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Cars!

Joe G

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For the last several months I've been driving a Lotus Elise 111S in Lava orange with black interior
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(except mine has 11-spoke wheels with a matt finish) and my wife has had an orange with black roof-rails Citroen Pluriel 1.6
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hatchback/cabrio/roadster/pickup truck for about a year now. We're a young couple, so we're allowed to have bright orange cars. The Elise is a perfect car. It is much cheaper than an M3, and it is lightning in a bottle to drive. The trunk has enough space for a garment bag, too. When I last visited this forum, I had an Opel Speedster that looked something like this:
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The Opel Speedster is essentially a rebodied Lotus Elise with the General Motors Ecotec lump in place of the Lotus's Rover K-Series. (I understand American-market Elises will have a Toyota engine.) While it looked spectacular and drove even better, that car was a complete and utter nightmare. The Lotus bits worked perfectly; the handling was sublime and even the hood kept me dry. However, anything made by GM turned quickly to shite. The timing chain snapped on me, the clutch shuddered incessantly from day one and I had several other powertrain issues before prevailing upon Opel to buy the damned thing back. I feel for those poor fools who will buy that new Pontiac Solstice and think they're getting a real car. After being freed of mine, I bought the real thing and have nary a regret. When we have kids, I'll probably get a bigger car, perhaps a Volvo S60R or an Audi A8 4.0TDI. Peace, JG
 

vero_group

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May 16, 2003
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I "drive" a 1993 Audi 90CS with 95,000 miles and a busted automatic transmission. I'm spending $$$ to get the transmission fixed so that I can continue to not have any car payments, which is my preference.
The parts supplier in Atlanta sent the wrong transmission. Now both transmissions are being shipped back to Atlanta so they can see exactly which transmission it is I have (Audi made three different varieties of mine). The saga continues...
 

Joe G

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May 22, 2002
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I drive a '97 Volvo 850 GLT, dubbed "black lightening."
Volvos are great cars. I very, very briefly had an S80 T-6 when I last lived in the USA. It was comfortable, beautifully designed inside, and with the twin turbo engine quite quick, if sometimes hard to control. Nail it while turning and you'll be fighting the wheel.

Alas, within a timespan best measured in hours some brain-dead SUV driver plowed into me and totalled it. I was, of course, entirely unhurt, but the everyone in the idiotmobile was hospitalised in the accident. One would hope that taught them to buy a proper car next go around.

Also, the new S40 is going to absolutely stun you guys Stateside. The interior is as perfect as a car in its price range could possibly be. I seriously considered it, and if the planned AWD version were out, I would. I suspect that the forthcoming S40R would be a worthy replacement for Mr Harris' WRX when it arrives in 2006 or so. (I love the WRX, especially the hatch, but believe it or not insurance on the Lotus was much cheaper and there's just nothing more fun to drive than a lightweight sportscar.

Peace,

JG
 

GQ Lawyer

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Mar 4, 2002
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As of yesterday....a new, 2004 Mercedes SL500. I'm having way too much fun driving it and doubt that I will be able to get much more work done this week (it was an early 30th birthday present to myself).
 

banksmiranda

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Sep 19, 2003
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Anyone want to send me the last unregistered McLaren F1 which sits in McLaren's Park Lane showroom? Â Only $1.7 million - or for you Brits, ~900,000 "quid." Â
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montecristo#4

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Jan 7, 2004
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Okay, in a first for this board, I drive a Saab. Specifically, a 2002 9-5 Aero. It's the best car I've ever owned. Bulletproof reliability, great safety, and it is the best long range cruiser ever. I routinely drive from Boston - DC and back, and it is incredibly comfortable. Did I mention performance? Since its a front wheel drive car, it can't touch a WRX off the line. But when was the last time you wanted to smoke someone in a stop-light drag race? High school? With 250 HP and a whopping 273 ft/lbs of torque, my Aero has power where it counts--in passing situations. The show Top Gear on the BBC recently tested the Aero and found that from 40 - 70 miles per hour it was faster than a Porsche 911 Turbo.. Wheeeeee... And of course, since it's a Saab, it has great Swedish styling that puts Volvo's sheet metal to shame. Additional good news from Saab. The next Saab to be released, the 9-2, will actually be based on the Subaru WRX. WRX performance and handling with Saab style. Not quite as good as my Aero, but pretty sweet nevertheless.
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Montecristo#4
 

