godofcookery
Member
Ecoboost Mustang? Opinions?
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Automotive Discussion Thread | OT2 | Zero to pointless fighting faster than a GT86
- Thread starter AlphaSnake
- Start date
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Just had a 10 hour detail done on my M56S by an amazing detailer. Car looks wet. All swirls are gone. Some marring in the clear coat remains, but it's not noticeable unless you look at it using a really high strength light.
eh, I feel if you are gonna buy a Mustang, go GT or go home.
They should have made Ecoboost as the lightweight stripped down model.
LowEndTorque
Member
Slightly off topic but I just finished a Bi-xenon retrofit with LED DRL's on my daily driver and I'm pretty proud of the results.
The basic halogen lamps
Bi-xenon E46 projectors with ZKW-R clear lenses and high beam solenoid
COB LED's for the city lights
Morimoto elite D2S HID system with CANBUS
Headlights taken apart and ready to be blacked out with spray paint
Testing out the LEDs
The basic concept. At this point the headlights were still open and the lenses were off:
The first headlight fully reassembled and ready to go. I still haven't reassembled the second one yet:
A close up for some of the finer details:
A shot of the light on the car with the lights off:
With just the LED DRL's on.
With both the LEDs and the Xenons on. The bulbs hadn't warmed up yet so the color doesn't match in this shot:
Once the bulbs warmed up the color matched. They also match nicely with the LED fogs:
A very nice and clean beam pattern from the HID's
The basic halogen lamps
Bi-xenon E46 projectors with ZKW-R clear lenses and high beam solenoid
COB LED's for the city lights
Morimoto elite D2S HID system with CANBUS
Headlights taken apart and ready to be blacked out with spray paint
Testing out the LEDs
The basic concept. At this point the headlights were still open and the lenses were off:
The first headlight fully reassembled and ready to go. I still haven't reassembled the second one yet:
A close up for some of the finer details:
A shot of the light on the car with the lights off:
With just the LED DRL's on.
With both the LEDs and the Xenons on. The bulbs hadn't warmed up yet so the color doesn't match in this shot:
Once the bulbs warmed up the color matched. They also match nicely with the LED fogs:
A very nice and clean beam pattern from the HID's
LowEndTorque
Member
Thanks man. Did that project out of necessity. The halogen light output was complete shit and I couldnt see while driving at night to the point where it was dangerous. But once the headlights were cracked open it was a chance to have some fun with it and customize it a little.
m_shortpants
Member
Just bought a dirt cheap beater that's super rare, super reliable, and probably the most balanced, cheap DD in almost every way except one.
It violates my username
and what is this mystery vehicle?
GHG
Member
Guys I need some advice here.
We are currently looking at getting a car for my wife and she wants a compact/mid size SUV. She's currently renting a Ford Ecosport and is finding it to be the perfect size for her plus she loves the elevated position. Only problem she has with that car is that it lacks power/torque when driving on the highway so changing lane and overtaking requires a lot of (and sometimes an unsafe amount of) planning.
She test drove a nissan duke the other week but hated it so I'm sort listing some other cars for us to go and try. This is what I currently have:
Audi Q3/5
BMW X1/3
Mercedes GLK
Now all of those are German and hence a bit on the pricy side. I'm reluctant to put down too much money on what will essentially be a 2nd car for us that will only be used by her when I'm using the main car and on weekends.
Bearing in mind that the car needs to have a decent amount of power because where we live requires a lot of highway driving, are there any other cars I should be looking at for her?
We are currently looking at getting a car for my wife and she wants a compact/mid size SUV. She's currently renting a Ford Ecosport and is finding it to be the perfect size for her plus she loves the elevated position. Only problem she has with that car is that it lacks power/torque when driving on the highway so changing lane and overtaking requires a lot of (and sometimes an unsafe amount of) planning.
She test drove a nissan duke the other week but hated it so I'm sort listing some other cars for us to go and try. This is what I currently have:
Audi Q3/5
BMW X1/3
Mercedes GLK
Now all of those are German and hence a bit on the pricy side. I'm reluctant to put down too much money on what will essentially be a 2nd car for us that will only be used by her when I'm using the main car and on weekends.
Bearing in mind that the car needs to have a decent amount of power because where we live requires a lot of highway driving, are there any other cars I should be looking at for her?
