The Car Thread ... !

[bunnspecial]

Well, I sold the Marina.

I'm under orders from my bride-to-be that I can only have two cars, which is a reasonable compromise. Needless to say, the Marina didn't make the cut.

For lack of time, tools, and space I hadn't yet installed the overdrive I bought back in November in the MG. I needed to get it done, and my MG also needs a few other odds and ends jobs. I worked a deal with my local mechanic(who is excellent, if slow) and he's going to put the O/D in for me, do a mild engine refresh(rings and bearings) and possibly drop a cam(fast road) in the MG all in exchange for the Marina. He's in turn going to fix it up nice as a shop car/parts runner.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Well, I sold the Marina.

I'm under orders from my bride-to-be that I can only have two cars, which is a reasonable compromise. Needless to say, the Marina didn't make the cut.

For lack of time, tools, and space I hadn't yet installed the overdrive I bought back in November in the MG. I needed to get it done, and my MG also needs a few other odds and ends jobs. I worked a deal with my local mechanic(who is excellent, if slow) and he's going to put the O/D in for me, do a mild engine refresh(rings and bearings) and possibly drop a cam(fast road) in the MG all in exchange for the Marina. He's in turn going to fix it up nice as a shop car/parts runner.

Easy fix. Take the MG apart. Then spread the bits around. When she asks you’ve got two cars plus spares! When you assemble it back together you can say you managed to make it out of old bits. What a saving!

 

[bunnspecial]

Easy fix. Take the MG apart. Then spread the bits around. When she asks you’ve got two cars plus spares! When you assemble it back together you can say you managed to make it out of old bits. What a saving!

I could do that

But I should clarify that the "2 car rule" is a daily+fun car. I'm keeping the MKZ as my daily and had to choose between the MG and Marina as a fun car. Needless to say, it was not a difficult decision.

The shop is also going to grab one of the spare engines I have when they come to pick up the Marina, so that's even more stuff down. I took the shop two good useable later smog heads I had lying around also. That gets me down to 2 engine blocks and two spare heads, which I guess covers me. I can't really pair down the engines more, as one is a good rebuildable 5 main that I want to do one of these days, and the other is a super nice 3 main block with a new old stock crank that is just too good to not build one of these days for an early MGB or hopefully an MGA. The heads are crack free and ready for a rebuild, but I can't let them go either-one is a super early 12H906, which is considered the best casting, and the other is a crack free 12H2923 "big valve" head which is basically a bolt on high compression head for early engines.

 

[S.B.G]

What are people's thoughts on the Honda Civic hatchback?

It looks sharp, and economical to me.

I still have a year left on my MKZ lease, but I'm always looking at what I want next. Right now, I'm going between, a Lincoln Corsair, another MKZ (if they're still going to make them in 2021), a Ford Ranger, a Ford F-150 or something else.

I had a really sharp 2016 Ford Focus hatchback before the MKZ and I liked it a lot. Too bad Ford stopped making them.

The Civic looks like its comparable to the Focus. How are the stereo's in them? Are they really good?

I've always been a Ford/Lincoln person because I get the A Plan, but maybe next time I'll stray from the familiar. That's still a year away though.

 

[44267547]

But without a test drive? The way a car feels when driving is important in deciding on a make, model and trim level.
Good luck with it.

I mentioned already in a previous post, I have experience with both vehicles, one of which I already owned.

Prior to owning my previous SHO, I enjoyed it so much, which is why I’m considering a 2019 for the last year they actually manufactured it.

But the truck (Raptor) has me hooked with the performance and off-road use.

So it’s a difficult decision for me.

Pictures incoming soon.
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What are people's thoughts on the Honda Civic hatchback?

It looks sharp, and economical to me.

I still have a year left on my MKZ lease, but I'm always looking at what I want next. Right now, I'm going between, a Lincoln Corsair, another MKZ (if they're still going to make them in 2021), a Ford Ranger, a Ford F-150 or something else.

I had a really sharp 2016 Ford Focus hatchback before the MKZ and I liked it a lot. Too bad Ford stopped making them.

The Civic looks like its comparable to the Focus. How are the stereo's in them? Are they really good?

I've always been a Ford/Lincoln person because I get the A Plan, but maybe next time I'll stray from the familiar. That's still a year away though.

I can’t attest to the Civic ‘drivability’ or stereos, but I love the way they look. Honda has really been ‘daring’ in terms of how they have entirely changed the Honda Civic design. I think one of the first things when you (Well anyone) purchase a car, is you have to fall in love with how it looks, and everything else kind of comes in second. In that respect, I think the Civic offers plenty of trim levels for varied options, but it doesn’t look like you’re getting into just a ‘four-door little sedan‘ anymore. And the reliability factor always exceeds the domestic sector for longevity, but that’s been common knowledge with most of the Civic life-span.

