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The Automotive Discussion Thread

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Zyzyxxz

Member
dammit stop recommending the 135i just because you own one and you don't have to pimp your pictures of your own car.
 

jdccb

Member
135i is a spiffy car, but nowhere near enough car for the money.

*remains edited due to wrong thread haha*


I actually got to see a new Mazda 6 in person today, I was thoroughly impressed. When I'd read about how much bigger it had gotten and seen a few pics, I was worried, but it really doesn't look that big in perosn.
 

zhenming

Member
Zyzyxxz said:
dammit stop recommending the 135i just because you own one and you don't have to pimp your pictures of your own car.
Why not? Last time I checked there were people posting their own cars.

Anyway onto the Japanese....
3119356101_203410be74.jpg
3120027585_013f1a3701.jpg
3119905527_263af6f774.jpg
3120187834_4577b9295e.jpg
3120855778_a1724f3f26.jpg


Very amazing car. The twin turbos on this thing are so amazing that it doesn't need heaters... the back is so warm after a long drive. At high revs the turbo spools are just AMAZING!!! The guys who make gran turismo helped make the LCD gauges inside the car. Shows a lot of stuff like acceleration, g-force..... etc. Each GTR engine is unique due to it being partially manually worked on. Trying putting everything in R mode and take the car for a spin it's great...

O and the Silver color paint is no ordinary paint. There's 7 layers of paint and the last layer is hand polished by a team of guys. There's also a coat that "self-heals" according to Nissan haha so no more tiny scratches or swirls, which I doubt would help heavy scratches. Too bad they don't have the R34 blue...
 

rage1973

Member
I had the turbo on my 08 STi upgraded couple of weeks ago with ATP 3076 Turbo and front mount intercooler and a few other mods. It's still not quite finished but it still made 409 whp on 96 octane gas. Once I am done with mods it should be somewhere around 430 whp on 91 octane gas.

IMG_0425.jpg

willc.png
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
qcf x2 said:
I'm downgrading from a 5-series. Any slightly less pricey recommendations that won't totally break my ego?

are you looking to stay in the luxury market?

One notch down puts you in the G37/ 3-series / C-300 / Lexus Is250 /Audi A4 category each starting in the low to mid 30K range.

If you are looking for a car in the 20K range then I would suggest a Ford Fusion / Mazda 6

If those 20K cars don't work for your ego and the entry-level luxury cars are too much for you then you may have to consider used cars. At which point I would only recommend Lexus as their reliability has been proven. You can probably pick up a used IS250 for a swell price thats only 1 or 2 years old.

zhenming said:
Very amazing car. The twin turbos on this thing are so amazing that it doesn't need heaters... the back is so warm after a long drive. At high revs the turbo spools are just AMAZING!!! The guys who make gran turismo helped make the LCD gauges inside the car. Shows a lot of stuff like acceleration, g-force..... etc. Each GTR engine is unique due to it being partially manually worked on. Trying putting everything in R mode and take the car for a spin it's great...

O and the Silver color paint is no ordinary paint. There's 7 layers of paint and the last layer is hand polished by a team of guys. There's also a coat that "self-heals" according to Nissan haha so no more tiny scratches or swirls, which I doubt would help heavy scratches. Too bad they don't have the R34 blue...

blah blah blah, copy+paste from wikipedia.

As a long time fan of GT-R's I hate the current one, too much technology = too many restrictions on the driver. You break the tranny they probably will say you drove it too hard and won't cover the $20,000 part under warranty and you are SOL.

Now a raw car that makes the driver want to find its limits. ZR1, A man's car.
2009_chevrolet_corvette_zr1.jpg
 

Cheeto

Member
rage1973 said:
I had the turbo on my 08 STi upgraded couple of weeks ago with ATP 3076 Turbo and front mount intercooler and a few other mods. It's still not quite finished but it still made 409 whp on 96 octane gas. Once I am done with mods it should be somewhere around 430 whp on 91 octane gas.
That's awesome. What's your goal with the car? Is it going to be your daily driver or a weekend/track car?
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
rage1973 said:
I had the turbo on my 08 STi upgraded couple of weeks ago with ATP 3076 Turbo and front mount intercooler and a few other mods. It's still not quite finished but it still made 409 whp on 96 octane gas. Once I am done with mods it should be somewhere around 430 whp on 91 octane gas.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v361/rage1973/willc.png

wow that is insane, I'm not sure how to read the boost/AR part but how much PSI are you running the turbo at?

