Car enthusiasts?

[Guest UnabashedUser]

This isn't me or my truck (which is much newer) but it could be...I do live in Texas.

[Sophie 24,410]

On 1/28/2021 at 12:05 PM, Kupar said:

@Sophie may confirm that one of the best modifications you can make is to the driver 😉  

Definitely! People are so quick to make the car go faster (or ruin it by lowering it to the ground with stupidly stiff suspension and bolting on a huge turbo that lags like crazy) when they aren't even close to pushing the car to it's limit. A well trained driver would run rings around them in the stock car compared to their "upgraded" one. It isn't all about speed either, proper training can make you a better driver, more observant, safer, more in control of your vehicle.

I am a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) which requires me to pass an advance driving test, the techniques are based on the UK police driving manual and the examiners are currently serving or retired police officers.I am also a member of RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders (RoADAR), which requires me to be tested every three years. What I learned from these two courses I cannot praise enough. I am more observant than I ever was when I first passed my test and I feel I have full control of my car even at 30mph.

If you have the opportunity for driver training, take it!

I had to do a commentary during my test which is scary as hell but so much fun. Here's an example

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvXbmR1Rjv0

[Kupar 13,339]

8 minutes ago, Sophie said:

Definitely! People are so quick to make the car go faster (or ruin it by lowering it to the ground with stupidly stiff suspension and bolting on a huge turbo that lags like crazy) when they aren't even close to pushing the car to it's limit. A well trained driver would run rings around them in the stock car compared to their "upgraded" one. It isn't all about speed either, proper training can make you a better driver, more observant, safer, more in control of your vehicle.

I am a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) which requires me to pass an advance driving test, the techniques are based on the UK police driving manual and the examiners are currently serving or retired police officers.I am also a member of RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders (RoADAR), which requires me to be tested every three years. What I learned from these two courses I cannot praise enough. I am more observant than I ever was when I first passed my test and I feel I have full control of my car even at 30mph.

If you have the opportunity for driver training, take it!

I had to do a commentary during my test which is scary as hell but so much fun. Here's an example

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvXbmR1Rjv0

I had heard about having to do the commentary thing. It is interesting the things he mentions - every time he checks his mirror, and that there is a warning sign that he sees the back of - that sort of thing. I wouldn't have thought to do that. Thanks for posting the link!

[willinglywet 242]

Watching outside in the window and seeing 70 cm snow around everywhere make me think about upcoming spring and summer to get my summer classic back on the sunny roads again. Well still had to wait atleast 3 months to that moment and had to drive my lovely old boring daily driver since then.

Cant wait for summer..

[Kupar 13,339]

3 hours ago, willinglywet said:

Watching outside in the window and seeing 70 cm snow around everywhere make me think about upcoming spring and summer to get my summer classic back on the sunny roads again. Well still had to wait atleast 3 months to that moment and had to drive my lovely old boring daily driver since then.

Cant wait for summer..

Check your tyres before you go out 😉 

[willinglywet 242]

2 hours ago, Kupar said:

Check your tyres before you go out 😉 

I dont usually burn much rubber with my firebird, usually just cruising and enjoying the experience but had to do that couple of times in summer. I just have to add those pictures which i came across the internet while browsing cause those remind me of the upcoming driving season..

Edited February 14, 2021 by willinglywet

[Remi 1,034]

I love cars and basically everything that moves really. No matter if fast or slow. Each one has its soul. 

On 1/27/2021 at 7:47 PM, willinglywet said:

This a style of the car i own at the moment. Dont want post an actual picture for privacy reasons.

I have a soft spot for 80's cars. Especially F-Bodies and the Foxbody Mustang. I love the design and the vibe of those. Loves them ever since i've been a kid. In my perfect 10 car garage there would be at least one of those in it.

[willinglywet 242]

18 minutes ago, Remi said:

I love cars and basically everything that moves really. No matter if fast or slow. Each one has its soul. 

I have a soft spot for 80's cars. Especially F-Bodies and the Foxbody Mustang. I love the design and the vibe of those. Loves them ever since i've been a kid. In my perfect 10 car garage there would be at least one of those in it.