 

[Matz]

Well, I sold the Marina.

I'm under orders from my bride-to-be that I can only have two cars, which is a reasonable compromise. Needless to say, the Marina didn't make the cut.

For lack of time, tools, and space I hadn't yet installed the overdrive I bought back in November in the MG. I needed to get it done, and my MG also needs a few other odds and ends jobs. I worked a deal with my local mechanic(who is excellent, if slow) and he's going to put the O/D in for me, do a mild engine refresh(rings and bearings) and possibly drop a cam(fast road) in the MG all in exchange for the Marina. He's in turn going to fix it up nice as a shop car/parts runner.

Sounds like a win-win.

 

[Dodgeman]

I mentioned already in a previous post, I have experience with both vehicles, one of which I already owned.

Prior to owning my previous SHO, I enjoyed it so much, which is why I’m considering a 2019 for the last year they actually manufactured it.

But the truck (Raptor) has me hooked with the performance and off-road use.

So it’s a difficult decision for me.

Pictures incoming soon.
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I can’t attest to the Civic ‘drivability’ or stereos, but I love the way they look. Honda has really been ‘daring’ in terms of how they have entirely changed the Honda Civic design. I think one of the first things when you (Well anyone) purchase a car, is you have to fall in love with how it looks, and everything else kind of comes in second. In that respect, I think the Civic offers plenty of trim levels for varied options, but it doesn’t look like you’re getting into just a ‘four-door little sedan‘ anymore. And the reliability factor always exceeds the domestic sector for longevity, but that’s been common knowledge with most of the Civic life-span.

I’d pass on the Taurus. Raptor, I’d say pull the trigger OFCR. ??

 

[44267547]

I’d pass on the Taurus. Raptor, I’d say pull the trigger OFCR. 🤯🙂

Well, it depends on what kind of price point I can score on either or. The Raptor would be more practical in terms of dealing with more adverse road conditions in my state, but they both share the 3.5 L TwinTurbo Ecoboost (With the Raptor having tweaked ratios for Tq/towing, ect.)

Also, I’ve never owned a truck before, so this will be my first, which has its appeal. As for the SHO, there an amazing ride for the money, And the one I’m looking at is ‘optioned-out’ completely.

But... The 18’ Raptor is a CPO, however; the SHO is factory new. So that’s something to consider as well. But there again, it depends on what kind of price point I can score on the SHO out the door, especially given that dealerships are severely hurting financially, it might be the ‘better buy’, but again, I won’t know until things can reopen in the next month here.

Either way, to simplify it, Im either buying a truck or sedan for performance in both segments.

Although, I am settled on one thing, which is the color and it will be ‘Ruby red metallic’ in either or.

 

[Dodgeman]

Well, it depends on what kind of price point I can score on either or. The Raptor would be more practical in terms of dealing with more adverse road conditions in my state, but they both share the 3.5 L TwinTurbo Ecoboost (With the Raptor having tweaked ratios for Tq/towing, ect.)

Also, I’ve never owned a truck before, so this will be my first, which has its appeal. As for the SHO, there an amazing ride for the money, And the one I’m looking at is ‘optioned-out’ completely.

But... The 18’ Raptor is a CPO, however; the SHO is factory new. So that’s something to consider as well. But there again, it depends on what kind of price point I can score on the SHO out the door, especially given that dealerships are severely hurting financially, it might be the ‘better buy’, but again, I won’t know until things can reopen in the next month here.

Either way, to simplify it, Im either buying a truck or sedan for performance in both segments.

Although, I am settled on one thing, which is the color and it will be ‘Ruby red metallic’ in either or.

Yeah, I’d love a Raptor. It’s just too much money on all the ones I’ve seen. I have had a couple 392 powered cars, and now I have that Coyote 5.0l v8. All have been fun, the 5.0 I can definitely cruise in, the 392 I was burning fuel always looking for the left lane.

 

[44267547]

Yeah, I’d love a Raptor. It’s just too much money on all the ones I’ve seen. I have had a couple 392 powered cars, and now I have that Coyote 5.0l v8. All have been fun, the 5.0 I can definitely cruise in, the 392 I was burning fuel always looking for the left lane.

Haha, well I can attest to the 392 Charger, I own an 18 Scat Pack [I have pics peppered throughout this thread]. Before that, I had a 14’ Mustang GT Cali-Special (With like ~$8,000 in mods/custom body work). Both great Drive trains in those cars.