Personally I think its a job well done, the torque really picks up well in the low end and you have lots of power in the high end.
 
rage1973 said:
I had the turbo on my 08 STi upgraded couple of weeks ago with ATP 3076 Turbo and front mount intercooler and a few other mods. It's still not quite finished but it still made 409 whp on 96 octane gas. Once I am done with mods it should be somewhere around 430 whp on 91 octane gas.

[/IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v361/rage1973/IMG_0425.jpg[/IMG]
[/IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v361/rage1973/willc.png[/IMG]

Nice.

Just make sure to carry a bucket around with you to collect tranny parts :p
 

golem

Member
qcf x2 said:
I'm downgrading from a 5-series. Any slightly less pricey recommendations that won't totally break my ego?
just rebuy a 5 or A6 used... the market for luxury is pretty devastated at the moment
 

qcf x2

Member
Zyzyxxz said:
are you looking to stay in the luxury market?

One notch down puts you in the G37/ 3-series / C-300 / Lexus Is250 /Audi A4 category each starting in the low to mid 30K range.

If you are looking for a car in the 20K range then I would suggest a Ford Fusion / Mazda 6

If those 20K cars don't work for your ego and the entry-level luxury cars are too much for you then you may have to consider used cars. At which point I would only recommend Lexus as their reliability has been proven. You can probably pick up a used IS250 for a swell price thats only 1 or 2 years old.


I'm 6'2. Would I fit in an IS? And do they come with warranty? The thing I love most about my 5 series is the warranty. The warranty is up in June and that (combined with my job cutting OT) is why I'm selling it. I don't mind buying used, as I bought the BMW used. But it still had the warranty, you see...
 

rage1973

Member
Zyzyxxz said:
wow that is insane, I'm not sure how to read the boost/AR part but how much PSI are you running the turbo at?

Personally I think its a job well done, the torque really picks up well in the low end and you have lots of power in the high end.

The yellow line is the boost and it's at 20 lbs

SIP YEK NOD said:
Nice.

Just make sure to carry a bucket around with you to collect tranny parts :p

The stock STi tranny is known to be very strong and holds up well over 450 lbs of torque.
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
qcf x2 said:
I'm 6'2. Would I fit in an IS? And do they come with warranty? The thing I love most about my 5 series is the warranty. The warranty is up in June and that (combined with my job cutting OT) is why I'm selling it. I don't mind buying used, as I bought the BMW used. But it still had the warranty, you see...

oh yeah a BMW out of warranty is a scary thing due to repair cost. It'd be smart to drop it but you might not get the best value for it now considering the recession but if you use it as a trade it who knows what kind of deal you can strike on a new car since most of the dealers want to get rid of their new stuff.

I think you should be able fit into a IS pretty well, its a roomy car IMO but I'm a lot shorter than you.

The regular Lexus warranty is 48 months / 50,000 miles, if you buy it from a Lexus dealer they may give you a used warranty instead but I'm not too sure about that.
 

rage1973

Member
qcf x2 said:
I'm downgrading from a 5-series. Any slightly less pricey recommendations that won't totally break my ego?

How about the new Hyundai Genesis? It's probably the biggest bargain in the luxury market today.
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
rage1973 said:
How about the new Hyundai Genesis? It's probably the biggest bargain in the luxury market today.

I completely forgot about that one, it looks nice with its luxury car stance and supposedly drives nice if you get the V6 model.
 

zhenming

Member
The new 370z there's been a lot of comments about the lights but they look fine from a direct front and back shot, but I can see why its weird from the side...

nissan370zfd_03.jpg

nissan370zfd_04.jpg

nissan370zfd_02.jpg

nissan370zfd_01.jpg
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
370 = POS styling.
*vomits*

To anybody who likes it, fine, good for your but I'm gonna be vocal. its a retarded design.

Who's bright idea was it to make the body panels go into the tail and headlights like that?

I don't care if its drives faster and better. The appeal of a sportscar is that it has to look good too, like hell I care if it drives 0.1 or 0.2 seconds faster to 60mph, I want to at least look good doing it. Once again crappy execution of styling, if they wanted to go retro just gimme the dam Datsun 280z again

370 /=

vimg_0576.jpg
 

J-Rzez

Member
black_13 said:
Nice to see another fan of those. 1+ respect for you my man. I love that gen Celi, its got the looks and performance with the GT4 version. Move up to Canada next year and you'll get to drive these sexy cars.