matadorpoeta

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Jul 28, 2003
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i like the subaru wrx sti. it's a cool car in a boy racer sort of way. having said that, i just saw the new saab 9-2 based on the subaru and as a long time saab fan am extremely disappointed with the management of g.m. what the hell are they thinking taking a subaru, not even redsigning it, and then putting a saab badge on the hood? check out the saab website. the 9-2 is 100% subaru through and through.
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disgusting to say the least. joe g, i agree that lotus are great looking cars though i haven't had the privelage of driving one yet. also, i know a lot of us on this forum are into handstitching and generally appreciate handmade goods. how about a handmade car? there is a morgan dealership very close to me and i think they average between $30 and $40k. here's a website: morgan cars
 

MPS

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Aug 31, 2003
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I currently have a Honda HRV. Boring but practical. Before that I had a Honda S2000, and before that I had a BMW Z3.

I actually think that the Saab-Subaru marriage might work: think of it - the performance of a WRX with the interior and looks of a Saab. I'd certainly go for it.

The new Morgan Aero 8 is a fantastic car by all accounts, however there is a long waiting list, and I can't help thinking that they placed the headlights incorrectly.
 

mistahlee

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Aug 20, 2003
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As of yesterday....a new, 2004 Mercedes SL500.

A brilliant car.  You must be thrilled.

My weekday ride is a silver Mercedes Benz E-320.  2001 model.  On the weekend, a 2003 Audi TT coupe.  Red.
 

matadorpoeta

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I actually think that the Saab-Subaru marriage might work: think of it - the performance of a WRX with the interior and looks of a Saab. I'd certainly go for it.
seriously, check out saabusa.com.

the new 9-2 looks exactly like the impreza. they didn't change anything inside or out. it's even built in japan.
 

Brian SD

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Agreed. Funny thing is, when I bought my WRX, I had no idea that the 0-60 time would blow away anything else in its class (I wasn't considering any of the other sports cars so I didn't know how fast they were.) I knew it was fast, and liked that, but I was more interested in the handling. The AWD, fairly stiff suspension and excellent steering make for a car that responds quickly and predictably in all weather conditions. That's my idea of a safe car - something that can get out of the way of, or move around a dangerous situation instantly. I don't want to have to wait for the car. My driving was a 50/50 split of twisty, dangerous, 2-way mountain roads and highway/city driving in heavy traffic. The WRX was the perfect car for the job. With less body roll and more low-end torque it would perfect. That's what they did with the STI. Too bad it's so ugly ..
I LOVE WRXs. Truly, I would give nearly anything to have one. IMO, you made a fine choice, sir. My car is a '98 Civic LX 4-door, with lots of dents and dings, and broken parts that haven't been fixed. It's been used as a commuter car since the family got it, and it hasn't been fixed up much since. It has 145,000 on it Â
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My dream cars have always been the Acura NSX (hand-made all-alluminum double wishbone mid-engine Honda, for those unfamiliar) and the Porsche 911. I LOVE the NSX, and when I got the chance to take one for a spin, my life has changed since.
 

jpeirpont

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I dont have a car as we speak.I looking into buying a used Cherokee or maybe a Suburu Outback.My favorite car though is probaly the Jag XJR, the Morgan is also a great car,glad I'm not alone in liking it.
 

Joe G

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May 22, 2002
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also, i know a lot of us on this forum are into handstitching and generally appreciate handmade goods. how about a handmade car? there is a morgan dealership very close to me and i think they average between $30 and $40k. here's a website: morgan cars
Actually, I test-drove a Morgan Plus 8 (the older one with the stand-up headlamps and the Rover pushrod V8, not the new Aero with the VW New Beetle lamps mounted cross-eyed and the BMW four-cam V8) before spending my refund from the horrid Opel Speedster on my current Elise, and found that I just couldn't live with its shortcomings. Its steering was extremely imprecise, the suspension rock-hard, and the motor was originally a GM design so it's more suited to powering lorries than sports cars. I also sampled a used Boxster that was more practical but not nearly as much fun as the Lotus...and I couldn't find an orange one.
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I've heard that the Aero addresses just about all of the Plus 8's shortcomings, but it was way out of my budget. More like e80k than e30k. Peace, JG
 

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