And another thing, if I opt for the Raptor, I don’t have much room for modifications given the price difference, but if I can find a SHO for a solid price, I plan on adding mods to that car immediately, as I did my last SHO upon purchase. So that is something else to consider.

 

[Dodgeman]

Haha, well I can attest to the 392 Charger, I own an 18 Scat Pack [I have pics peppered throughout this thread]. Before that, I had a 14’ Mustang GT Cali-Special (With like ~$8,000 in mods/custom body work). Both great Drive trains in those cars.

And another thing, if I opt for the Raptor, I don’t have much room for modifications given the price difference, but if I can find a SHO for a solid price, I plan on adding mods to that car immediately, as I did my last SHO upon purchase. So that is something else to consider.

yeah I had a 17 Scat, got a 19 Challenger WideBody got stolen, guess they can clone the keys easy what the cop said. And not have the 5.0.
You guys have a lot of reports or stolen wheels cars from dodge?

 

[D.T.]

they both share the 3.5 L TwinTurbo Ecoboost (With the Raptor having tweaked ratios for Tq/towing, ect.)

It shares the displacement, cylinder count and TTs, but they're pretty different engines. The SHO is using the Ecoboost that's from the consumer roadmap, and the Raptor is using a flavor from SVT, down-derived from the Ford GT - vs. the SHO it's different heads, block design, turbos, etc., 450HP, mated up to the kickass 10R80, while the Taurus still uses the extremely dated 6F55 6-speed.
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Yeah, I’d love a Raptor. It’s just too much money on all the ones I’ve seen. I have had a couple 392 powered cars, and now I have that Coyote 5.0l v8. All have been fun, the 5.0 I can definitely cruise in, the 392 I was burning fuel always looking for the left lane.

The 6.4L cars around here are, let's say, surprised by my 5.0L These 3rd Gens love the corn, and the A10 is unbelievably fantastic (especially when tuned).

 

[bunnspecial]

I still have a hard time wrapping my head around a performance car with a transverse engine and front wheel drive, or at least heavily front biased front biased AWD.

My experience with a handful of older, higher powered FWD cars including a friends Altima SE-R and my dad's Continentals(which weren't crazy high powered but had a lot of torque) is that they can be rather squirrely under acceleration.

AWD settles them down somewhat, but the rear wheels only get a limited amount of power when needed. I'd rather have the rears as the primary drive wheels.

Unfortunately, it seems as though every time there's a small RWD renaissance in passenger vehicles, it dies off within a few years...

 

[44267547]

yeah I had a 17 Scat, got a 19 Challenger WideBody got stolen, guess they can clone the keys easy what the cop said. And not have the 5.0.
You guys have a lot of reports or stolen wheels cars from dodge?

Two things:

Most importantly, Geez dude, no picture of the wide-body Challenger? 😁 No seriously, you got to post a picture, you are in the car thread after all, so lets see it. I do like the widebody, it has some really unique physical characteristics, and it’s the one muscle body car that actually stayed true to somewhat of the retro look, which I give props to Dodge on.

Secondly, you mentioned issues with ‘cloning keys’, I worked directly with the Dodge CSC team on that exact issue. I can share some details, but that would have to be through a PM, as I don’t want to venture into PRSI territory, being it is sensitive with case material.

 

[Dodgeman]

Two things:

Most importantly, Geez dude, no picture of the wide-body Challenger? ? No seriously, you got to post a picture, you are in the car thread after all, so lets see it. I do like the widebody, it has some really unique physical characteristics, and it’s the one muscle body car that actually stayed true to somewhat of the retro look, which I give props to Dodge on.

Secondly, you mentioned issues with ‘cloning keys’, I worked directly with the Dodge CSC team on that exact issue. I can share some details, but that would have to be through a PM, as I don’t want to venture into PRSI territory, being it is sensitive with case material.

yeah just tried to PM you and show you the pix and also talk about the theft situation that happened... shoot me a PM when u get a chance.

 

[Glideslope]

What are people's thoughts on the Honda Civic hatchback?

It looks sharp, and economical to me.

I still have a year left on my MKZ lease, but I'm always looking at what I want next. Right now, I'm going between, a Lincoln Corsair, another MKZ (if they're still going to make them in 2021), a Ford Ranger, a Ford F-150 or something else.

I had a really sharp 2016 Ford Focus hatchback before the MKZ and I liked it a lot. Too bad Ford stopped making them.

The Civic looks like its comparable to the Focus. How are the stereo's in them? Are they really good?

