General Auto Chat

Discussion in 'Cars, Motorcycles, Boats, Airplanes Talk' started by Maxvla, Sep 26, 2015.

  1. Kernel Kurtz

    Kernel Kurtz Friend

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    That's interesting. I'm curious what made it more fun, just the torque?

    I think going up and down through the gears is what I would miss most.
     
  2. HAL9000

    HAL9000 Almost "Made"

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    You got it! Instant, throw you back in the seat, torque whenever you wanted it, at any RPM, and at the same time very controllable. No need to keep the thing at 6K RPM to have fun. The other thing that was fun was the regenerative breaking. When you lifted off the accelerator pedal, the regen would cause so much braking that Tesla decided to turn on the brake lights. You could take a spirited drive through twisty mountain roads without need for touching the brake pedal. That is, if there was no one in front of you. I, like you, am a manual die hard, but somehow the aforementioned features compensated for the lack of a stick.
     
  3. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    That sounds like lifting off the accelerator pedal while driving the Jeep Wrangler at 75mph. (Jeep has box aero).
     
  4. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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  5. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    How cow. That's insane. I love the '68 Charger - with those long overhangs - in black please.

    The thing I'm not a big fan of with the concept are the added wheel flares. The lines of the unmodded body look way better.
     
  6. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    Couldn't agree more. I'm ok with the pro touring look but I prefer unmolested classics with OEM steelies and hubcaps with some big meat tires. Here's my buddies 66 on the Charger 50th anniversary parade 2 years ago:

    [​IMG]
     
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Indeed, it's easy for us to forget how powerful even the 5.7l motor was just a few years ago given how crazy the horsepower wars are now. At least the cars are way safer now with electronic aids, better suspension, and better chassis. The Fox platform 5.0 Mustangs in the 80s, even with 215hp (up to 275hp with heads and headers) were flat out dangerous. That solid rear axle needed the police heavy duty upper links, a Panhard rod, and a torque bar under the differential case. Without those band-aids, if you lifted while the rear was breaking loose, the suspension would bind and you'd snap back the other way violently. Did this a few times and that was enough. A least two guys I knew with 5.0s broke their axles by snapping into curbs. Even after all the band-aids, it was still not confidence inspiring.

    LOL, I just realized that your car has the same chassis, just different outside sheet metal and nicer interior. Anyway, I'm amazed this platform has been around so long, 20 years with a few tweaks and here. To be honest, I was most attracted to the 485HP and the interior room without looking much at the chassis and rear suspension. I had just assumed that since Dodge was a "less respectable" brand, they'd throw in a solid axle and I'd eventually have to worry about upgrades. To my surprise, I got an IRS with limited slip. Those things so much improve safety. As I've slowly become more accustomed to the driving dynamics (this isn't like my 200HP BRZ with low center-of-gravity and 1800 fewer lbs, which can basically be floored all the time and tossed in any direction), I'm really appreciating its behavior at the limits - predictable and correctable. In slippery conditions, the rear can get squiggly and take some time to plant, but squigglies are constrained within certain limits. It's still a boat though that doesn't want to turn, the fact that it can do some of the things it can while being the size of my father's Oldsmobile is amazing. I guess Daimler did leave Chrysler with a few good things. (I'm still not exactly clear how this chassis is related to the E-class back in that day).

    On that note, I present this:

    I recorded this with the built-in microphone on my Pixel 2 XL phone. No dynamic range compression (other than if phone applied - the waveforms had plenty of headroom - so might not be any), therefore it's going to sound soft if you do not TURN UP THE VOLUME. The gain had to be lowered in order to apply EQ without clipping. I measured the bass roll-off of the Pixel 2 microphone and applied inverse EQ to the audio. Most YouTube exhaust videos don't really capture the physical presence of these motors. Use with headphones or better yet, speakers, that extend to down to 25Hz without roll-off. Somewhere down the line, I'll do the same with a better quality microphone, pre, and real A-D converter.

     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2018
  8. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    That sounds great. The one thing I dislike about my 300 is the quiet exhaust. I have an airhammer intake that is like a giant horn for my intake noise, so it sounds awesome at WOT but it's wimpy on start and idle. It's probably why I drive it so hard. I might set up the tripod today to get a recording of it.

    I think people underestimate the cars because of their size. I would whip around 15 roundabouts each way to work and the car always felt planted unless it was wet outside.

