Car lovers?

yeah got a 2.6 from my tuner Bob Kurgan he doesn’t stock them but gets sick discounts. He gives them to his tuning customers at cost as long as he gets the tune. Everything else I will go through brenspeed and just pick up local from them. I usually recommend the Vortech as you get more bang for your buck but I was really impulsive .

Wired as for the wife, just wait till the package comes and then open, fake some tears and turn to her and hug and tell thanks I REALLY wanted one of these! She will not say a thing. Or you might get a divorce.. ether way you get to keep it.

WiredAsylum wrote:

yeah got a 2.6 from my tuner Bob Kurgan he doesn’t stock them but gets sick discounts. He gives them to his tuning customers at cost as long as he gets the tune. Everything else I will go through brenspeed and just pick up local from them. I usually recommend the Vortech as you get more bang for your buck but I was really impulsive .

I've vowed that someday when my car has more mileage on it and is paid off I'll rebuild the engine with forged internals and get a Vortech V3 or whatever equivalent is out by the time it's option.

Didn't see this pop up anywhere in the thread (I may be a filthy skimmer...), but I am currently contemplating a used Nissan 350z. Anyone have experience with one? If so, should I wait until the 370 gets some used models on the road in a couple of years or pull the trigger now? Top gear seems to love the 370 over the 350...

You looking to geek out with it and mod it, or just a cool looking car with some nuts to drive around?

If you want a sweet looking ride to buzz around with grab the 350.

But if you are going to head down the rabbit hole of modding. Wait out or find a 370, they are a better starting point for your modding.

Even if you want to mod the 350 is not a bad choice. Just not as good as the 370.

It is like my new project modding my GT I should just sell it and grab another cobra but I don't have that patience for that.

Just something with "oomph" to drive around in. Never modded anything to be honest...

Old Man P π wrote:

Just something with "oomph" to drive around in. Never modded anything to be honest...

If you're not gonna mess with it and just want a cool ride, just go ahead and save some money and get the 350. They're fun cars.

I think the looks of the 370 are a definite improvement over the 350 (which was a nice looking car to begin with.) Plus you can get computer-controlled rev-matching on the 370. If everything else was equal, those two would seal the deal for me. But since it's a new model your money will go a much longer way with the 350.

I wish I hadn't bought my car.

Someone on one of the mustang boards I've been reading lately is selling an '05 with a built iron block, STS twin turbo setup, and a big list of other upgrades. It's got $17,000 miles on it. Total cost in mods is over $40k. They're selling it for $22k.

Engine modifications:
STS Twin turbo setup
new 04 romeo iron block
Manley pistons 6 cc dish
Manley h beam rods
Cobra crank
Cometic head gaskets
arp main studs
arp head studs
New high flow oil pump with treated gears and cobra pickup tube
spec aluminum flywheel
spec stage 2+ clutch
Moroso oil pan
One piece aluminum driveshaft

The bank would have given me that loan no sweat.

Bummer.

Greta

IMAGE(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pmDbwwWlBXE/SoI0J8VR5RI/AAAAAAAAAEk/QHReowqvvyI/s800/Greta%20front.JPG)

IMAGE(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pmDbwwWlBXE/SoI0K4fOlXI/AAAAAAAAAEs/qozh_hcoJPI/s800/Greta%20back.JPG)

1987 911 "America" widebody cabriolet, Cassis red metallic, 3.2 motor, g50 5 speed trans, just passed 105k. All show, just a little go.

I finally have my title! Car purchase planned for 12:15 today.

Congrats!

The deal is done. It took about 2 hours for everything (confirming with the bank, getting in touch with our insurance to get the new car on the policy, paperwork, paperwork, paperwork). In the end, I drove back to work in a shiny new silver Elantra. Power package, sun roof, XM radio. I'll post some pics when I take some.

Edit: radio not radion.

Congrats! I was looking at a Genesis sedan to replace my caddy, but with the economy and all I decided to hang on to it for a while longer. Instead I had to replace the caddy's front electric struts for lots of $$$. I think I made the wrong decision.

My daily driver:

IMAGE(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2336/1953245587_234ce05855.jpg)

Nice Jeep.

Speaking of AWD/4WD vehicles, anybody got an idea on what I should look for as far as an old higher mileage used one for about $3k? I need something for the winter. If it snows more than a few inches I won't even be able to get out of my driveway in the Mustang.