I've always been a Ford/Lincoln person because I get the A Plan, but maybe next time I'll stray from the familiar. That's still a year away though.

I went for a 2019 EX Sedan over a Hatchback simply for the aesthetics. This was a downsize for me as I had been an Accord owner previously. Feature wise I believe the 1.5L in the Hatchback has another 5 hp or something like that. Chassis wise they are identical other than wheel /tire sizes and roll bars on trims unless you're going with an Si.

Prior to my my Accords, I've owned several Civics, my first being a 1978. This is my first of the 10th Gen. The styling on the Civics tends to be love it, or hate it. Not much in-between. I've found them to be bulletproof. The audio in my EX is average, nothing eye popping. I can drive all day at 70mph and get 41mpg.

The 1.5L gets allot of attention from the oil dilution issues in the CR-V. I have no issues with mine in the one year of ownership so far. As far as I'm concerned the oil dilution is from people who drive frequent short distances in mainly colder climates. It's something to be aware of though.

Small Turbo/GDI engines can all be prone to this. The Honda 1.5L is more so due to it's extremely efficient design, and the time it takes to build up to normal operating temperature IMO. Although I'd say you probably need to do some more thinking if your cross shopping Corsair's and Civics.

 

[S.B.G]

I went for a 2019 EX Sedan over a Hatchback simply for the aesthetics. This was a downsize for me as I had been an Accord owner previously. Feature wise I believe the 1.5L in the Hatchback has another 5 hp or something like that. Chassis wise they are identical other than wheel /tire sizes and roll bars on trims unless you're going with an Si.

Prior to my my Accords, I've owned several Civics, my first being a 1978. This is my first of the 10th Gen. The styling on the Civics tends to be love it, or hate it. Not much in-between. I've found them to be bulletproof. The audio in my EX is average, nothing eye popping. I can drive all day at 70mph and get 41mpg.

The 1.5L gets allot of attention from the oil dilution issues in the CR-V. I have no issues with mine in the one year of ownership so far. As far as I'm concerned the oil dilution is from people who drive frequent short distances in mainly colder climates. It's something to be aware of though.

Small Turbo/GDI engines can all be prone to this. The Honda 1.5L is more so due to it's extremely efficient design, and the time it takes to build up to normal operating temperature IMO. Although I'd say you probably need to do some more thinking if your cross shopping Corsair's and Civics.

Thanks for the reply.

Yea, I still have a year left to figure out what I want. Problem is, there are so many vehicles I like!

Good to know about the oil thing you mentioned. My commute is literally 2 miles to work and I live in Michigan, so we have to deal with cold temperatures.

 

[Glideslope]

Thanks for the reply.

Yea, I still have a year left to figure out what I want. Problem is, there are so many vehicles I like!

Good to know about the oil thing you mentioned. My commute is literally 2 miles to work and I live in Michigan, so we have to deal with cold temperatures.

Then DO NOT buy a car with a Turbo Direct Injection engine.

 

[0388631]

Speaking of high powered FWD cars or front-biased AWD systems, wouldn't the MK8 Golf R Plus count in this regard? There's some rumors of it peaking close to 400 HP from the factory. The regular Golf R is slated to be a hair under 330 HP which should be fine.

 

[duffman9000]

Good news/bad news for those of us that like to drive:

The good:

Gas is cheap​

Traffic is reduced​

Speed limit enforcement appears to be much more relaxed​

The bad:

A higher percentage of those other folks on the road are stressed, distracted, or both.​

Enjoy, but be careful out there.

Last week a driver made a left in front me. His side had a protected turning light. My light turned green, I then saw him begin to enter the intersection to make his left. Yes, he had not crossed the crosswalk on his side when my light turned green. I honked at him during his left turn. He was an old man and looked at me and shrugged as if what he just did was perfectly normal.

 

[44267547]

Tomorrow is the day at 11AM, Either finalizing the SHO or Raptor. (Dealerships can officially open at partial capacity May 1)

So here’s the breakdown:

18’ Raptor:

Certified. One owner/Low mileage/Ruby Red. 401A/loaded.

The caveat: After running the VIN (One the perks of the job😁), there is a ‘bank note’, which I’m assuming somebody at the dealership owns the car, and they are ‘front selling’ the car for that individual. Which means, they probably don’t have a lot of room to move on the price if there’s a lien on the vehicle. However, the truck has been sitting since December 16th on their lot without any movement whatsoever. So maybe if they’re willing to move with me, we can make something work. Plus, this would be my first performance truck.

That said, if I opt for the Raptor, there won’t be modifying at $48K (W/O movement)

19’ SHO:

Factory new/401A/loaded/Ruby Red.