    I love all the fancy stuff they were doing back then thanks to Daimler, so it has all sorts of options that most cars still don't have today, let alone in 05. My favorite being the rain sensing wipers, which were super rare for a 05 vehicle, and are still rare these days (you don't realize how awesome they are until you don't have them). Another being the fully motorized seats and steering wheel, automatically adjusting for the driver to a saved setting based on which key is used, or by pressing a button on the door. And because it doesn't have a backup camera (thankfully because I despise touch screen radios) the side mirrors tilt down when you reverse, and it has proximity sensors with an LED indicator above the back window so you can see it in the mirror.

    IIRC the early cars used some Mercedes suspension parts and the NAG1 trans for the Hemi's, along with some interior electronics. After all the redesigns I doubt there are many parts from a 2019 300c that are the same as a 2005. All of the suspension and drivetrain is different, the interior is completely different (and smaller, my mother's 2017 actually feels cramped inside compared to my 05), and the exterior facias are different. Basically the only thing they have in common is the platform itself.
     
  9. Kernel Kurtz

    Kernel Kurtz Friend

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    5.0s were my thing growing up. Had a '79, an '85 (Merc Capri, but same thing), and an '89. I hear you about handling. Mine were all heavily modified, engines, brakes and suspension, and huge improvements were possible, but I'm happy to see how far the tech has come on the modern pony cars, or cars in general for that matter. Independent rear suspension, 4 wheel discs, and OHC motors were all things I could only dream of back in the day (my 89 had EFI, and I considered that a big change).
     
  10. loki993

    loki993 Facebook Friend

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    Hellephant..awesome.

    The 1968 Charger is hands down my favorite car of all time..That classic charger look and then those round tail lights out back, dont know there's just something about those cars. If they weren't so damn expensive I would own one....So I have to agree that concept has me conflicted...on on hand it does look truly badass..but on the other it takes things a touch too far and yes I think the fender flares look a bit out of place, that car just doesn't need them. I know they were trying to do the whole demon thing with it and the definitely nailed the look they were going for. If it were me though Id dump the flares, the rest of it though sure.
     
  11. LVF1

    LVF1 New

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    I just placed an order for my hopefully "last car" a few weeks ago. I've said it a few times, but this time I really mean it as it looks like I'll have to get married or lose my girlfriend and we want to get a nice contemporary style 1 story home (mainly her choice as I'm going to miss having a loft), but I guess it's ok as I'm getting older and if this is the house I die in, I'm sure I'll be hating stairs in 15 to 20 years plus the floor plan option allows me to have a 5 car garage over a 3 car garage and a casita. I kinda want a casita to use as an office/listening room/get away from everyone space, but we have 5 cars between the both of us and I hate parking 2 of our cars outside where there's been reports of kids breaking into cars parked in the driveway or outside on the street outside of the home.

    Would you guys downsize the amount of cars for a nice private space that I could use for myself? None of our parents would move in so the space would be mine. It's like a nice studio size with it's own full bath and half kitchen. I guess it's like a hotel room. Or have the builder spec it out as a 2 car garage? I could and probably should get rid of 2 cars to finance this house too as it's a bit of a step up from our current home and I'm not as aggressive with acquiring new clients as I should because of chronic pain issues.

    Like most here I also owned a '85 Mustang GT 5.0L. Worst car ever. I replaced almost every major part on that car twice except for the rear end which I only had to change once. I must have paid for that car multiple times with all of the repairs. I'l only buy German and Japanese from now on. I haven't had any issues with Porsche or Toyota yet, but I know I'll be feeling the pain when something does break.

    My former neighbor owns a heavily modified Mustang and because of his connections, we got to race each other with the agreement not to go all out at the track that is used for those hyper car rentals here in Las Vegas and I killed him only because it has a lot of turns and is a smaller track with only 2 straightaways. He's a singer in a well known band. And no I don't live in a golf course community or anything like that. It's a normal 400 to 500k subdivision in a master planned neighborhood. I have no idea why he even lived in this regular community when he could surely own a $10M home. He's getting a divorced and moved to LA, but still comes back to the house when he's in town. No one believes me when I tell friends who lives a few houses away from me. Nice guy even though I'm not into their music.
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2018
  12. Gruss Gott

    Gruss Gott Almost "Made"

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    We used to have 2 cars and a suburban for the two of us.

    Then I remembered cars are giant hunks of metal, mostly powered by explosions from goo that has to be dug up and refined, and that sit idle in your driveway 95% of the time. Not really the more efficient use of my $$.

    So we majorly downsized, moved into an apartment (no more home ownership!), and now we only have one car which I mostly only use for canyon sport driving. If we take a roadtrip we rent a car, if I need a truck I rent it, if I track drive I rent, if I need to go anywhere where parking is even a question (or I'm going to be having a few) I Lyft.