Ah yes. Back in the days when Toyota made some really exciting cars. GT4/All-trac is something that I think Toyota should bring back, especially considering the success that Mitsu and Subie has had with their WRX/EVOs (which I own one). The MKIV Supra is just the cat's ass though. One of the most grossly overbuilt motors ever, as the shockingly high number of daily driven 1000+hp Supra's proves. Those cars were fantastic back in the day. Incredible handling, power, and the looks with the targa top off, omfg... Those damn things STILL command top dollar here in the States used.

Now all toyota really makes outside of the IS-F are dickless, spineless, uninspiring family vehicles. I mean, the Venza looks like it'd be great for my GF, but fuck. Nothing even as fun as the 7th gen Celica with it's revy engine, nice handling, and good looks.

Rage: Nice choice of parts for that Subie, have any more pics?

I gotta get some decent pics of my Evo already :(
 

J-Rzez

Member
zhenming said:
There's the Lexus IS-F Evolution coming up after it's initial flop lol......

Toyota really lost a bit of touch with it's sporty roots unfortunately. We don't want another ISF "M3Killa", there's gaping holes in the market that they can get. Seriously, how about a 1.8-2.4L Turbo AWD new Celica? Where's the fun 25-40k priced car? They're letting Nissan and Mitsu/Subie run wild in there. I love my Evo, but I can assure you that I'd be very very interested in a new 2dr GT4/All-trac Turbo-esque Celica.
 

qcf x2

Member
Zyzyxxz said:
oh yeah a BMW out of warranty is a scary thing due to repair cost. It'd be smart to drop it but you might not get the best value for it now considering the recession but if you use it as a trade it who knows what kind of deal you can strike on a new car since most of the dealers want to get rid of their new stuff.

I think you should be able fit into a IS pretty well, its a roomy car IMO but I'm a lot shorter than you.

The regular Lexus warranty is 48 months / 50,000 miles, if you buy it from a Lexus dealer they may give you a used warranty instead but I'm not too sure about that.


How's the engine/drive quality? I was looking at this ad: http://www.southmotors.com/images/newspaper/infiniti.jpg ...the '06 GS in the CPO section fits budget wise, even if it seems a bit low priced.

I've never been a fan of Lexus's interiors (otoh, I love the interior of the infiniti M), but I can't be too picky, so assuming warranty comes with it, I'm most concerned about something that has good pick up, a smooth drive and handles well.
 

zhenming

Member
J-Rzez said:
Toyota really lost a bit of touch with it's sporty roots unfortunately. We don't want another ISF "M3Killa", there's gaping holes in the market that they can get. Seriously, how about a 1.8-2.4L Turbo AWD new Celica? Where's the fun 25-40k priced car? They're letting Nissan and Mitsu/Subie run wild in there. I love my Evo, but I can assure you that I'd be very very interested in a new 2dr GT4/All-trac Turbo-esque Celica.
Bring the Supra back!!!!!!!!
even though it might not be financially wise to do so

qcf x2 said:
How's the engine/drive quality? I was looking at this ad: http://www.southmotors.com/images/newspaper/infiniti.jpg ...the '06 GS in the CPO section fits budget wise, even if it seems a bit low priced.

I've never been a fan of Lexus's interiors (otoh, I love the interior of the infiniti M), but I can't be too picky, so assuming warranty comes with it, I'm most concerned about something that has good pick up, a smooth drive and handles well.
Interior is great I agree. If you want a smooooooth riding car, this is the car. I test drove back and forth between this and a bmw 3. Ultimately I choose the 3 cause of the more sporty handling it had. You should be familiar with the BMW handling, just let me tell you that the lexus can't do turns like the BMW does.
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
zhenming said:
Interior is great I agree. If you want a smooooooth riding car, this is the car. I test drove back and forth between this and a bmw 3. Ultimately I choose the 3 cause of the more sporty handling it had. You should be familiar with the BMW handling, just let me tell you that the lexus can't do turns like the BMW does.

like it matters if it can turn. It's a friggin luxury car, nobody cares if it does .90g's + on the skidpad. Looks good on paper but in the end a luxury car needs to be comfortable, performance doesn't do anything for you at the end of the day.

qcf x2 said:
How's the engine/drive quality? I was looking at this ad: http://www.southmotors.com/images/newspaper/infiniti.jpg ...the '06 GS in the CPO section fits budget wise, even if it seems a bit low priced.

I've never been a fan of Lexus's interiors (otoh, I love the interior of the infiniti M), but I can't be too picky, so assuming warranty comes with it, I'm most concerned about something that has good pick up, a smooth drive and handles well.

