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The Automotive Discussion Thread

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I think you mean $300 tops, ignition coils are under $50 a pop, and they're pretty easy to replace (on a 996, at least).

Porsche parts are more expensive than many domestic or import manufacturers, but their basic maintenance is fairly reasonable if you are willing to work on it yourself. I wouldn't want to spend the money doing regular maintenance at a shop or dealer.

If something big breaks, though, it's $$$lol$$$.

That said, the prices for parts on my '06 Volvo have been worse than my '82 911. A flywheel for this stupid thing is over $1000 and a new clutch master cylinder is looking like $250 (and it's just a little doohickey behind the pedal). It's really starting to piss me off that it costs so much to maintain such a boring car.

I got mixed up. Coil wires for a 993 are over a grand.
 

No Love

Banned
Aw man, you just blew out all my options. The lesson being nothing is perfect. I'm at Carmax on my lunch and they have every single car I'm interested in just waiting to go for a spin. I'll let ya know how it goes over the next few days.

Actually, they do have several g37 and an s2000

Dude, don't go to CarMax. Buy an S2000 off a private owner. You'll get a much nicer car that way.

People trade in S2000's to Carmax when there's something wrong with them, because they know CarMax will give them good money and it's a quick, easy sell.
 

ShowDog

Member
Dude, don't go to CarMax. Buy an S2000 off a private owner. You'll get a much nicer car that way.

People trade in S2000's to Carmax when there's something wrong with them, because they know CarMax will give them good money and it's a quick, easy sell.

I've never driven any of these cars. I'm not totally against buying at CarMax, but regardless there is no doubt it is the best place to test drive 10 different makes/models and see what is worth pursuing both at dealers and privately. All you need to show is a drivers license and as far as I can tell they won't give me any shit for taking a parade of cars out the door and leaving without even giving a phone number.
 
Yeah, Carmax seems to be going downhill these days.

They used to be really good though... my friend paid a $100 deductible to get the VANOS seals on an E46 he bought there replaced, that also came with a $100 deposit for the rental car he drove for 2 weeks. Of course those seals broke again past the extended warranty but that's another story.

But yeah, avoid Carmax as much as possible.
 

ShowDog

Member
Well I tested a few cars at the local carmax and fell in love with the s2000. I actually like that it doesn't have gobs of power, allowing you to row through the gears on normal streets and feel like a badass. The shifter is amazing, and when the vtec kicks in it really moves. Of course, they wanted like $22k for the thing. But they're willing to pay me $4k for my old beater Ranger sans trade-in, which is about double what I was expecting. Time to find a decent s2000 for $12k and call it a day methinks. Seems too easy so far.
 

No Love

Banned
Well I tested a few cars at the local carmax and fell in love with the s2000. I actually like that it doesn't have gobs of power, allowing you to row through the gears on normal streets and feel like a badass. The shifter is amazing, and when the vtec kicks in it really moves. Of course, they wanted like $22k for the thing. But they're willing to pay me $4k for my old beater Ranger sans trade-in, which is about double what I was expecting. Time to find a decent s2000 for $12k and call it a day methinks. Seems too easy so far.

You'll spend $14-18k for a decent S2000. Very rarely do I see ones for $12k that aren't beat to shit.

s2ki.com is your best bet.
 

ascii42

Member
Who here hates electric steering?

I've heard some do it better than others, but when I was testing out cars, I did notice that the Malibu V6 (which had hydraulic power steering) felt much better than the electric power steering in the 4 cylinder Malibu I wound up buying.
 

Ash_69

Member
I'm 27. I've been driving a 4-cyl 5-speed Ford Ranger for the last decade. I had a brief moment of glory with a restored 67 El Camino with a 350 that could burn out through second gear before a cooling system failure killed it in my HS years. I'm looking for something around 15k (used, southern california market) and I have narrowed my list down to a bunch of different options. Now I need to go test drive some of these suckers! Any input is welcome. I love driving stick so that is preferred, especially if it's something lacking in the power department.

BMW Z4
VW GTI 4-door
Nissan 350Z
Mazda RX-8
Honda S2000
BMW M3 e46

I've got full clearance from the wife to get whatever the hell I want, so a 2 seater is fine, but all things equal 4 seats is better because I won't have to lose it if we have a kid in the next few years. I like the idea of convertibles, but the only ones that really speak to me are the m3 and z4. I'll let you all know my progress over the next few weeks and months.

As a 27 year old that a year ago was making the exact same decision and was driving a Ford Focus and occasionally, an A4, I think I am adequately placed to assist. :)

I opted for a 2007/8 350z. Great car. Great sound, looks fantastic (seriously, that silhouette is to die for), super rare in my area so no one knows what it is, effortlessly quick and very well equipped (awesome stereo, xenon highlights, cruise control, climate control, heated seats, parking sensors etc).

Other cars that I checked out - s2000 looked and felt cheap. Too raw. Audi TT not enough power and too much like an a4. RX8 - engine worried me. Heard all sorts of nightmares about it.

One tip which probably applies to all newbs that have never owned a sports car i.e. me a year ago- check the tyres before buying!. I got all 4 replaced within a month of purchasing which was about another $1k. Stock's were low on tread and also bone jarringly hard. Michelin Super Sports are not only grippier but soften the ride.
 

TylerD

Member
I learned that S2000s will eat up tires pretty quick when I was considering one last year. White are the superior color IMO but you will pay a premium. I think my ideal one would be an AP2 white with the black and red interior.
 

No Love

Banned
I learned that S2000s will eat up tires pretty quick when I was considering one last year. White are the superior color IMO but you will pay a premium. I think my ideal one would be an AP2 white with the black and red interior.

