CARS! The Car Super Thread

[Hotlanta]

Hey Scott, here it is finally. The 458 in the flesh. For my money (Which unfortunately is no where enough for a prancing horse) i prefer the front end of the 430. I just don't like the headlights on this one and it sort of ruins the whole front view. From the back it is pure poetry.

 

[jmicha]

^It's funny, I feel quite the opposite about the 458. I think the taillights are awful whereas I love the front. It's the first Ferrari since the 355 that I actually find even remotely attractive. I'm excited for this car.

[BeemerBoy]

^^ Yellow is awful. Everything else about the 458 Italia is pure perfection in my eyes. It's the best thing since the 1979 308 GTS. Along with the Enzo, these three would round out my Ferrari dream garage.

[paintballer]

Never posted here before, but I can now. Me and my Dad drove up to Colorado to get my first car. A 69 Camaro Fix-er-uper for 5000 bucks. It's Bee u ti fall, except it's rotting in the inside, It runs nonetheless, and it's a great way to teach me to fix cars up. I have a feeling in a year or 2 my girls gonna be sexy as hell

[Satchboogie3]

^ You've just spelled out why we buy cars from across the OTHER ocean at our house. True, Audis, VWs, and BMWs have been incredibly reliable for some people, but most people I've known with them always have electrical problems at some point. Not sure why that is, but...it is.

 

Eric

 

I think there are 2 problems with this. 1. High end performance/luxary cars are almost always going to be expensive to maintain. 2. A LOT of the people who complain about German cars being nightmares either weren't aware that nice cars cost money to maintain or they (or the previous owners) didn't take proper care of the vehicles.

 

I own an '01 Audi A4 1.8QT and although I've run into minor problems, it's been very durable and it drives like a dream. Sure, $1K+ for a 70K mile service sucks, but you get what you pay for. So long as you take good care of the cars, they shouldn't cost too much more than what's expected. It's when you neglect problems and services that it can get costly.

 

Point is, if you can't afford it, don't buy it or you have no right to complain. If you want a car that will run for ever and you don't need to put money into, buy a Jap car. I enjoy driving, though, so I won't ever consider such boring cars.

[Cameron]

^ I read a great article a while ago (which unfortunately I can no longer find) that said that most Americans equate "regular maintenance" with "problems", and that all they typically want is a brainless appliance. That's perfectly fine, let people drive what they want; but it does become an issue when these people buy a European car because such cars are typically designed and built to be actively cared for. If one doesn't feed their pet, the pet dies .. if one doesn't take care of their European car, then it dies. Pretty simple.

 

I've been driving VWs for over 10 years (all of them used, and one was a Corrado) and was only stranded once - of course it was the Corrado . I actively love driving those cars because they are designed for people who drive for pleasure, I'll gladly put in some maintenance in return.

 

I will say this about VW though, and that's that a lot of the dealerships and service departments are absolutely awful. I am a little spoiled in Chicago as we have some great places (as well as some hideous ones!), but I hear stories from people in other parts of the country that make me cringe. To me that's a very valid reason to avoid a brand .. but "they break down a lot" just gets a massive eye-roll from me.

 

Cameron.

[BeemerBoy]

I will say this about VW though, and that's that a lot of the dealerships and service departments are absolutely awful. I am a little spoiled in Chicago as we have some great places (as well as some hideous ones!), but I hear stories from people in other parts of the country that make me cringe. To me that's a very valid reason to avoid a brand .. but "they break down a lot" just gets a massive eye-roll from me.

 

Cameron.

 

That's interesting to hear. We've got a new VW plant opening in Chattanooga (about 20 miles north of me) in 2011, so I'm curious as to how they'll be received over the next decade in this region....besides the obvious excitement of much needed jobs the plant will create.

[jmicha]

So, I'm getting a new car today. Well, it's my dad's 2006 Hyundai Sonata SE, which he is replacing with a 2009 Hyundai Sonata Limited. This wasn't a planned situation, but unfortunately last week, my car was sent to car heaven. I moved it out into the street outside my house so my brother could play basketball, which has never been a problem. Well, a 16 year old girl driving a 2005 Accord decided that even though it was nighttime and raining in a 25mph zone, it wasn't necessary for her to turn her headlights on, avoid texting, or stay under 50mph. Well she crashed into my car which was thrown about 40 feet down the road and through our mailbox. It and her car were totaled and now we have to replace it since I'm going to Texas for a coop for school.

So sad

As you can probably imagine, this isn't what a '94 Accord is supposed to look like.

[andre8]

^Well that was a dumb driver.

 

The 3rd generation Prius looks so... modern from what I've seen.

[ParkTrips]

^ I read a great article a while ago (which unfortunately I can no longer find) that said that most Americans equate "regular maintenance" with "problems", and that all they typically want is a brainless appliance.