The 80´s were the worst time for the performance of the cars, specially for the U.S.A, they had to drop down the compression ratios for the engines and had to do a lot of things to cut out the emissions. This all led to signifigant loss of power of the engines but i love they still keep up producing those v8 engines. I mean the high end power might have gone but there is still quite a lot torque available in the lower range. And with a cam change and a better breathing these engines can be so much more powerfull atleast.

Edited February 14, 2021 by willinglywet

[Remi 1,034]

On 1/23/2021 at 3:36 PM, Kupar said:

If I were looking to change (I am not, at the moment) and thought I could get the idea past K (my wife, who is an excellent driver and who enjoys driving, but who considers a car to be purely functional) I thought I might see if I could stretch to an old Porsche Cayman or Audi TT Quattro, or failing that, a Toyota GT86. So those are the 'nearly realistic dream cars' for me right now

I like those very much and my favourite would be the GT86/BRZ. Really one of my highlights concerning modern cars. Light, RWD and preferably manual. With an NA engine which is also something special nowadays. This car is often heavily misunderstood though. And sadly a lot of manufacturers stopped building cars like that.

 

26 minutes ago, willinglywet said:

The 80´s were the worst time for the performance of the cars, specially for the U.S.A, they had to drop down the compression ratios for the engines and had to do a lot of things to cut out the emissions. This all led to signifigant loss of power of the engines but i love they still keep up producing those v8 engines. I mean the high end power might have gone but there is still quite a lot torque available in the lower range. And with a cam change and a better breathing these engines can be so much more powerfull atleast.

Performance wise the 80's were a tough environment indeed. Especially in the USA where the people were fed with much higher output numbers just some years prior. But i think the top range models with their roundabout 200 horses were good enough power wise especially in comparison to european and japanese cars of the same time period. And as you mentioned, they came with a V8 still which was a huge plus. 

Edited February 14, 2021 by Remi

[willinglywet 242]

3 minutes ago, Remi said:

I like those very much and my favourite would be the GT86/BRZ. Really one of my highlights concerning modern cars. Light, RWD and preferably manual. With an NA engine which is also something special nowadays. This car is often heavily misunderstood though. And sadly a lot of manufacturers stopped building cars like that.

Nice, those cars have an engine that i love. Proper high revving naturallly aspirated engine is the best, i use those in my race car and it is a joy to rev those up to 8.5 or 9 k..

[willinglywet 242]

17 minutes ago, Remi said:

I like those very much and my favourite would be the GT86/BRZ. Really one of my highlights concerning modern cars. Light, RWD and preferably manual. With an NA engine which is also something special nowadays. This car is often heavily misunderstood though. And sadly a lot of manufacturers stopped building cars like that.

 

Performance wise the 80's were a tough environment. Especially in the USA where the people were fed with much higher output numbers just some years prior. But i think the top range models with their roundabout 200 horses were good enough power wise especially in comparison to european and japanese cars of the same time period. And as you mentioned, they came with a V8 still which was a huge plus.

Yes i can agree with you about that the v8 is a huge plus and still in the 80´s they were nice performers.. the numbers may not be the best but the actual performance isnt that bad at all. But the sound and the low end grunt is the really nice. The europian cars didnt have much of the performance either by the time.

[Remi 1,034]

Just now, willinglywet said:

Yes i can agree with you about that the v8 is a huge plus and still in the 80´s they were nice performers.. the numbers may not be the best but the actual performance isnt that bad at all. But the sound and the low end grunt is the really nice. The europian cars didnt have much of the performance either by the time.

They were just different than european cars. Looked different. And i like it. I always had a special place in my heart for american cars. The first car magazine i bought at 12 was one about american cars. Here in germany those Fox and F - Bodies are quite rare in comparison though. I think the Firebird was the most common here. 

Yea they were in the same power range, E30 M3 started with 195hp for example. And that is also one of my all time favorites.

[gldenwetgoose 21,486]

I think we all agree that American and European cars have been designed with very different agendas for the last five or more decades.

Whilst the US industry were still bolting the same powerful V8s and auto transmissions into soft suspension muscle coupes, the European market were creating the hot hatch - building on rally and short twisty circuits with the Quattros, the Lancias, GTi's and RS Turbos.  Not just motivated by the twisty European roads and cities, but fuel efficiency and teasing performance out of small engines with the game changer of fuel injection.

 

.

Given the choice - I know which way I'd opt. 

[Remi 1,034]

On 2/14/2021 at 11:14 PM, gldenwetgoose said:

 

.