I was stupid and didn't go buy a 97 Toyota 4Runner that was in immaculate shape. The price had just dropped to $2900(!) after being listed at $4000 and while I had an idea that I should run out and get it right that moment, just slap it on a credit card, I did not. And of course two days later it was gone. It had 160,000 miles on it, but it looked brand new. The maintenance had all been done at Toyota, they had kept a log of all the oil changes and services done, the interior was in perfect shape, the whole thing looked almost new. In summation: I'm a moron.

I've not found any solid vehicles since. There was a used CRV with 4WD, but the interior was extremely rough. Enough so that I had little confidence in how well the previous owner might have kept up with the maintenance.

I looked for a Subaru, but people simply aren't getting rid of those things right now

J you and me both brother. Now that I am putting the twin screw in my stang sh*t I can not drive it in the rain. I have been looking for a 4x4 Pick up that can double as my hunting vehicle, at this point I do not care if it has an interior at all. We have the wife's jeep liberty for the decent car for winter i want one just to be functional work truck.

WiredAsylum wrote:

J you and me both brother. Now that I am putting the twin screw in my stang sh*t I can not drive it in the rain. I have been looking for a 4x4 Pick up that can double as my hunting vehicle, at this point I do not care if it has an interior at all. We have the wife's jeep liberty for the decent car for winter i want one just to be functional work truck.

I didn't really start looking until a couple weeks ago when I drove on just barely wet roads and the rear end of the car broke loose. I wasnt pushing it at all either. I might have been doing 45 or 50 in third gear at the time. I had just eased a little more into the gas to go up a steep hill. It had only rained for a few minutes and the sun was already drying up the water, but one half wet patch was all it took and it got all squirrely on me.

I got home from work that day and start scouring autotrader. If I don't find something winter is going to be... interesting.

Can't imagine what trying to drive in any kind of inclement weather at all is like after you tack on a S/C or a Turbo.

Thin_J wrote:
WiredAsylum wrote:

J you and me both brother. Now that I am putting the twin screw in my stang sh*t I can not drive it in the rain. I have been looking for a 4x4 Pick up that can double as my hunting vehicle, at this point I do not care if it has an interior at all. We have the wife's jeep liberty for the decent car for winter i want one just to be functional work truck.

I didn't really start looking until a couple weeks ago when I drove on just barely wet roads and the rear end of the car broke loose. I wasnt pushing it at all either. I might have been doing 45 or 50 in third gear at the time. I had just eased a little more into the gas to go up a steep hill. It had only rained for a few minutes and the sun was already drying up the water, but one half wet patch was all it took and it got all squirrely on me.

I got home from work that day and start scouring autotrader. If I don't find something winter is going to be... interesting.

Can't imagine what trying to drive in any kind of inclement weather at all is like after you tack on a S/C or a Turbo.

I have done it winters with just the stock GT they are sh*tty. I did drop 500lbs of sand in trunk and that helped a bit, but last year i got caught out in one of the freak spring snow storms and I was really worried I would not make it home at all.

Thin_J wrote:

Speaking of AWD/4WD vehicles, anybody got an idea on what I should look for as far as an old higher mileage used one for about $3k? I need something for the winter. If it snows more than a few inches I won't even be able to get out of my driveway in the Mustang.

Man, good luck. I have a feeling that Cash for Clunkers just dried up your pool of potentials quite dramatically.

Quintin_Stone wrote:
Thin_J wrote:

Speaking of AWD/4WD vehicles, anybody got an idea on what I should look for as far as an old higher mileage used one for about $3k? I need something for the winter. If it snows more than a few inches I won't even be able to get out of my driveway in the Mustang.

Man, good luck. I have a feeling that Cash for Clunkers just dried up your pool of potentials quite dramatically.

I know! It strikes me as incredibly stupid to seize the engine in all those cars, effectively bricking their engine no matter how good a shape the vehicle may otherwise be in. So, so idiotic.

I would have sold you mine if you were offering $4500 for a 92 Jeep with 244,714 miles.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I would have sold you mine if you were offering $4500 for a 92 Jeep with 244,714 miles. ;)

Thats the problem with this program.
It artificially creates demand. Finding a decent car for under $5K is going to be hard now.