Which is why low-maintenance vehicles sell so well

 

I still plan to go German for my next car, and will do all the research to know what I'm getting into

[spaceace12]

And to add to the problems equal to matience.

 

Brake pads wear out, rotors go bad, things happen. Some people don't even change thier oil when they should adn then wonder why things to wrong. I bought my Jeep used and cheap and expected problems. So far the only problems I have had are one shock is worn mroe than the others, brakes are rather weak, transfer case needs replaced. All this added up won't be much to me considering what I have planned for it.

 

My Malibu on the other hand had has problems that isn't equal to regular matience. Lower intake manifold gaketts twice and wheel bearings. I regularly changed the oil in it and even put synthetic oil in it.

[BeemerBoy]

owes me a new keyboard.

 

The more I see of it, the deeper I fall in love with it.

 

 

Scott "Time to go check those Lottery numbers" B.

[Project]

I've got an Astra. It's an auto and not the quickest but it's nice It's also rare ha, a 1 year car.

 

 

bigger

 

Also after seeing the new VW Scirocco man I wish we could have gotten that model here, the Golf is so ugly in comparison.

[ParkTrips]

Thats such a nice looking 'hot hatch', and I especially love it in the blue, but jeez that thing drives about 15 years older than it is

[BeemerBoy]

Here's one for all the tuner fans. I found this thread on a detailing website that I frequent, and thought you all might enjoy it. It's an Astra VXR, Nurburgring Edition.

 

Not exactly my style, but the way this guy illustrated the whole process of how he transformed the car and intricately detailed it might interest you. *Fair warning* There's a TON of pics, and it might be slow to load. There's also some detailing terms and lingo that won't make any sense to you.

 

Also for reference, his friend, Paul Dalton, is the world's foremost auto detailer. He's even got his own formulated wax, which sells for, oh, about 8k for 16 oz. You can check out his work here.

Pics like this one can be found at the end of page two, and there's some really nice shots.

[Satchboogie3]

^I just read through that detailing... WOW! I'm not sure I'd have the patience to do 1 full day of detailing, let alone months!

[BeemerBoy]

^ Yeah, his was a bit excessive, primarily due to the 51 coats of sealant. And he even rushed that a bit. It's usually best to let each layer of sealant cure for at least 12 hours before adding another.

 

It certainly does take patience though. A typical full paint correction detail with no time restraints can last a few days to a week. Just the washing and prep work alone can take a full day.

 

It's a labor of love though....and pretty good pay for the higher end stuff.

[ParkTrips]

Top 10 douchebag cars!

[BeemerBoy]

What makes the Civic Si so popular amongst douchebags? It has Vtec. It makes their car fast. Throw on a “fartcan” exhaust to make lawnmower sounds, a unnecessarily large spoiler, a $20 body kit from Ebay, some cheap Pep Boy wheels, and you have a douchebag’s dream Civic.

 

The whole list is dead on, but this quote is priceless.

[ParkTrips]

^ I was just thinking the Mustang should be on there somewhere. I'd easily drop the IS off that list and put the Mustang in the top 5

[DBru]

Well, I bought my first car a couple weeks ago...and I'm proud to announce that it is NOT one of the Top Ten Douchebag Cars.

2006, Cobalt Blue, Dodge Charger

[spaceace12]

Discovered some things about my cars today.

 

1. the reason mechanics charge so much to work on cars is because things are not simple to work on. I tried to replace my starter on my car. There was a guard on the starter. Because of the location of it, I couldn't get the bolts off for the starter and I had to have a neighbor do it (I paid him for doing it). The small space is the issue.

 

2. I replaced the light on my shifter in my car. Almost wanted to take the whole center console apart because of the tight spaces.

 

3. When I first got my Jeep, I tried to shift into f/t 4wd and it wouldn't go. I assumed the transfer case was messed up. Today got under the jeep and realized that the transfer case plate on the gear selector on the interior is for a 242, while the transfer case installed is a 231. So my transfer case is not messed up. Trying to decide if I want to, at some point, replace the case with a 242 or just keep the one in there.

[no_brain_er]

I got my first "actually mine" car today: a 2004 Scion xA!

 

 

Well, this picture isn't actually mine, but it's the exact same color and everything. I would like to put a few extra things into it, like some new wheels, some lights on the inside, and maybe a spoiler on the back. But for now, I like it just the way it is.

[Cameron]

Those XAs are awesome, great choice! I know two people who own them, and they are really great cars, fun too. That's high praise coming from me, since I've pretty much loathed every Toyota and Lexus vehicle for close to 10 years .. but the Scions are really cool.

 

Cameron.

[BeemerBoy]

I am going to steal this truck.