GHG
Member
Ok thanks for the advice. I've heard this consistently across the range for Audis so might have to rule out the Q3 as well on this basis.
Not sure what the Q3 is like in real life. Autocar are fairly positive about it bar the climate control which looks to be taken from the old A3, or is at least quite similar to it.
Audi do have some very nice interiors in the likes of the A6 but some, like the Q5, need a drastic update.
TurtleSnatcher
Member
It's been almost 6 months with my Lotus Evora.
It is my daily driver and I still love it. There are a few things that I don't like but it takes some time getting use to...
1) The tires that came with the Lotus feel bald during cold weather. The rubber hasn't warmed up and just backing out of a parking spot makes it sound as if you are hurting the car while you turn the wheel and as if you are turning the most bald tires on pavement. Thankfully it goes away after a couple mins but it's as if I almost lose control backing out haha
2) The GPS/Head unit is the worst thing in the world. I don't even use the GPS. Never have and probably never will. Then again, most cars are like this.
3) No cupholders. Learned that about 1 month in the car and accidentally getting a combo (i didn't want a combo at a fast food drive through and not having a cup holder for the drink) I honestly had no idea it had no cup holders until then haha
4) It gets a bit too much attention. I sometimes feel like the biggest douchebag. It is yellow but it's also my daily driver. I've started zoning people out though which feels great. But a few weeks ago, I got stuck in some mall insanity traffic and we were crawling along a road where the opposite direction was just a few feet away from our side and the people on the other side kept gawking and I kept feeling incredibly self conscious. Obviously I knew this would be a thing when I got the car but sometimes I feel weird in it.
Other than that, I love the car. Sounds great, moves fast, handles like nothing else I have ever owned.
It is my daily driver and I still love it. There are a few things that I don't like but it takes some time getting use to...
1) The tires that came with the Lotus feel bald during cold weather. The rubber hasn't warmed up and just backing out of a parking spot makes it sound as if you are hurting the car while you turn the wheel and as if you are turning the most bald tires on pavement. Thankfully it goes away after a couple mins but it's as if I almost lose control backing out haha
2) The GPS/Head unit is the worst thing in the world. I don't even use the GPS. Never have and probably never will. Then again, most cars are like this.
3) No cupholders. Learned that about 1 month in the car and accidentally getting a combo (i didn't want a combo at a fast food drive through and not having a cup holder for the drink) I honestly had no idea it had no cup holders until then haha
4) It gets a bit too much attention. I sometimes feel like the biggest douchebag. It is yellow but it's also my daily driver. I've started zoning people out though which feels great. But a few weeks ago, I got stuck in some mall insanity traffic and we were crawling along a road where the opposite direction was just a few feet away from our side and the people on the other side kept gawking and I kept feeling incredibly self conscious. Obviously I knew this would be a thing when I got the car but sometimes I feel weird in it.
Other than that, I love the car. Sounds great, moves fast, handles like nothing else I have ever owned.
GHG
Member
It actually looks to be ok going from that review. Bear in mind she is currently karting it around in an ecosport (!) so most things will be an upgrade. Will definitely test drive one of those since all the engines across the range look to have decent torque.
Thanks. Only thing with the GLK is that its a bit pricier compared to some of the other options.
Any other options or are those the only realistic ones that meet the criteria?
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
Those are summer tires! Be extremely careful driving in cold weather on those because they simply don't have the grip you'd be used to in warmer weather.
That said, I love that you're daily driving that car, you rule.
jongkookie
Member
Since we're on this topic... if you're south of the Mason-Dixon line, are winter tires really necessary or nah?
I've been driving on summer tires on my Miata, year round here in DFW, and I've never had an issue except when there's actual ice or snow accumulation on the road. I've driven the car under 30F and for a couple of days pretty much under 20F and I've had no trouble either.
The only time I had an issue was when Texas decided to be brave and not shut down after an accumulation of an inch. And since I had time and I didn't want salt, I took my dad's Mazda3 that had all-seasons and tbh, I honestly felt that I could've took my Miata either way and I would've been fine. The roads were clear enough thanks to the other cars and there really wasn't any ice whatsoever. I remember I took my Miata out when I got back for some parking lot drifting and I couldn't even do it that long since I had decent grip. Hell I remember when we had that cobblestone ice last year I was driving my Miata while it was barely melting. It definitely slipped on ice, but it wasn't bad enough that it was unmanageable.
