Any other car guys here?

[MIDAD]

I just sold my '73 Corvette and bought a '87 Grand National (more of a "family" car)....still don't have much time to drive it though :roll: ...anyone else in that same boat?

[kidswriter71]

Not really a car guy myself, but my 12 year old daughter would be envious of that 'Vette. Every time she sees one she goes nuts. She says that's what she's going to drive when she gets her license. My response to that is; she better get good grades, go to college, and not get pregnant.

There was an orange '63 Stingray down the road from me when I was a kid. I always wanted that car, except I'd have changed the color.

[benj]

While on holidays, I hired a Jeep Cherokee limited with electric everything...
The greatest 'toy' joy was the GPS navigation system...
Has anyone had a chance to play with a GPS?...It's a must on your next holiday...too cool...

This puppy was accurate within twenty yards...and counted down the next turn (in a sexy female voice..so we'd pay attention) from 900 yards...

This will overcome our one small flaw and make us 'males' the superior driving beings...for we'll never have to ask for instructions again...

Final note...I could even operate the gps and radio from the Cherokee steering wheel...Complete control of the radio...driving bliss!

[Jackson's Dad]

I had a '67 Mustang (coupe, 287) for a while. What fun! The best was when I took it on a trip from San Francisco to Santa Barbara, half of which was on Route 1 (that awesome road that hugs the coast).

I finally gave it up. While I love and appreciate old cars, wow, they need constant care and skill to keep going. (And my house, my computer and my cameras already take enough of my free time...when I have any.)

[tt3]

I had a 88 Ford escort that I ...

:oops:

nevermind

[dad of 2]

I had to get rid of my 3rd generation RX-7 green chrome wheels... two seater :shock:

If you dont know the vehicle. A lot of people dont. Think of vin diesles red car in the fast and the furious.

Oh, I miss that car so bad! :cry:

[SAHF]

No...I have trucks!

[jeffus]

Can't tell you how many hours I spent under a car in college. Just trying to keep the beater rolling. Changed a clutch, rear differential, mufflers, packing wheel bearings, etc. No matter how bad the car was it didn't matter cause I'd install a nice stereo. See now when it made a strange noise, I'd just turn up the volume - problem fixed!

After college, I picked up one of those economy cars but at least it was new. But that was just a stepping stone to the '89 Formula Firebird 350 (5.7Liter). Can you say acceleration? 9" wide ZR50 tires (super gummy, sticky tires), T-top, "arrest-me" red paint. Cornered like it was on rails. I actually hurt myself making a super-fast 90 degree turn. I had to stop and check the car cause I thought I broke it when I turned so fast.

This thing would pass anything except a gas station. It got about 8 MPG.

Problem with a car like that is there's no place to use all that power. Sure I got a few tickets - but I was lucky no one saw me going 130 with my hair on fire. There's nothing like the throaty rumble of a big V8.

If you're into it for the appearance factor, you'll spend way too much time washing & waxing it. I did.

Performance-wise you always having to tune it up. And the suspension was so tight, you always bring it back to the shop for re-alignment.

I had a love-hate relationship with this car. Spent so much time fixing it, waxing it, filling it. I traded it in after 3 years for a Honda Accord EX 2 Door Coupe. Almost as fast (well, pretty fast), great reliability, mileage and much more practical. I had that car until my daughter was born and reluctantly gave it up for the 'family truckster" - an '02 Toyota Highlander all wheel drive.

I actually took the Highlander "Off Roading" last weekend with a bunch of guys and I have to say it did a very respectable job 'messing in the mud'. It's great in the snow too, and it carries a ton of toys and baby gear. I caught myself eyeing a Toyota Sienna Minivan and figuring out how many toys I can fit in there and realized that I should probably just shoot myself now....Somebody stop me before I end up in a Buick Roadmaster ....

[jeffus]

And that Grand National...

isn't that like THE fastest production car ever made? It's supposed to go a lot faster as the air temp drops. Colder air = denser air means more air goes in and a more power comes out.