I've driven the 08 GS and its very nice ride, very smooth and comfortable and the back end will give out a little bit if you decide to have fun. The handling is super soft, so that may or may not suit you (depending if you want more German style handling) but for such a heavy car it feels like it rides on clouds (again may be good or bad depending on you). Interior is very suiting for a luxury car and for that price its a good buy, be sure to Car Fax and check it fully. I don't know if they are selling it because they are desperate or there has been past issues.
 

zhenming

Member
Zyzyxxz said:
like it matters if it can turn. It's a friggin luxury car, nobody cares if it does .90g's + on the skidpad. Looks good on paper but in the end a luxury car needs to be comfortable, performance doesn't do anything for you at the end of the day.
He asked about handling so I just stated the facts being that I test drove them back to back for half a year and its the general consensus.
 

STG!

Member
Just placed my order (and put a K down) for one of these babies. Except mine's going to be crimson red with black interior.

ex_z4_758x335_11.jpg


Manual and fully loaded. Even got the Comfort Access system which allows you to open and close the hard-top from the key. AWESOME. All I'm debating is what engine I'm going to go with: I initially thought there was going to be only one version available (the engine used in the current si) but BMW's offering another version with the 335 engine... Once I go over the financial details next month I can get a better idea of what it'll cost me for both, I might spring for the upgrade.

Regardless, I'm so excited now that my order's in for the first lot that will be available in the country, June can't come soon enough.
 

zhenming

Member
STG! said:
Just placed my order (and put a K down) for one of these babies. Except mine's going to be crimson red with black interior.

ex_z4_758x335_11.jpg


Manual and fully loaded. Even got the Comfort Access system which allows you to open and close the hard-top from the key. AWESOME. All I'm debating is what engine I'm going to go with: I initially thought there was going to be only one version available (the engine used in the current si) but BMW's offering another version with the 335 engine... Once I go over the financial details next month I can get a better idea of what it'll cost me for both, I might spring for the upgrade.

Regardless, I'm so excited now that my order's in for the first lot that will be available in the country, June can't come soon enough.
Are you doing ED? And if you are ordering you can change the order as long its not in production yet. The new engine doesn't really have an exact date yet. N54 ftw!

CA is so convenient with a no hand approach.
 

STG!

Member
ED?

Yeah, it's good that I have the time to decide, production isn't going to start on the one's available to the public until after the dealership showroom cars (forgot what he called it) are completed for May. Can't wait to see it when it comes in.

I really was a bit surprised about there being two different engine types for the initial offering. To be honest, I wasn't under the impression that there wasn't a date put on the other engine type, seemed like both are going to be available from the start (but I can check on that, thanks for the heads up).
 

zhenming

Member
STG! said:
ED?

Yeah, it's good that I have the time to decide, production isn't going to start on the one's available to the public until after the dealership showroom cars (forgot what he called it) are completed for May. Can't wait to see it when it comes in.

I really was a bit surprised about there being two different engine types for the initial offering. To be honest, I wasn't under the impression that there wasn't a date put on the other engine type, seemed like both are going to be available from the start (but I can check on that, thanks for the heads up).
Germany pick up. But great buy!
 

Juice

Member
396125.jpg

I just got back from finally closing on my first new car! Went with a 2009 Ford Fusion SE w/ SYNC. I am unbelievably pumped. The forty minute drive on the way home and I felt like I was in a top tier luxury sedan.

Sync + iPhone is an absolutely killer combo. I was amazed that it finished indexing songs and downloading my phone book in about a minute. I could say "Play track 'Sideways' ... 'Play Similar Music' (a la Genius) .. then say 'Call Tim <LastName>' and have it all handled for me. Sync really feels like the car equivalent of the iPhone, only with voice control instead of multi-touch. The voice-to-speech it does is just as big an evolution IMO.

Oh, and obligatory tweet blast regarding the event (with pic)
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
Juice said:
396125.jpg

I just got back from finally closing on my first new car! Went with a 2009 Ford Fusion SE w/ SYNC. I am unbelievably pumped. The forty minute drive on the way home and I felt like I was in a top tier luxury sedan.

Sync + iPhone is an absolutely killer combo. I was amazed that it finished indexing songs and downloading my phone book in about a minute. I could say "Play track 'Sideways' ... 'Play Similar Music' (a la Genius) .. then say 'Call Tim <LastName>' and have it all handled for me. Sync really feels like the car equivalent of the iPhone, only with voice control instead of multi-touch. The voice-to-speech it does is just as big an evolution IMO.