I'm asking coz I'm debating on buying some cheapass rims and get some decent winter tires to run during the fall/winter season. But my issue with that is we often get up in the 60's over here during the season, so it's kinda useless tbh and it's pretty much I've been sticking to summer tires for the moment.
Mattlikewhoa
Member
Funny, we are SUV shopping, and a few of those cars are on the short list.
I'd take out the X1 and X3. For the money that they are asking, they were rather bland on the inside, and the added plastics made it feel cheap.
Take a look at the Acura RDX and the Cadillac SRX as well. They are on my short list (with the Q5 and GLK).
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
DFW? You're fine on summers. Just remember that under 40F to drive like it's raining, and if it's under 40F and raining, drive like it's snowing. Driving carefully and slowly is easy, but remember to leave plenty of room in front of you for braking since your braking grip will be significantly reduced.
I was living in Arlington last year and there were a couple of times when I drove my 911 on summers around in the rain while it was about 40F. Felt like the car was on a knife's edge the whole time, lots of fun but had to be very careful.
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Holy shit. Dude, hats off to you.
Just bought a dirt cheap beater that's super rare, super reliable, and probably the most balanced, cheap DD in almost every way except one.
It violates my username
Integra Type R?
It's not reliable if it's not sitting where you parked it when you come back.
m_shortpants
Member
lmao, so true. My integra was stolen when I was in college, right out of my apartment's gated parting lot.
those 7 weeks were quite annoying.
GHG
Member
That's a shame about the x1 and x3. From what I've seen the x1 in particular is overpriced for what you get and the base engine options are horrible. BMW said they could look at doing a good deal for us because we currently have an x6 but there's no point if their small SUV's are pants.
I'm not too familiar with the US market but what about the Mazda CX-5? Or the CX-3 launching this summer:
I'd recommend the Nissan Qashqai but apparently it's not available in the states?
The cx5 is a very good shout. Thanks for this. Checked with Mazda here and they have a 2.5l ex demo for sale at the moment with about 20% off the list price so we will take that for a spin and see what its like. I'm not in the US, live in Dubai, Mazda here are saying its unlikely the cx3 will make it over to the middle east any time soon which is a shame as it looks nice.
We've zoned in on the Q3 and cx5 as the 2 we will look at.
Thanks for the help guys.
Mohonky
Member
Little surprising event today.
Ask almost anyone and you'll usually hear Toyota as a very highly regarded brand in terms of reliability, and Toyota Hilux's and Landcruisers are hugely popular in Australia, and yet I had to go out and rescue the old mans work Hilux today.
Somehow, no idea how, but the bolt that holds one of the belt guides completely sheared off and threw the guide doen into the bash plate. With the way the belt is arranged, it drives the aircon, alternator, water pump and radiator fan. So yeh no chance of a roadside repair. Looking down at where the guide was, the bolt is just totally sheared off flat in the engine block.
Its a company car so it's their responsibility to get it rectified but that is one weird ass problem to have and getting to that sheared bolt and extracting it will ne a nightmare for whoever has to do it. This Hilux only has 28,000km on it too.
Then earlier this year my old man had to get his Toyota 2004 Landcruiser Prado Grande fixed. It is the top of the line in the Prado range and a very very capable off roader, but he had to fight Toyota to fix the dash, the entire thing from driver to passenger side of it was cracked and peeling away. Never seen anything like it, it was and peeling itself away the entire length of it, and this is a car that spends ALL of its time garaged and out of the sun (it wasnt even used for a number of years because my father works overseas alot) so it mostly sat in the garage. Toyota claimed they had never seen it before despite the fact I looked it up and found out it was a very common problem and it happen to my Dads sisters Prado (a lower model) also. Plus numerous people with the Prados of about that same time said it happen to theirs aswell.
My old man has always figured Toyota a very good brand but after this and what happen to the Prado its really made him think twice.
Ask almost anyone and you'll usually hear Toyota as a very highly regarded brand in terms of reliability, and Toyota Hilux's and Landcruisers are hugely popular in Australia, and yet I had to go out and rescue the old mans work Hilux today.
Somehow, no idea how, but the bolt that holds one of the belt guides completely sheared off and threw the guide doen into the bash plate. With the way the belt is arranged, it drives the aircon, alternator, water pump and radiator fan. So yeh no chance of a roadside repair. Looking down at where the guide was, the bolt is just totally sheared off flat in the engine block.