It has a ceramic turbine for the turbocharger doesn't it? Was that the V6 3.8 Liter? What's the horsepower and torque ratings?

My brother-in-law has one that no one's allowed to touch. We get to look at it every now and then.

I don't think they made a lot of those but they always ssem to grab my attention. I wanted one. See, there I go again about Buicks! Somebody help me!

[RIPSAW CHOPPER]

The Grand National was the fastest production car in 87,but the viper is the fastest now with over 700 hp in rt something moldel.I my self like the old hot rods the 23 coupes,t-buckets,the old pickup truck 32 fords etc. I have a custom 65 Impala ss that I finish in 96. custom everything,from the body to the carpet on the floor.It has a 502 chevy bb with 780hp and 690fp of tork.It runs 9.48 in a 1/4 mile on pump gas.and the car is street leagal.it is a first place winner at every show I go to.I also have a Ford 1955 F-100 pickup with a blown 429 that I have to finish. My wife has a 1970 K5 Blazer all jacked up with a suspension and body lift big mudder tires it is pretty cool I have to finish that as well. 8)

[Jackson's Dad]

When I sold my Mustang, I got into a conversation with a classic car dealer. His personal car? A Volvo. He explained that after dealing with all the repairs and tune-ups and other maintainence issues all day, he wanted something that actually started every time you turned the key!

Yeah, for a few years there I had my Mustang and a Jeep. Then I realized that I rarely drove the Mustang (after it left me stranded too many times) and I never took the Jeep offroad. Sigh. So I got a Subaru WRX. Fun. And it has working parts... LOVE that.

[MIDAD]

The Grand National was the fastest car in 87...around 14 seconds or less in the quarter mile stock...they were rated at 245 horse power (very underated due to the fact it had more horsepower than the Corvette and Chevy said that is a no-no)..Buick was forced to retire it after it had faster times than the flagship Corvette...I have had a 68 Charger, and the 73 Corvette, neither of the cars would hold a candle to this six cylinder turbo...and with $1500 worth of add-on parts, these cars can easily obtain 11 second quarter miles....while getting 25 mpg! POwer windows, locks, digital dash...looks like a Grandpa car...I bought it fron a GM engineer...car has been sitting in his garage for 10 years and only has 33,000 miles on it. I plan on keeping it all original for resale purposes..kind of like a Corvette..once you modify it, the resale value suffers.

[EX Race Driver]

First car: 1975 Toyota Corolla traded that on a 1987 Ford Escort into wich I invested over $20,000 after I paid for it. It was FULLY customized from the Red's "floating" hydrolic suspension to the Ford Taurus SHO v6. After I totaled it I bought another Escort to swap everything onto (never happened). I hated that POJ. Went through several junkers until I ran across a 1972 Olds Cutlass...Put alot of work into it, got married to the first wife and parked it after the tranny went out. When we split she sold it for $100 to a buddy of mine, I could have killed her. That car was worth ALOT more than that. After that I had never really had anything I especially liked until I got into racing.

After I got into racing I kind of went crazy with the race cars. I have owned: 1969 Chevy Nova Super Stock V8 (Dirt)
Mid '80s Mustang Modified Four Cylinder (Dirt)
Several Dirt Late Models including chassis' by GRT, MastersBuilt, TNT, Jigalo and several "clones" of other top builders...

My next project will be a street legal Dirt Late Model.

I currently drive a customized Saturn SL-1 that is currently for sale......

[jeffus]

Remember that Toyota Sienna Mini-van? Well, I'm driving it! And, sorry to say, I'm liking it!

Well something went wrong with the 4WD Highlander. "Check Engine" light came on. Spent the entire afternoon with my daughter endlessly checking out the new cars while they couldn't diagnose the problem. I saw them tearing it apart and knew this wasn't going well. After a fairly monumental melt-down in front of all the customers and management (by my daughter - I was close behind), they decided to give us a loaner.

Seating for 8. Room for lots of toys. Digital compass. Ugh-Ugh Me Like very much. Might buy. How much wampum to make swap?

