positive equity was no problem. One thing that was nice about the dealer was they told me since I had DNR license plates on my Mustang that I could actually transfer them to the new car, which I did not expect to be able to do in MN (standard plates cannot be transferred, I didn't know any plates could be transferred at all and I don't think most people know that either). I had just re-upped registration in February, so that saved $500 or so. Only downside is the car looks used since it has real plates already instead of paper tags and a temp permit in the window, lol. Car drives fantastic.
Likes:
-Handling and chassis response
-Size
-Feature content
-Fit and finish
-Good overall packaging for the interior size
-40/20/40 rear seat
-Fender stereo is fantastic once you really dial it in and head unit is great
-Adaptive headlights are really cool and less gimmicky than I thought
Dislikes:
-No homelink (WTF?) - I was sure that was what the button under the mirror was for but it's just the auto-dimming on/off switch
-Can't do voice commands to navigate my iPod on USB, have to use menus via head unit touchscreen (WTF?)
-Would be nice if the front passenger seat could fold flat like the manual ones can on lower trims but alas, I'll sacrifice that for the 12 way power passenger seat instead
-Spongy gas pedal, will need to get used to
-Halogen fogs/no LED tails
I still have some things that I need to set up like my wife's memory settings as well as getting the passenger side mirror to dip when in reverse, but for the most part I have things set the way I want them. Really happy with it, and while it is old, it really doesn't feel that old once you are inside surrounded by all the creature comforts. It still looks and feels good in the flesh, despite looking old as hell in pictures, particularly the interior.
I am big Honda/Acura guy. We currently have 2013 TSX and 2014 Tl (SH-AWD). I have been considering Golf R, but I cant deal with the fact that $45k car does not have a homelink. I will refuse to buy this until VW gets their act together and offers this feature. This is acceptable for $20k Golf, but not in $35-45k price range (GTI and R). Otherwise, the Gold R checks all the boxes for me - hoping 2018 will have it. Congrats on your new car!!!