Its a company car so it's their responsibility to get it rectified but that is one weird ass problem to have and getting to that sheared bolt and extracting it will ne a nightmare for whoever has to do it. This Hilux only has 28,000km on it too.
Then earlier this year my old man had to get his Toyota 2004 Landcruiser Prado Grande fixed. It is the top of the line in the Prado range and a very very capable off roader, but he had to fight Toyota to fix the dash, the entire thing from driver to passenger side of it was cracked and peeling away. Never seen anything like it, it was and peeling itself away the entire length of it, and this is a car that spends ALL of its time garaged and out of the sun (it wasnt even used for a number of years because my father works overseas alot) so it mostly sat in the garage. Toyota claimed they had never seen it before despite the fact I looked it up and found out it was a very common problem and it happen to my Dads sisters Prado (a lower model) also. Plus numerous people with the Prados of about that same time said it happen to theirs aswell.
My old man has always figured Toyota a very good brand but after this and what happen to the Prado its really made him think twice.
GHG
Member
Toyota's reliability is overstated of late IMO. You'd think that more people would realise this with the amount of recalls they have issued over the last few years but I still hear people harping on about Toyota's being reliable. This is even after things like cruise control not turning off on their cars:
http://www.drivearabia.com/news/201...scues-driver-after-car-gets-stuck-at-120-kph/
And then Toyota denying this being an issue!:
http://7daysindubai.com/toyota-says-cruise-control-not-blame-runaway-cars-uae/
Their engines are bulletproof, I'll give them that, but everything else about their cars since the early 2000's has been sub-par and not befitting of their reputation for reliability.
Mohonky
Member
You're correct! I move between San Francisco and NYC frequently. It was in San Francisco when I got robbed earlier this year, but I also said I wasn't robbed in this car because it wasn't out yet and it's being delivered to another city.
Here's a picture (cellphone quality) with the back opened up that someone asked and to answer another question, in the end it was roughly 300k.
This is a genuine question I am curious about. Did you buy this car outright, or is there money owing on it (bank loan, finance etc)?
I also often see on youtube a lot of people with supercars and they live in the middle of suburbia in an ordinary house and in the garage is a car worth more than the house itself.
Reason I ask is I notice a lot in this thread, and with Americans and car in general, is that a lot of people seem to finance a car, own it till its paid off, then sell it and immediately finance another car which just confuses the shit out of me as its a perpetuating debt where all you really do is forever hand over the banks and finance companies free money in the form of interest. I know cars in the US are stupidly cheap compared to say Australia (posters car here he paid $300k for is $430k in Aus to give you an example) but even my Dad pointed out when he was in the states that a lot of people seem to spend nearly as much on their car as they do their home or property. I just found that really weird.
Not having a go but it seems Americans are willing to invest a higher percentage of their money into cars than what I generally see Europeans and Aussies.
whatsinaname
Member
You have much bigger issues than cruise control getting stuck if your brakes can't overpower the engine, if they used the brakes.
I'm always very skeptical of cases like these because they indicate driver error (in this case not braking) and have been caused solely by driver error in the past (Audi 5000). There are a looooot of drivers out there and some are bound to make mistakes. The most common in cases like these is pressing the wrong pedal (we always rely on muscle memory) and believing it is something wrong with the car. That's the most likely reason because a car magically accelerating when you hit the brake pedal (it is not by wire) and showing no evidence of the mysterious problem afterwards makes no sense.
GHG
Member
She doesn't want a land rover because they are the stereotypical "dubai housewife" car out here according to her and doesn't want to get wrongly labeled as such. But you are right, good deals can be found on them due to the sheer volume of them on the market out here.
whatsinaname
Member
Mattlikewhoa
Member
Lexus GAF checking in... I've got a RX330 and it's been a solid ride for us. No real problems, maintenance costs are reasonable, and it's good on gas (for a SUV).
The only reason why we are switch up, is because we would like to try another brand.
GHG
Member
The macan is far too nice to be a runaround car for her! I do really like them though. I'm actually considering trading my x6 for a macan turbo but there is about a years waiting list here in dubai for them at the moment. I'm a bit torn though as some days I wake up and think I should just trade it in for an audi rs7 and leave the whole "fast SUV" thing behind but that's another story...
