CARS! The Car Super Thread

[ebl]

To Gregg and jmicha: Despite having driven a number of cars under different brands, I have yet to drive a Kia. While I'm not currently shopping for a new car, I should go drive one anyway just to check it out. I do like my CR-V and would replace it with a car of similar size (like the Sportage) when the time comes. I think the Hyundai Tucson is the same car. Maybe I'll just drive both since I've never driven a Hyundai either.

 

Eric

[jmicha]

^They're pretty comfortable rides. Nothing extraordinary obviously, but they are very easy cars to drive and actually feel like they are responding to your actions. When I turn the wheel or press either of the pedals in my Sonata, the car does what it's supposed to unlike some cars I've driven that felt like I was stepping in warm butter rather than trying to accelerate. I would definitely take one out for a drive if you get the chance as it might shorten any searching in the future when you do want to replace your current vehicle. The new Tuscon is supposedly a very nice vehicle too from what I've heard. I've yet to drive or ride in one and they just updated it for the 2011 model.

[Sir Clinksalot]

Eric, you can come over and take our Sportage for a spin anytime you like. (that sounded kinda dirty).

 

The guys at the Kia Dealer said that a new design on the Sportage is coming soon, designed by the same guy that was a designer for the Escalade, Cadillac CTX (is that their big SUV?), etc. So it will be interesting to see what they come up with.

 

I'm not in the market for a new one for at least another 4 or 5 years as I'm enjoying not having a car payment too much.

 

I figure my daughter can have the sportage when she goes to college in 4 1/2 years and then we'll get a new one.

 

As far as the Tucson and Sportage, they are very similar, I believe they were designed by the same people and Kia/Hyundai split the design cost.

 

EDIT: here are some pics of the new car ...

 

 

 

 

The inside with all the bells and whistles

[ebl]

For whatever reason, I thought the Forte was a bigger car than it is, but I did a little research on it and found that it is more or less comparable in size/class to the Honda Civic.

 

 

It looks like you need to use specially shaped CDs for your player. But I know that's just a shadow.

 

Eric

[Sir Clinksalot]

^ CD's??? With MP3 and Satellite radio, I doubt we'll be using the CD (or the regular radio) much. I'm actually looking to get a Sattelite Radio for the Sportage since you get deals if you have it in more than 1 car. But I want to get a built-in one, not just the player you can buy that goes on the dash.

 

But yeah, it's probably Civic/Corolla sized. I was actually impressed with how much room is in the back seat. I fit in there comfortably.

 

Another reason we got this is because Amanda will be driving in 2 years and the Sportage just has WAY too big of a back seat/storage area.

 

The Sportage is still our "family" car, we will use this for Kristi going to work (she works over the hill) and weekend trips when it's just the two of us, etc. I'll be driving it down to OC for a bachelor party I'm going to saturday night.

[ParkTrips]

Apart from all of the ///Marketing crap all over the cars, I love this photo

[BeemerBoy]

^ That is a pretty sweet pic.

 

Got to detail a friend's P-car last week. Sure, it's an "entry level" Porsche, but still a Porsche. This was just a basic mini detail to see what we're looking at for further paint correction in the near future. A couple points:

- Car bras are stupid.

- Porsche might wanna look into the fact that their lug nuts are ALWAYS rusting out, and it looks HORRIBLE.

It's not a 911 twin turbo, but it still handles pretty nice. Since it was a friend's, I "test drove" it a bit before cleaning commenced.

Caked on brake dust. Yay. This is always fun to handle.

First up, a foam gun bath to loosen up dirt and grime, so as not to introduce more micro-marring into the paint during the wash.

Details. He wants me to remove this badge, and replace it with a chrome one. His idea, not mine.

Barrel cleaning. Fun times.

Two hours later, the wheels were about 80% cleaned. When I get the car next time, we'll probably remove the wheels, repaint the lug nuts, and fully correct everything.

She looks nice and shiny, right?

Paint looks deep enough to dive into.....at least from this view.

Time to bring it in for closer inspection.

Under fluorescent and xenon lighting, the truth is revealed.

Halogens spell it out as well.

Here's an example of the results we'll be going for the next time this Boxster pays me a visit. Can't wait!

