Cars We Drive!

[TheFoo]

i believe i've told this story somewhere in the last 2,000 pages but my father and i had this friendly challenge going where i told him that in our lifetimes, i'd buy and let him ride/drive my 4 favorite cars:
- Toyota Mk2 MR2
- BMW M3
- Porsche 911
- Ferrari F355

we got through the first three before he got sick and passed somewhat suddenly. i never did get around to buying that F355...i certainly can afford it now but the motivation is less and i still don't like the prospect of maintaining it.

but it's still my favorite and the answer to your question.

That is an awfully sweet and sad story about your father. It is nice that you shared a passion together.

F355 is a good choice. For me, hard to pick between that and the F430.

 

[gnatty8]

Nope. Philosophy major.

Got it, thx.. I spent far too long in finance, mainly quantitative finance and risk management, so always curious when people make the leap from one path into this one..

 

[TheFoo]

Well if I want bang for the buck stick with Corvette...

I would love to try a Vette one day.

You’re right the bang for the buck is real, but consensus seems to be that they are not as refined and harder to extract performance out of. Then there is the clunky, poorly assembled GM-ness one likely has to deal with.

Anyway, if going in that direction, would take a GT350R over any Corvette. Who doesn’t want a $60K Mustang with a flat-plane crank V8 that sounds like an angry, orgasming wookie?

 

[Piobaire]

One of the nicest minivans I drove was Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. With great torque and pretty good handling. Quite and with nice interior. But the top of the line version was expensive.

I worked the line at that plant many years ago.

 

[Piobaire]

Seiko 5 works just as well as any expensive watch for daily use.

 

[A Y]

What exhaust is it? You have an E46, no? At least i happened to notice you posted one while searching for something the other day, although the post was from like a decade ago

Yes, and I still have it: it's a 2000 328Ci in Bright Red with about 188k miles on it now, and probably 7000 track miles. It's the quiet car. The other car is a 987 Cayman in Guards Red with the smaller 2.7L engine (and 65kish miles and I never counted the track miles on it, but it's probably less than 7000) and the 5-speed manual from Aisin (which I prefer over the Getrag 6-speed that was an option), and it has the Borla exhaust that came off an automatic Cayman. I think I've posted track photos of both cars in this thread years ago, but the hosting services may have gone down since.

Since it was going to have a bigger exhaust, I also added a Softronic tune with a Porsche Motorsport throttle body to take full advantage of it. I've had the exhaust modified with a few extra chambers to try to mitigate the drone, but I'm not sure it works that well. The only other mods on it are a B&M short shifter (great), and an iPhone interface.

That Porsche engine is a bit more temperamental than the M52 in the E46, so I drive it only when I know I can put enough miles to properly warm it up. It blows oil out both the exhaust (normal in those engines and shows up as a white puff of smoke when you start the car or accelerate under high lateral load), and also out through its intake, so cleaning the MAF is kind of a regular service, and short trips exacerbate these problems. Driving the BMW feels like putting on an old, comfortable sweater and feels unflappable, while the Porsche is a little cooler and stand-offish in character until you really get on it and then it really comes alive.

 

[Spats]

...Who doesn’t want a $60K Mustang with a flat-plane crank V8 that sounds like an angry, orgasming wookie?

Worst sounding V8 ever, to my way of thinking. I'd rather listen to a chainsaw...

 

[TheFoo]

Seiko 5 works just as well as any expensive watch for daily use.

Sadly, not true. You can’t manually wind the thing, accuracy is all over the place, and sometimes they just suddenly stop running.

Also, watches are not really about daily utility. Nobody needs them to tell time and mechanical watches are especially silly since they are not particularly precise or accurate, even in the best cases. My Patek is +1 or 2 seconds a day, which is fantastic for a mechanical watch, but **** compared to an iPhone.

The only remaining appeal of mechanical watches is romanticism. Have you seen what the inside of a Seiko 5 looks like? Not very romantic.

 

[A Y]

The midengine C8 looks like it will kick serious ass. I just hope the rumors about the upgraded interior quality are true also: a friend got a C7 Grand Sport last year and within a couple of months, his leather was peeling off in places. Of course, they've been saying they're upgrading the interior now for the last 3 generations.

 

[TheFoo]

Worst sounding V8 ever, to my way of thinking. I'd rather listen to a chainsaw...

This is possibly the most wrong statement yet uttered in this thread.

 

[Piobaire]

Sadly, not true. You can’t manually wind the thing, accuracy is all over the place, and sometimes they just suddenly stop running.

Also, watches are not really about daily utility. Nobody needs them to tell time and mechanical watches are especially silly since they are not particularly precise or accurate, even in the best cases. My Patek is +1 or 2 seconds a day, which is fantastic for a mechanical watch, but **** compared to an iPhone.

The only remaining appeal of mechanical watches is romanticism. Have you seen what the inside of a Seiko 5 looks like? Not very romantic.

Indeed I see the inside of mine as it has a glass skeleton case. I wear it way more than my Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega "bumper" auto-wind, vintage Tudor Rolex, etc.

 

[TheFoo]

The midengine C8 looks like it will kick serious ass. I just hope the rumors about the upgraded interior quality are true also: a friend got a C7 Grand Sport last year and within a couple of months, his leather was peeling off in places. Of course, they've been saying they're upgrading the interior now for the last 3 generations.

Every generation they talk about better interior quality. Sure enough, every generation it does get a little better. But still ****. And the design will purely suck.

I’m calling it. New Vette comes out. All patriotic “car guys” get super-excited because this one is different and a real world-beater. We will talk about how good it looks and coo over the performance figures. And the interior: not bad!!!

Then the ****-yeah-America adrenaline wears off and everyone feels cold and lonely inside, like after jacking off over sub-mediocre Appreciation.

 

[A Y]

I’m calling it. New Vette comes out. All patriotic “car guys” get super-excited because this one is different and a real world-beater. We will talk about how good it looks and coo over the performance figures. And the interior: not bad!!!

Then the ****-yeah-America adrenaline wears off and everyone feels cold and lonely inside.

They've always been world beaters, even the base models. I applaud them for still following their basic formula and being so good at it, though the mid-engined config might change a few things, like not using a leaf spring anymore. The C7 exterior design is very good and distinctive: it's like the Cadillac art&science cylon aesthetic finding its apotheosis on an appropriate car. It's only the interior that lets it down. Corvette's race tech trickle-down is also one of the most direct of any car manufacturer too.

 

[Spats]

This is possibly the most wrong statement yet uttered in this thread.

Maybe you've never heard a real V8. I only have one, anymore, a Caddy 500 incher. That "flat plane" crank is just for the sound, and it's the wrong sound. A V8 should rumble, not howl like an imitation Ferrari, then tuned inside some plastic boxes for maximum annoyance factor.

 

[Piobaire]

If you've got a 'Vette supercar with a ****** interior can't you just spend another 20-30k getting custom work done on it?