Given the choice - I know which way I'd opt. 

Some nice 80's legends in there. I couldn't decide really. Luckily i don't have to. All great cars but just adapted and optimised for their respective market. One thing is for sure, the French know how to build great hot hatches! But i also love that Escort, neat little car but still practical enough. 

 

On 2/15/2021 at 5:33 AM, p1ssputz said:

I definitely still prefer manuals, but one time I drove a rental car - a Nissan Altima, maybe a 2013 model or thereabouts, with a CVT engine - and it was sublime. 

I definitely prefer manual gearbox in everything. Since i don't drive something all that special performance wise its the shifting i get my fun out of (despite the bimmer handling). A nice downshift with a little rev match that i'm practicing and i'm happy. Just gives me a satisfaction feeling connected to the car.

But even in modern hot hatches the manual is being replaced too often. Ironically its the americans, known for automatics, who feed manual gearbox lovers some good stuff in the recent times. Not only did they bring out some manual V8 Sedans by themselves but also cars that weren't available with a manual in Europe like some Maserati and an M5 (E60 i think) got one as an option in the US market. So there is a demand, at least among some driving enthusiasts over there. And in europe they let the manuals die by either not offering them at all or making them not as good as they used to be.

[Remi 1,034]

On 2/17/2021 at 8:31 AM, p1ssputz said:

That's odd - the US isn't known for having any manual transmissions at all, so it's surprising to me that some models would be released with manuals here and not in the UK. From what I've always understood, automatics never caught on in the UK and you only drive a manual if you're a pensioner or if you don't have four limbs. That said, I suppose I'm thinking of a general car, not specifically a hot hatch or something designed for speed, which is more likely to have paddle shifters these days. But all of that runs counter to what I've understood - that automatics are almost ubiquitous in the US, while manuals are the norm in the UK.

Used to read american car mags as a kid and everytime i found a manual car for sale in those classified ads i was happy.

In germany its the same. Lots of manuals but the automatic transmissions are gaining popularity. Also because certain versions/ engines of models won't be offered with a manual. Which is sad.

Manual is still the standart though and basically everyone knows how to drive one. You do your (extensive and expensive) license on a manual car. If you choose to do an automatic license (which is also offered in lots of driving schools) you are only allowed to drive automatics.

Edited February 21, 2021 by Remi

[Yawyd 947]

On 1/22/2021 at 11:55 AM, willinglywet said:

I am a car guy and just thinking is there car enthusiast here? I have always being interested of cars and i have owned a few classic cars which i have been driving in the summer time. Cars i have owned most of them has been european starting at 71 vw beetle.. Now i have a american made car and i am just restoring it slowly as i will use it again in the next summer.

Here in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada I have just two vehicles at the moment one that I'm just itching to get back into. 1982 Ford Econoline 350 motorhome. My daily right now, 06 Ford F-150 4x4.

Edited February 24, 2021 by Yawyd

[willinglywet 242]

It is finally spring out here and i can happily announce that the driving season has officially started for myself. Couple of days ago i decided that now it is about time to take my f-body out of the carage since the weather was so nice and the roads are mostly dry and the snow has melted away, okay there is still snow in some places but not on the roads anyways.

It was such a nice feeling to cruise around while the sun is shining after more than half a year since i parked my classic in the carage for the winter. I was almost forget to how sweet sound that v8 makes and how great it is to drive around and enjoy the feeling. Offcourse i have drove around the winter time with my daily driver four banger but it is not the same thing as my fellow car mates know...but anyway life is good.

[Yawyd 947]

On 5/31/2021 at 12:29 AM, p1ssputz said:

Always loved the big old Econoline van lines. Not an RV person myself, but I definitely miss the age of the family man, before minivans became a thing. (Incidentally, minivans aren't mini anymore - they're huge! But they just aren't the same as the old models.) Always thought old vans were cool. And you could get them with options, like velvet interiors (or at least some really plush fabric) with curtains over the passenger windows, and stuff like that.

 

Old Cadillacs are really cool in my opinion. Don't know anything about them as cars, but always loved the look. Although the 1990s models make me think of old people from my church when I was young, they're still kind of cool. But the 80s models, well, hot damn. Don't know why I like them so much but I do.

I know what you mean. I just got a 04 Ford Excursion. It's like a beefed up station wagon.