[ParkTrips]

^ Even the clear 3M bras?

 

How much does a basic (or even mid-range) detail like that cost?

 

And yes, "still a Porsche" means the best sub-$100k roadster (a sub-$100k 911 cab is merely a theory)

[BeemerBoy]

^ I'm okay with the 3M clear bras, as long as they're applied correctly. There's a silver Carrera that I may be detailing soon, that has a clear bra on the front end which ends half way up the hood. It's the most noticeable thing ever, and completely detracts from the beauty of the car. The hacks that applied it couldn't even trim around the Porsche badge correctly. And on top of that, there's several patches that they installed elsewhere around the car that just look hideous.

 

Also, if they're not cared for correctly, the clear bras will haze, or even yellow a bit, to the point where it looks worse than just simply allowing a few rock chips to happen. So basically, I like 'em....if done right.

 

 

 

As far as the price for your basic detail, in general, $100-150 is the average range for what you saw with that Boxster, plus a basic interior cleaning.

For basic paint correction details where the rotary buffer is used (usually a one-step process) , it's generally $200+. Extensive paint correction details that require 3-4 steps of compounding, buffing, and jeweling the clear coat are in the $400+ range. And for the show cars looking to eliminate "orange peel" by wetsanding, it's $1000 and up. And all of the more extensive details naturally include thorough interior detailing as well.

 

 

Side note: there may also be a sweet Quattroporte to work on soon. (fingers crossed)

[ParkTrips]

^ Like there is a non-sweet Maseratti

 

I figured you would say it detracts from the beauty of the car.. never thought of the yellow hue, is it best to replace annually? I guess whenever I get a cool detail-worthy car, I'll have to bring it up to Dalton..

[mcjaco]

Scott, am I to assume this is a side gig?

 

I've got some major scratches in my Rav I'm looking to correct in the near future. I can't tell if they're surface scratches to the clear coat, or down to the primer. These water based paints on cars suck!

 

I repainted two cars myself in my younger years. Granted it was a lot of spray cans, but I went all the way through with it and did the top coats, polish and everything. It was very gratifying, even if it was on some crappy cars.

 

I've been watching one of the auto auction type shows on HD Theater lately. I was pretty amazed that they were pricing 1980's 911's in the $35-40K range. Still one of my favorite cars.

[BeemerBoy]

^ Technically it's a side gig that I'm hoping to transition into a full timer. I'm tired of working for the man.

As for your scratches, the general rule is that if you can catch 'em good with your thumbnail, then they may be too deep to fully correct. That doesn't always mean you can't significantly improve the look of them, but 100% correction is out of the question.

 

The Germans are primarily using newer ceramic clear coats which are harder and more scratch resistant, and the American market is slowly adopting these as well. The Asians have yet to pick up on it though. Toyota and Honda always have much softer clear coats.

 

Post a few pics if you get the chance. It's tough to eyeball them online, but I may be able to tell you your options, short of re-shooting it.

 

 

Joe - Good point. There isn't any other kind of Maseratti.

 

As for the clear bra, as long as it's applied professionally, cared for, and protected with a premium wax/sealant by someone who knows what they're doing, it'll last quite a while. It's basically just another layer of skin. I always tell people your clear coat, and/or clear bra is no different than your own skin. Would you sit in the sun at least 5 days a week without any sunscreen? No? Then why let your car do it?

 

Here's what I was talking about with that Carrera's clear bra.....

He had it washed this past weekend, so it's not quite as noticeable here, but you can still see what I'm talking about. I mean, if you're gonna clear bra the thing, just do the whole front end.

They couldn't even precisely trim around the badge.

Here's the worst part though.

And naturally, the lug nuts look awful too. Still, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

[kumba830]

It's not to long till I'm out on the road. [OK it's like 4 months, but I can keep on dreaming till then can't I?]

 

What will be my first car... An old Land Rover Discovery perhaps?

 

Or a VW GTI mk5?

[Hotlanta]

Couple of new ads for the Hyundai ix 35 (Tucson in America). They seems to be parodying a popular motoring show, but what could it be?

 

The hosts are a wildbeest, a hamster, a turtle and a stag.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMJ9vGBavxE

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO5j3epzeZs

[jmicha]

^I just saw those on Autoblog today. They're amazing. Top Gear is amazing, and these parodies work extremely well. Genius advertising if you ask me.