They don't. Only if you use the junky stock alignment. Just get the rear toe dialed down and tires will last you 20k miles. If you do a square setup (same size front and rear), you can rotate for even longer life.

Also, 350z's have known tire feathering issues. Plus they're nowhere near as fun to drive, despite having more torque. The shifter is garbage. 07/08 is a lot faster than the older ones, but meh. 370z is a superior car in every aspect.
 

AlphaSnake

...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Tire feathering is virtually non-existent on Zs now. It was only a problem on some 03s and 04s, and surely 10 years later, whoever owns that model number has had that fixed ages ago with a simple alignment or during Nissan's recall campaign.

But yes, the 370Z is better in every way. Though the 07/08s are still fantastic cars.
 
next gen genesis

450x292xBwA525fd8b8700d9-450x292.jpg.pagespeed.ic.A1U3jy_Gp-.jpg

450x331xBwA5261081f7f72b-450x331.jpg.pagespeed.ic.USQoNEM8gI.jpg


eh.

for some reason it looks... unluxury as fuck.
 

reilo

learning some important life lessons from magical Negroes
Toyota has announced a voluntary recall of some 803,000 cars due to airbags inadvertently deploying — and the blame appears to be spiders inside the air conditioning units. Toyota's recall notice states that some 2012 and 2013 Camry, Venza, and Avalon vehicles are experiencing problems with their air conditioning condenser unit housing — apparently, condensation and water has been leaking into the airbag control module. In most cases, that's just causing the airbag warning light to turn on, but a few times the driver side airbag has deployed without warning.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/18/4852840/spiders-force-toyota-to-recall-800000-vehicles
 

AlphaSnake

...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Ahhh, got the tune on my 370Z updated. UpRev has found a way to tweak the software to really make the low-end torque of the Z shine. It increases performance from 2500RPM all the way through the midrange (up to about 5000RPM). Making passes in 5th or 6th gear has become even easier, and the car feels light on its feet. The exhaust has also gotten a bit quieter as a result of adjustment to the low-end mixture.

UpRev says past cars have seen gains of 8WHP consistently through the curve with this latest update. I'd say that's fairly accurate.
 

ShowDog

Member
I'm making some progress on my s2000 search. Right now it looks to be between a dealer ap1 with 65k on the clock or a private party ap2 with 110k on the clock. The ap2 looks to be in a nicer shape than the ap1 despite the mileage. I have a feeling a pre-purchase inspection will bring up some issues with the ap1. I'll let ya'll know what happens.

Does anyone have experience with Carmax trade-in offers changing after expiring? They offered me a lot more than I was expecting, and I'm rushing this a bit to try to finish before the week is up. A dealer only offered me half what they are for my truck (before I pulled the slip and showed them), though they'll match it if I end up buying from them.
 

Watevaman

Member
Hey guys it's hypothetical and everything at the moment but I'm looking into a "new to me" car in case the repair I have to do on my old 1990 Subie Legacy proves to be too much. Pretty much the question is what do you all think of the 4th gen Legacy? I don't know why I'm so partial to Subaru, but I am, and as such am looking to replace mine with just a newer one. The occasional 2.5 GT pops up on CL every now and again, with one 2005 model up right now for about 6k with 13x,000 on the clock. Keep in mind these aren't Outbacks, but regular Legacys. Are there any big problems that they had?
 
Is there a reason for 2+2 coupes? Is it to lower insurance or something?

Being able to throw a bag back there is nice I guess.

Eh, kids can fit in the back seat of a 911 just fine, they even make car seats for babies back there! Small women, too, if the front seat is forward some.

And yes, four seats does lower insurance, and putting the seat-rests down gives you a surprising amount of storage space.
 

AlphaSnake

...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
My old 335i Coupe had practically the same amount of rear legroom as did a friend's 328i sedan, except it was for 2 people and not 3. A lot of coupes have fairly big back seats.
 

TylerD

Member
Eh, kids can fit in the back seat of a 911 just fine, they even make car seats for babies back there! Small women, too, if the front seat is forward some.

And yes, four seats does lower insurance, and putting the seat-rests down gives you a surprising amount of storage space.

944s have a pretty decent amount of carrying capacity with the seat back folded down. I always thought that made it pretty practical.

My old 335i Coupe had practically the same amount of rear legroom as did a friend's 328i sedan, except it was for 2 people and not 3. A lot of coupes have fairly big back seats.

My 330 coupe has plenty of space in the back seats, at least worlds more than my 944s did. Once you get back there which isn't bad because the fronts tilt and raise up to allow access it is not a bad place to be.
 

Ty4on

Member
Do modern ECUs lower the richness of the fuel air mixture when the fuel level in the tank is low?

If they could run more economically they would probably do that all the time :p

I'm pretty sure fuel gauges and range estimates lie though to prevent you from running it dry.
 
944s have a pretty decent amount of carrying capacity with the seat back folded down. I always thought that made it pretty practical.

Yeah I got a 6.5'x2'x2' speaker in the back of a 924S. There's a lot of space back there (for the car's size) and the hatchback lets you use all of it, it's pretty swell.

My 330 coupe has plenty of space in the back seats, at least worlds more than my 944s did. Once you get back there which isn't bad because the fronts tilt and raise up to allow access it is not a bad place to be.

Yeah but BMW's coupes are just sedans with two doors, aren't they? Maybe a slightly shorter wheelbase and corresponding rear leg room?
 

ascii42

Member
Why? I don't know (I looked a little but didn't find the info) how they're doing profitability-wise, but I think the Scion lineup probably fares better as something separate from Toyota, which remains focused on the "cars as appliances" demographic.

If they continue to do things like the FRS, and now the FRS sedan, then it definitely makes sense to have Scion. A RWD sedan would be out of place in Toyota's lineup.
 
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