I got some glamour shots of Greta this weekend while making wedding plans
IMAGE(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pmDbwwWlBXE/Spxk1wG0NUI/AAAAAAAAAH4/xQKlrkArW8c/s800/IMG_0013.JPG)
That's my Fiancee behind Greta

IMAGE(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pmDbwwWlBXE/Spxk4kKJfFI/AAAAAAAAAIA/padKuBRblbs/s800/IMG_0017.JPG)

IMAGE(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pmDbwwWlBXE/Spxk57pBQnI/AAAAAAAAAIE/FswqZgBCzQg/s800/IMG_0018.JPG)

Nice car. Looks like it's been well kept.

I'm not sure I could ever drive any car that was a shade of pink though. You're a better and braver man than I.

And don't you dare lie and say it's "salmon" or something. It's friggin pink

I think that Mazda makes some sexy sedans. The Mazda 3 and the Mazda 6 for instance.

However, I saw a commercial for the new 2010 Mazda 3.

IMAGE(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3535/3877035768_6085c80e24_o.png)

I can't be the only one who thinks that looks like a ridiculous giant smiley face?

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I think that Mazda makes some sexy sedans. The Mazda 3 and the Mazda 6 for instance.

However, I saw a commercial for the new 2010 Mazda 3.

IMAGE(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3535/3877035768_6085c80e24_o.png)

I can't be the only one who thinks that looks like a ridiculous giant smiley face?

Oh, its been the joke of many car mags for a bit. Why is this car smiling? I think it looks better in person though.

So I'm not exactly what you might refer to as a tinkerer; I buy cars, drive them and let the shop worry about the internals. My current ride is a rather unimpressive '01 Impala, but she's been good to me over the years with just under 200k miles on her.

Anyway, my wife gave me the green light to buy myself whatever I want to next March when her Liberty is paid off. My current top runner is a Mustang GT convertible. Since you guys seem to know a lot more on the subject than I do, I have a couple quick questions:

1- Convertible in the winter; is snow a big concern? We get an average of 32 inches of snow/year here. My main concern is the effect of snow on the soft top. I don't think it should be a big deal to brush off a couple inches that may accumulate during the work day, and it will be in the garage at night, so I'm reasonably certain I don't need to be concerned.

2- Clearance of the vehicle on snow. If I have to stay home due to snowfall a few days a year, that's not a concern, but I don't want to have to take 2 months off. I've driven rear wheel drive vehicles before, so I'm not too worried about traction; I'll just toss some sandbags in the trunk and I should be ok on that front.

3- Maintenance. More or less required than similar vehicles? Honestly, I keep up with the maintenance on my cars well, so this is a minor concern, but I'd like to have an idea what I'd be getting into.

4- Any other caveats? This will be my first convertible car...

Need suggestions:

I'm interested in trading the '06 Pilot in for a large sedan now that the wife has a Toyota Sienna to haul kids and stuff in (it's got more room than the Pilot I believe). Also, after being a strict Honda/Toyota driver my first 14 years behind the wheel, I'm feeling somewhat compelled to buy American this time around, so that's what I've been looking at so far, but it's not a strict requirement. Anyone have any recommendations for cars to check out in this category? I already have my eye on the upcoming '10 Taurus, as well as current-year Infiniti G35, Chrylser 300, Dodge Charger, and Hyundai Genesis. I care less about the luxury name and more about the driveability and tech inside (love the idea of having the "geek's cockpit").

2010 Taurus, FYI in case you haven't seen it:

IMAGE(http://www.niot.net/blog-images/02_Feb/2010-ford-taurus-sho-slated-for-chicago-debut.jpg)

ScurvyDog wrote:

Need suggestions:

I'm interested in trading the '06 Pilot in for a large sedan now that the wife has a Toyota Sienna to haul kids and stuff in (it's got more room than the Pilot I believe). Also, after being a strict Honda/Toyota driver my first 14 years behind the wheel, I'm feeling somewhat compelled to buy American this time around, so that's what I've been looking at so far, but it's not a strict requirement. Anyone have any recommendations for cars to check out in this category? I already have my eye on the upcoming '10 Taurus, as well as current-year Infiniti G35, Chrylser 300, Dodge Charger, and Hyundai Genesis. I care less about the luxury name and more about the driveability and tech inside (love the idea of having the "geek's cockpit").

I don't know about tech, but for drivability the Pontiac G8 has been getting good reviews. Its been likened to the BMW 5 series for $20K less. I don't know how a high HP rear wheel drive will work in your area though.