If I opt for the SHO, I have a lot of familiarity with this car and what it’s capable of (I owned a white platinum model two years ago). Plus, it would allow for at least ~$10,000 for additional modifications (Assuming they move on the price @ ~$38,100), which I would start right away with 75° weather on the way.Which has its allure, being the SHO’s have loads of After-market potential.

Plus, if I opt in, I would own this car brand new hopefully for a steal of a price due to the economy. Which I can use as leverage, and it helps that I’ve purchased from this dealership before.

I’ll definitely have my decision made tomorrow, hopefully bringing it home by Monday at the latest to add to the garage.

 

[bunnspecial]

Did a long overdue brake job on the MKZ today.

I'm pretty sure it was running on the factory pads. I know the history of this car back to new-I would have doubt my grandfather put pads on it in ~20K miles from new, and know my dad never did in another 15K. It's sitting at a tick over 75K now, and admittedly a lot of those are interstate miles. The were thin but not down to the plate, and I had some nasty grooves in the rotors.

I had a bit of a fun adventure. With ABS especially(but in general) I open the bleeder valve when retracting the pistons. That avoids forcing fluid back through the ABS module and also flushes some of the old fluid out. It also makes retracting them a whole lot easier. In any case, after doing that, I vacuum bled them and thought I was good.

I went out for a drive and they were super spongy and also very "squirrely." I got back and enlisted my dads help to do a good old fashioned 2-person bleed. When I cracked the bleeder open on the passenger side, I managed to get a nice aerosol of brake fluid. We did a couple of extra cycles after that for good measure, but he said that the pedal feel came back almost immediately after I opened it that first time.

Fortunately, I was back to a nice firm pedal and good stopping. I did manage to strip a lugnut, which of course necessitated a trip to Autozone for a replacement, but all's good after that.

 

[D.T.]

I'm pretty sure it was running on the factory pads. I know the history of this car back to new-I would have doubt my grandfather put pads on it in ~20K miles from new, and know my dad never did in another 15K. It's sitting at a tick over 75K now, and admittedly a lot of those are interstate miles. The were thin but not down to the plate, and I had some nasty grooves in the rotors.

An ex-Biz Partner of mine went like 40K or 50K miles on the original oil fill, hahahaha, I took my car for a change on time and he was baffled about what I was doing. "What do you mean, your car has to have the oil changed".

 

[senseless]

My 2012 S4 rolled over 110,000 miles today. It still drives great and I think I got lucky because it's not the stereotypical maintenance nightmare of many Euro cars.

 

[bunnspecial]

An ex-Biz Partner of mine went like 40K or 50K miles on the original oil fill, hahahaha, I took my car for a change on time and he was baffled about what I was doing. "What do you mean, your car has to have the oil changed".

Yeah, it's funny polarizing oil changes can be. I've known people who never changed their oil-in fact I remember a certain Daewoo earlier in this thread that was on who knows how many miles since its last change of cheap oil.

Meanwhile, my dad rarely drives more than 1K a year(he rarely goes out without my mom, and they usually take her car) but he's adamant that he has to have it changed every 6 months. I've told him to put a good synthetic in("but it says Syn-Blend so that's what I have to use) and forget about it until he hits at least 5K or a couple of years. He's horrified at the thought of doing that.

I do get funny about changing the MG oil once a year at least, usually in the fall, since carburetors tend to cause fuel dilution, sloppy tolerances get a lot more combustion gases in the oil, and I want clean(ish) oil in the sump when it gets driven a lot less in the winter. I'm also picky about only VR-1 20W-50(I have run Brad Penn, but it's pricey, and won't touch Amsoil Z-ROD because it's astronomical) since it wants lots of ZDDP. It also gets a fresh Motorcraft FL-1A, or whatever other brand equivalent of that that's not Wix/NAPA-that's fortunately one of the most common filters around, and is also comically large on a little 1.8L pushrod 4 cylinder.

The Lincoln, though-it's plain old multi-port fuel injection(not GDI) feeding a modern tight aluminum V6. I throw whatever synthetic is on sale at Wal-Mart in it, or Mobil1 if there's no clear winner, and stick a NAPA Platinum filter on it. That's a full synthetic media filter that's rated for extended drain intervals, and when NAPA runs their filter sales I grab a few usually for $3-4 each. If I'm feeling motivated, I change it at 10K miles, but have been known to run it 15K. I don't lose any sleep over it, and the engine is none the worse for wear. The car gets a lot of interstate miles(see, again, the factory pads that still had meat at 75K miles) which of course is about as easy as you can be on oil.