Highlander's in the hospital until the big boys at Toyota figure out the problem (they've never seen one before - they don't know how to handle it). They're on the horn to Tokyo and will get back to me. Meanwhile I got this super family truckster. I like it. Boy, if all my high-school friends could see me now, they'd really rip me a new one!

Yeah, I'm a Dad!

[tt3]

I knew our Pontiac Montana was for me when I was able to not only pack for a toddler and pregant wife for a week away from home, but haul 4x8ft sheetrock from the store. Who cares if my knees were at my chin, fact is, I can do it! That, and on another trip a back door and screen door.
I will still get my pickup when I get to midage crisis time, but for now, its fun smokin' those damn kids at the lights with a minivan! :lol: I refrain myself at 9 over, and let them tear past all pissed off cuz I beat them off the line! :twisted:

[jeffus]

The Highlander is great. Fit most of the bathroom in there with the kid and wife (had the shower enclosure on the luggage rack) but the mini-van just has wads of room.

I'm torn. Love the 4 wheel capability of the highlander. Love the cavernous space and all the amenities of the Mini-van. Don't like the idea of bigger car payment bills though. But it's nice....I'm beginning to see the appeal.

I need to be killed now.....I'm spending too much thought on this. Stop me before I end up in a Buick Roadmaster!!!!

[Weston]

Don't feel bad Jef

Right now I drive a Dodge Ram 4x4 extended cab with offroad 33 inch tires. (Gas Guzzler!). Love the truck and works out great when we go to the beach, but other than that the convenience isn't there.

So we're going back and forth between the Toyota Siena ( seems to be the best for the money in mini-van market) and the Honda Pilot - really love the Pilot. But like you said trading up would mean a bigger payment.

If we pay the truck off before getting another vehicle we'll keep the truck and get the mini-van too (that way we'll still have four wheel drive) but if we decide we need more room before we can pay the truck off, we'll have to get rid of it and get the Pilot. Don't really have to have four wheel drive but it is nice to have when you need it!

[tt3]

Many of the minivan models have all wheel drive options. We've been able to get around decently with out it by having good tires. With 100+ inches of snow annually and some big hills, thats saying something.

[tt3]

We were visiting SC when they got maybe a half inch, it was hilarious watching people driving in it! We stayed off the roads because everyone was driving like idiots. I swear, two of three cars we saw during our visit had dents and dings, even the newest...
Insurance companies must love it.

[Weston]

Yeah, I'll admit it, we don't know how to drive in the snow here in the south. :roll:

But in our defense, we get a lot more sleet and ice here than snow. Much harder to drive in.

[EX Race Driver]

It's always fun to watch all the idiots trying to drive in the snow around here. They are slipping and sliding, meanwhile I just drive right on by in the Dodge Dynasty while I get dirty and confused looks.

[Weston]

Not fair!

You've had more practice in extreme driving conditions!
:lol:

[EX Race Driver]

Yea running 150+ mph on red clay mud would be considered an extreme driving condition wouldnt it?

That stuff is slick as if not slicker than any black ice you will ever come across..

I like hanging the curves sideways in a rear wheel drive car just to see the looks I get from the guys in the ditch.

[MIDAD]

We are getting ready to send our 2001 Chrysler Town and Country back to the lease company, and just leased a 2005...unbelievable the difference...the "stow and go" seats are worth their weight in gold..and this one has a DVD player in it for the kids...we can actually go for a ride without ANY fighting (again-priceless)...my Dad is a retiree from Chrysler and I leased it for $700 down and $199 a month...couldn't really pass it up, although insurance is a bit higher this is without a doubt the best vehicle for a family (in my opinion) that you can get..not to mention with the 3.8 liter in it, a black patch at the green light is no problem :D
all with 25-30 mpg...

[tt3]

I keep telling my wife, if we ever get another minivan, stow and go is the only feature I will demand. That usually comes after having to take out one of the dang seats.... :lol:
They've come a long way from the early versions, and the seats are lighter, but man, still sucks.
No one expects a minivan to haul ass, its fun to do once in a while! 8)

[Weston]

"stow and go" seating sounds like a great feature, but doesn't it really jack the price up?