[ParkTrips]

I think this may be the first time ever that I can't figure out what park/rides are in a photo - finally, I may have this coaster crap out of my head!!! So.. anyone know where that is?

[Jew]

Looks like CGA to me.

[hyyyper]

^Indeed. It seems its taken from the rooftop of the building west of the park entrance. You cleary see Vortex and the illuminated lifthill of Flight Deck

 

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=q6zv954v1smb&scene=5874918&lvl=2&sty=b&sp=Point.q6zv954v1smb_BMW%20rooftop____~Point.9bzwtyxk36hr_Beastie____~Point.q6s9s94v3dy4_Santa%20Clara%2C%20CA____&where1=Santa%20Clara%2C%20CA

[mcjaco]

My wife and I have finally decided sharing a car just isn't working anymore. We've been doing it for ten years, but it's getting to be a major pain juggling who uses it when.

 

That being said, we're looking at a second car for just toting around town, and we'll continue to use the RAV4 for road trips and the heavy winter driving.

 

We're looking at the Yaris, Corolla, Fit, Fiesta, and the Civic. Maybe the Mazda3 and the Sentra, but they're starting to hit close to $20K, which is not in the budget.

 

This is the first time we have to buy a vehicle for need, and not want so we're both a bit flumuxed on which one we like. Any ideas? We like the idea of a little more storage with a hatchback, but it's not a deal breaker either. This sub compact/compact category is just so filled with options it's crazy.

 

Oh yeah, Toyota is offering 0% until June 30th.....

[ParkTrips]

Used Mk5 GTI. Let someone else take the new-car depreciation (0% doesn't matter if you are losing $8k when you drive it off the lot, especially with VW offering 1.99% on pre-loved cars), and get a fun little car with space, a solid build, a terrific powertrain and fuel economy. A buddy has a mk5, so I've gotten to see how awesome it is over the past year+. You can get a really good deal too:

 

2007 GTI in Chicago - 7k miles, certified, asking $17k

 

You can probably find one around $15k with 30k miles - which is still quite reasonable

[mcjaco]

I like how you're telling me to go German, and Cameron is always telling me to stay away, if I like the Japanese stuff I've been used too!

[BeemerBoy]

I love Joe's choice, but for what it sounds like you're looking for, I'd stick with the Japs....although I'm really tempted to say Fiesta, since I'm liking the overhaul on it (kinda like a newer, cheaper GTI).

 

Of your choices, I've got 'em in this order: Civic, Corolla, Fiesta, Fit, Yaris. Not a big fan of Mazda, and most Nissans.

 

You're right though. This category is stacked with options now. Pretty much comes down to a matter of taste.

[mcjaco]

We walked a couple of lots on Sunday (they're closed here so no pushy sales people), so my wife could wrap her head around the prices, the models, and what she started with her suggestion of a second car.

 

She's not fond of the Yaris with the exception of the price. Didn't like the styling on the Fit, which I found OK, but I had major issues with our CRV so, I'm a little leary. And she loved the Corolla S. Which, of course, doesn't have the same good offer as the other Corolla models. I find it funny that my wife is the one that pushed for the V6 Sport RAV4, and now she's pushing for a sportier model for the second car. I think she's a gearhead, but doesn't know it.

 

I really wish the Fiesta's were out (any day now). They're very tempting.

[ParkTrips]

I like how you're telling me to go German, and Cameron is always telling me to stay away, if I like the Japanese stuff I've been used too!

I was saying go VW - which is vastly different than BMWs or Porsche's.

 

I just strongly dislike Toyota, and would MUCH rather have a Honda if I HAD to go Asian - or even a Hyundai

[mcjaco]

After the un-resolved brake issue with the CRV, I don't know if I'll go back. If the discs are that light weight, and get bent that easily. No thanks.

 

Hyudai's are out of the question. We has a Sonata for a rental (during the CRV issue), and it was a noisy POS.

 

I love VWs, but Cameron and I had an in depth talk about them a summer or two ago on our way to Indiana Beach. If you're used to Japanese cars, going German (even a VW), will boggle your mind - according to him.