    So my biased advice is, figure out your all-in car cost/use (acquisition, storage-sq ft, maintenance, fuel, etc) - it'll probably be a lot more than you think it's worth. As an example, my car's cost / use is about $40, meaning every time I get in it costs me about $40. I'd probably pay more.

    With my 3 cars it was about $95 - not worth that.
     
  13. LVF1

    LVF1 New

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    I've been thinking of someday downsizing since I'm semi retired, but with a possible move to another home, I'd like to cut the payments as low as possible which could mean cutting out 2 cars. I can cut out the work car and the truck and if we ever needed a truck to bring home a tv or furniture I could always rent one. Which leaves me with my two weekend cars, one that can be used everyday, but can't use for work purposes if I have clients. I guess if I do take on new clients that I must drive around I could use her car and she could take one of my other cars to work. I'm kinda enjoying my midlife crisis car period right now. I waited a long time to get to the point where I could get something nice and then I got kinda lucky with work for awhile so I went overboard since I have no kids. I pay cash for my cars so I don't have ongoing expenses other than insurance and other fees. I'd like to quit working altogether, but I don't think I can do that unless I start some other business like a high end detailing business that I think could work here as the detailers here aren't targeting that customer base. I could actually cut out 3 cars if I cancel my order. I might just lose my deposit money, but going to the track every week for a few hours really helps me out mentally. After my accident, I got depressed because I have chronic pain and driving on a track is an outlet for me even though it does put more stress on my shoulders and neck muscles.

    The condos here are terrible except for the high rise condos and those are way more expensive than homes. We like to do bulk shopping and we enjoy having a garage for unloading groceries way too much. In Hawaii, it's not as bad as there are condos for all price ranges if we ever decided to move back, but it's doubtful as I like the cost of living in Las Vegas way too much and taxes are friendly for the elderly which I'll be before I know it.
     
  14. Gruss Gott

    Gruss Gott Almost "Made"

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    Most states require deposits to be fully refundable, not sure about NV - my guess would be it'd be no problem to get back.

    For what it's worth, I only lease as it ties up as little of my money as possible, especially for a car. Of course this depends on the lease deals, but if you get a decent one, the lease allows you exclusive use of the car, the exclusive right to purchase the car at any time, and no financial risk that the market crashes (or the car's value drops due to a car crash!). Controversial, I know.

    As for home ownership, this is purely speculative, but my guess is we're almost ready for the next market crash (probably due to emerging markets - maybe Turkey). That COULD mean housing prices will fall, maybe a lot ... and maybe for a long time. So I personally wouldn't consider buying a home now unless I knew I was comfortable there, and with the payments or value, for 10 years.

    There's a fed chart called the T10Y2Y (t-bills), and every time it's crossed zero for the last 50 years we're had a recession - it's pretty close to zero right now, but hovering, which looks a lot like the 90s where we had a small crash but ... who knows. Anyway, that's why I won't be buying real estate any time soon - don't want to be tied down, and why I lease.

    Here's the chart for anyone who cares (grey is recession):

    [​IMG]
     
  15. LVF1

    LVF1 New

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    I'm in the luxury home real estate business and could see a bubble happening here as Chinese cash investors and Cali cash relocation buyers have priced out most of the regular locals.

    My point of view is somewhat skewed because I lived in Miami for college and in Hawaii for the rest of my life and still keep in touch with friends and family and the average home there is in the 700s and it doesn't get you much.

    Friends and family that visit us always say that this home in Hawaii is way over a million dollars and it's just a regular cookie cutter tract home. 600k here gets a really nice home in a really good area by comparison. We paid 190k as it was a short sale home and now its roughly worth 450k so if we sell and I minus 2 or 3 cars, our mortgage will be small at least to me.

    If I just kept the daily driver 911 and didn't have a track car, the new house could be paid for in full then any other future income could go to my sad retirement fund.

    But with my chronic pain condition I often feel depressed and going to the track is one of the few things in life that makes me happy which I'd why I do it. I stay home most of the time other than going to pahrump to get my kicks at the track. So I don't think sensibly sometimes because not many things can get me out of the house and it gets me out of my funk. I also can't get meds to make me happy because of all of the pain meds I take which is more important because with it, I'd never get out of bed. I'd like to be more responsible financially, but there's just something things that I can't put a price tag on such as my physical and mental health.

    I used to be able to justify owning 4 cars, but since I have a hard time being motivated to work unless it's a referral that falls into my lap, I really should sell the truck and the work car. Then maybe we can go for the casita option and I can have my own personal space.
     