[tt3]

Probably, but I figure by the time we need and can afford another minivan, they'll be common features, like a radio.
:lol:

[MIDAD]

Actually, I think the stow and go comes standard on the long wheelbase van...they sticker in the lower to mid 20's I believe...not bad compared to Ford's Freestar. The best part is when the seats are not "stowed", the compartments that hold them are storage bins that can hold 48 cans of beer each (per the salesman 8) )...and they are made of plastic if you want to add ice :D

[Weston]

SOLD!!!!

=D>

[EX Race Driver]

I'm still waiting on GRT to come out with a spot for Alex's carseat in their Late Model chassis....It would have to be in thr RR area of the car above the center line for correct roll over....But I think it might just be possible....


:roll: :shock: :lol:

[jeffus]

So I get a call late today....Highlander's fixed.

Voice on phone: Do you live in a wooded area? Yup. Do you have chipmunks around? Yup. There's one in my backyard. See him all the time. Dog loves chasing him.

Well, when the tech removed your gas tank to replace the vaccuum sensor, he found a nest on top of it. Little bugger used the vaccuum hose and pigtail for building materials!

Now all this seemed pretty funny until they said it would still be covered under warantee. Then it was just plain hilarious! :lol:

So the '05 Sienna goes back tomorrow and I get the 'munk-mobile' back.

Was working on the wife last couple of days - You know hon, I really like this, Hey its only 26k, let me tell you bout all the gizmos. Nudge, nudge. She was unimpressed.

Does anybody know a good exterminator?

[tt3]

I hear they make a good, simple to use, yet incredibly dangerous lead based method for extermination... usually in a number of types and sizes, though, for your use, I would recommend .22 :twisted:
Probably not recommended in front of your little girl though.


Sorry, I couldn't resist! Glad the warrenty covered the repairs. Its a wonder they didn't wiggle out of it. "The expressly written warranty says nothing about rodentia vandalism, I'm sorry sir, you need to cover it"
:roll:

[jeffus]

Can you imagine what 2 techs working on it for 3 days would've cost?

Anyhow, I think generated some good buzz for Toyota here and even my Dad wants one now (he got to see it today). And I'm still seriously considering the swap, so I don't think they lost out any.

And after the hell they put me and Audrey through (waiting 4 hours before letting me know what's going on), they seemed to have made it right with the loaner and honoring the warrantee (I'm impressed as well that they didn't try to snake out of it. I mean "Sorry Sir we don't cover chipmunks" is probably an acceptable response here.)

So maybe I will go for the Sienna. I was a Honda man before this. Little worried I might have made a bad choice with a Toyota but after recent developments - I'm impressed.

[jeffus]

And yeah, I want to get a gun. Wife won't let me. No way, no how. I got 15 squirrels tearing up the backyard. Tried trapping and releasing far away from here - didn't work. More move in.

I was thinking of crucifying one for all to see as an example and putting up a "This is a squirrel-free zone" sign. Most people think they can't read..They're smart. Real smart. Don't be fooled....

[tt3]

I'm sure Rem can pitch in with this too, but I have no problems having guns in the same house as my child(ren) (second one's not born yet)
I grew up around guns and learned how to respect their use, demystified and understood the respect that they need to be given. Fact is, they are still a tool.
You can cut an arm off with the circular saw in the garage, too, but its not villified.
oops, now I really need to go to bed, I'm pulling out a soapbox, even.
Cheers

[jeffus]

I'm pretty much fine with any gun that isn't pointed at me....

I live in NJ - they only let gangsters and criminals have guns here.

Besides the neighborhood is a little tight to be squeezing off a few rounds. Its fine in downtown Baghdad, but its generally frowned upon here.....

[tt3]

Yeah, thats all thats stopping me from bumping a few rabbits into oblivion. City life.
It does make for good conversation and evil chuckling though!