Thanks guys, this looks to be a solid suggestion. Will have a look at how much they cost here etc.
Outright
djSyndrome
Member
After a third test drive I've decided to pull the trigger on a FR-S/BRZ. Can't buy until early summer as we're building a house and don't want to mess up the closing, but they're not hard to find up here for below sticker. Which one will come down to pricing and color, although leaning towards the Scion because orange.
86-GAF, tire and exhaust recommendations welcome
86-GAF, tire and exhaust recommendations welcome
Tallshortman
Member
According to BMW Dubai it's the 18i in the X1 and the 20i in the X3. Former is NA while the latter is a detuned N20.
GHG
Member
Yep. The base engine on the x1 here in Dubai is terrible for a car of that size. The x3's base isn't much better. The 28i engine is a mid engine option on both cars and you have to pay a premium for it. BMW know they can get away with it though since their cars sell very very well here.
Any opinions here on Infiniti's?
The infiniti ex35 has entered our thoughts as a contender and was wondering if anyone here has had any experience owning an infiniti?
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Recalls aren't a bad thing. They are automakers fixing possible major\minor problems for free. They do cause inconvenience but the inconvenience is better than the alternative of a less safe vehicle. That reminds me that I need to get my Takata passenger airbag replaced...
My parents have a 2015 RX350 with F Sport appearance package (White with saddle leather). It's very nice but there are some stupid annoyances that my dad brought to my attention over my Christmas visit.
- Can't have only DRLs and foglights on at the same time.
- DRLs and headlights will only be on at the same time if in automatic mode
- When setting cruise control the center display between the gauges blanks out and you have to press another button to bring it back
- Digital clock that looks straight out of the 80s
- Driver and passenger seat don't have the same lumbar adjustment options. I've always thought that was stupid.
- Use remote start and it will shut itself off after 10 minutes. Do it again and you get another 10 mins then can't start again until key is in range.
The multimedia entertainment system is a little finicky and not super intuitive but is responsive. Overall, it's a very comfortable vehicle with what seems like great build quality and I see why they sell a ton of them. It's definitely on the boring side.
My parents have a 2015 RX350 with F Sport appearance package (White with saddle leather). It's very nice but there are some stupid annoyances that my dad brought to my attention over my Christmas visit.
- Can't have only DRLs and foglights on at the same time.
- DRLs and headlights will only be on at the same time if in automatic mode
- When setting cruise control the center display between the gauges blanks out and you have to press another button to bring it back
- Digital clock that looks straight out of the 80s
- Driver and passenger seat don't have the same lumbar adjustment options. I've always thought that was stupid.
- Use remote start and it will shut itself off after 10 minutes. Do it again and you get another 10 mins then can't start again until key is in range.
The multimedia entertainment system is a little finicky and not super intuitive but is responsive. Overall, it's a very comfortable vehicle with what seems like great build quality and I see why they sell a ton of them. It's definitely on the boring side.
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Coupe or Sedan?
Either way, it's a great car, they're inexpensive, and extremely reliable.
LowEndTorque
Member
Sorry to spam this thread with my headlight project again. Just a few (lots of) pics of the final finished product, and Im done.
Pics with everything turned off:
Pics with LEDs on only. Activated by pressing the yellow home safe button on the key.
LEDs, low beams and fogs on:
High beams on. Hard to tell the difference in broad daylight:
Pics with everything turned off:
Pics with LEDs on only. Activated by pressing the yellow home safe button on the key.
LEDs, low beams and fogs on:
High beams on. Hard to tell the difference in broad daylight:
Planning to go the coupe route and I'm hoping I won't take a huge insurance hit for it.
Hopefully I'll be able to pick it up in the next few weeks, I'm pretty excited about it!
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
As I mentioned in a post just before yours, I had a 370Z and mechanically it never once had any problems. Mine was a 6MT. G37Xs only come in 7ATs, which is even more reliable. You will love the car, I promise you. Even today it's still a pretty great looking car, and it handles very well.
The time has come to replace my Pilot Super Sports. I've had them on way longer than the advertised life span, and the tread has been long gone. Replacing them with Pilot Sport A/S 3. 3/4 tires are on, but they couldn't get the 4th off. One of the lug nuts is stripped so I'm having to take it around to a shop so they can get it off. Discount Tire is paying for it so whatever.
Feel of new tires is pretty great.
Feel of new tires is pretty great.