[gldenwetgoose 21,486]

On 2/17/2021 at 7:31 AM, p1ssputz said:

That's odd - the US isn't known for having any manual transmissions at all, so it's surprising to me that some models would be released with manuals here and not in the UK. From what I've always understood, automatics never caught on in the UK and you only drive a manual if you're a pensioner or if you don't have four limbs. That said, I suppose I'm thinking of a general car, not specifically a hot hatch or something designed for speed, which is more likely to have paddle shifters these days. But all of that runs counter to what I've understood - that automatics are almost ubiquitous in the US, while manuals are the norm in the UK.

I think historically, and by that I mean back to the 70's - 90's,  the UK was pretty focussed around high fuel costs.  Tax has always been crippling on fuel in the UK and we don't have the vast straight open roads of much of the rest of the world.  Back at that sort of time most people worked relatively local and many people weren't commuting hours on motorways.  Automatics back then weren't electronically controlled of course, but were those hydraulic systems which typically were found with the bigger engined cars (and back then anything above 1600-1800cc was big).  I'm talking about the sort of auto boxes where you pretty much have to floor the pedal to start moving, and keep it floored to eventually reach the speed you want. You can hear the sound of precious petrol burning, but no change to your rate of motion. The average working class family man was perhaps hoping for 30+ mpg from his 1100cc car, whilst the middle and upper class in an auto 2200cc or even a Rover 3.5l may only be getting 15mpg (that's UK gallons too).

There is also the performance consideration too - everywhere around the world city driving is stop-start and an auto is of course a sensible choice.  Outside the city as I said above, a lot of our roads aren't straight constant speed.  Motorways are of course, but other than that roads are twisty, undulating, lots of speed changes. Apart from the really rural areas you'd seldom drive more than 10 minutes without slowing for a village or town.

Times are changing, more cars now are equipped with auto and semi auto, and the performance gap is almost non existent in acceleration performance and economy.  Even the non-paddle autos often have the gear selector that can be knocked sideways into a motorbike style sequential shifter.  There is a common driver perception though that driving a manual is more rewarding - man being in control of machine. That is also one of the arguments being thrown up against full electric vehicles too.

One final UK consideration is that auto cars are a completely different class of vehicle on our driving licences - so if you take your driving test in an automatic, you can only then drive an automatic car, whereas if you pass in a manual you can then drive both auto and manual.  So it's a bit of a self-perpetuating circle - the majority of cars are manual, the majority of drivers learn in a manual and then the majority of drivers carry on to drive manuals.   Not all of course, but more than half.  

[Mr Mercedes 47]

I'm a big car enthusiast. I got my 2013 mercedes ml350 and a 1971 boss 351 mustang. 

[Kupar 13,339]

On 2/14/2021 at 7:20 PM, Remi said:

I like those very much and my favourite would be the GT86/BRZ. Really one of my highlights concerning modern cars. Light, RWD and preferably manual. With an NA engine which is also something special nowadays. This car is often heavily misunderstood though. And sadly a lot of manufacturers stopped building cars like that.

Well ... as of this week I now have a GT86 (manual transmission of course!) that looks something like the one below (this isn't my car). So far, so good

🙂 <- that's the smile on my face while driving it lol.

Edited September 8, 2021 by Kupar
Added essential detail

[Sophie 24,410]

9 hours ago, Kupar said:

Well ... as of this week I now have a GT86 (manual transmission of course!) that looks something like the one below (this isn't my car). So far, so good

🙂 <- that's the smile on my face while driving it lol.

Awesome little beast!

[Kupar 13,339]

1 minute ago, Sophie said:

Awesome little beast!

Thank you 🙂.

Oh. I think you mean the car, don't you? 😉

[Sweets 4,517]

I’m not into the mechanical part of the car.  So I don’t know things like what horse power it has or all that stuff.  Since I first seen smokey and the bandit I’ve been into muscle cars.   The look and the speed.   This is my current car.  I finally got my purple charger.    My last one was garnet gray.  A dark gray.  I also owned a silver mustang.  I like the charger over the mustang.  Much more comfortable to drive.   My dream car has always been a 1971 hemi Cuda.    Purple of course.  

[Sweets 4,517]

This summer I went to Nashville on vacation.  We spend a day in Memphis at Grace land.   Omg the cars Elvis had.