  16. mitochondrium

    mitochondrium Friend

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    For want of a better place I ask here.

    Next year I will probably visit the States and rent a car. I am tempted to get at least for one week an real American car (for me that could be a Dodge Charger or a Dodge Ram). I could not figure out how much that would set me back for one week. The other thing is the car needs to afford space for three people and their bagage. Propositions what would be a fun car to drive for one week welome should be something not available for rental in Europe.
     
  17. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    It all depends on if they have such a car available. You would have to call around a day or two before you arrive to get any kind of guarantee of vehicle type. If your third passenger is an adult you will want to skip Camaro, Mustang and Challenger, as the backseats are way too small. Renting a full size truck is very expensive, although a Silverado/Sierra, Ram, or F150 will be very American. Your best bet is to find a Charger RT to rent with a Hemi for a proper American car experience. The trunk is also pretty big so you can probably fit all your luggage.

    The Charger isn't built in the USA, it's built in Brampton Ontario, Canada and the Hemi's are built at the Saltillo Engine plant in Mexico. Both of those are in North America so I still count it. ;)
     
  18. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    Not a "car", but a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (4 door) is a fun drive and would have the room you need. If the weather is nice you could easily remove the front sections of the hard top and enjoy the full experience. Made in Ohio.
     
  19. loki993

    loki993 Facebook Friend

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    Im a car guy..I love all things fast, I love 4x4s, diesel trucks, I even think lowriders are cool in their own way. That said if I could sell a car or two and be free and clear of a house payment for more or less the rest of my life Id do it in a second and not have a regret about it.

    It is financially stupid to go into further debt just to hold onto a depreciating asset or two. With the money you save being free and clear of the house you'll have another track car in no time. Or just track your DD, sure it won't be as capable and you'll have to keep up on tires and brakes and all that but again no house payment. Or get a cheaper track car, they can still be fun..just for the love of god dont get a Miata....70-80 percent of what you have now maybe..still fun...still makes you feel better..no house payment.

    this will sound harsh because it is but its meant that way because the decision is obvious

    financing that house is dumb...don't be dumb

    Put some money into your retirement you'll be old before you know it and you don't want to still have to work at 70 do you? I've seen it it's not pretty.

    Seriously you already know the right answer to your question...
     
  20. LVF1

    LVF1 New

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    I pay cash for all of our cars and the current house which was a steal during the short sale days and now it's worth slightly more than double. Downgrading to two cars for myself can easily pay to step up into the house we're looking at. But since I'm a realtor amd see lots of people making bad home decisions even when they disregard good advice, I dislike purchasing new homes as you overpay by a lot and I almost always recommend buying a used home. We have a few rental condos that are also paid off so I have passive income from that to not worry so much for retirement.

    Paying for upgrades up front and at higher prices than doing it on your own is also another reason I dislike new homes unless there's something that is really hard to get like a strip view, but I've had buyers that had to buy new because there was one or two things they had to have that they really couldn't find elsewhere and had the financial ability to pay new home prices. I'd only consider a new home if it's the same floorplan that we want and the home is standing inventory with all upgrades paid for by the buyer that didn't follow through on the purchase. Most builders will sell the house at base price and throw in lots of buyer incentives as well as realtor incentives as high as 7% on these homes and if I like the upgrades chosen. If like to wait another year and see if any homes in that subdivision that she likes gets any resell homes as maybe someone has to sell.

    Also, I suffer from horrible chronic pain and have depression and cars is one of the few things that I enjoy. Its one of the few things that gets me out of the house. Whether it's cars and coffee on Saturday or the track on Wednesday or Sunday, or a PCA meet and drive for a few hours, I don't do anything other than stay home and be on the computer emailing clients which doesnt take very much time and listening to music and watching TV. I know I don't need this many cars, but cars is something that keeps me sane. Even without selling off a car or two, we'd be carrying no more than 300k in a mortgage. I know a lot of people in Hawaii carrying 700k to over a million on smaller homes and paying 25k per kid per year for private school. I have it way better than my friends. The only reason to upgrade is for a single story floorplan as we get older it'll be easier on our bodies. I think my girlfriend got the thought of buying a single story home because her father recently needed to replace two knees. I don't need a contemporary looking home, but it's something my girlfriend wants and we're not leaving Las Vegas so if we do this, it'll be the last time I need to buy. For sure I can sell one car now. Maybe two, but if I have business, then I'd need to use her car as the two cars I'd keep are basically 2 seaters.
     
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2018

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