Oh, and obligatory tweet blast regarding the event (with pic)

congrats on the new pickup, I hear SYNC is wonderful. If I was gonna replace my car with an econo box the Fusion be the choice for me no doubt even with my Japanese bias.
 

STG!

Member
zhenming said:
Germany pick up. But great buy!

Oh man, that would be fun!

Good thing is, one of the guys I work with is good friends with a gentlemen who works over at the Bayonne New Jersey BMW dock, where all the cars made overseas have to pass through. From what I gather, they do final prep work to the cars before being shipped to the dealerships here in the northeast. Soon as I give him my VIN number, my car get's to be first in first out.
 

zhenming

Member
STG! said:
Oh man, that would be fun!

Good thing is, one of the guys I work with is good friends with a gentlemen who works over at the Bayonne New Jersey BMW dock, where all the cars made overseas have to pass through. From what I gather, they do final prep work to the cars before being shipped to the dealerships here in the northeast. Soon as I give him my VIN number, my car get's to be first in first out.
I've done two orders from BMW before a 3 and a 1 so basically it goes like this...

n6308209_34642501_2076.jpg

Once you get the VIN number that means its in the production stage...

The part that kills most people during the waiting process is the En Route portion where the ship takes around 3 weeks from Germany to the states. But youre on the East Coast to docking is a week faster than the West. Lucky you hahah. When the car is at the VPC or the prep center where your friend works at its docked, taken a final look at (repaired if damaged), spray the protective seawater wax off, and send it one it's way to your BMW center in a week or will get held back by customs OR it'll be held off by your dealership to clear out some sales first. BMW will slow slow transports if sales still decline. Good luck man!!!! In the end the 2-3 month wait is worth it if there aren't any delays.

I waited a year for my new 1 heh....
 

robox

Member
not too keen on a stock 370z. but the zele kit makes it pretty stunning. for one, it gets rid of that stupid underbite.
227P9881.jpg
227P9884.jpg
227P9943a.jpg
227P9949a.jpg


i still think this black wheels fad needs to die though. would look better with normal silver wheels.
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
r - b - x said:
not too keen on a stock 370z. but the zele kit makes it pretty stunning. for one, it gets rid of that stupid underbite.
http://www.zeleperformance.com/media/04_democar/227P9881.jpg
i still think this black wheels fad needs to die though. would look better with normal silver wheels.

Not bad but doesnt fix my biggest gripe, the head/tail lights.

Maybe my standards are too high and too old school but to me nothing looks as good as an NSX anymore. Too much living in the past for me possibly.

route-ks-honda-nsx-zero-force-3BIG.jpg
 
Juice said:
396125.jpg

I just got back from finally closing on my first new car! Went with a 2009 Ford Fusion SE w/ SYNC. I am unbelievably pumped. The forty minute drive on the way home and I felt like I was in a top tier luxury sedan.

Sync + iPhone is an absolutely killer combo. I was amazed that it finished indexing songs and downloading my phone book in about a minute. I could say "Play track 'Sideways' ... 'Play Similar Music' (a la Genius) .. then say 'Call Tim <LastName>' and have it all handled for me. Sync really feels like the car equivalent of the iPhone, only with voice control instead of multi-touch. The voice-to-speech it does is just as big an evolution IMO.

Oh, and obligatory tweet blast regarding the event (with pic)

The front of that car looks like this:
gillette%20mach3%20turbo%20shaving%20cartridges_722.jpg
:lol

but why would you get that car when the all-new 2010 model just came out? It still has that mach 3 grille, but it looks a lot better overall, especially the headlights.
 

Juice

Member
akachan ningen said:
The front of that car looks like this:
gillette%20mach3%20turbo%20shaving%20cartridges_722.jpg
:lol

but why would you get that car when the all-new 2010 model just came out? It still has that mach 3 grille, but it looks a lot better overall, especially the headlights.

New one does look a little meaner, but it won't be in ready supply for a couple more months. Biggest reason was my other car just about exploded and I didn't have time to wait... decent rationalization was that in order to clear the lot, there's a $3500 cash rebate on the Fusion 09 right now. My out the door cost was under $17,000 for a $22.5k sticker
 

STG!

Member
zhenming said:
I've done two orders from BMW before a 3 and a 1 so basically it goes like this...

n6308209_34642501_2076.jpg

Once you get the VIN number that means its in the production stage...

The part that kills most people during the waiting process is the En Route portion where the ship takes around 3 weeks from Germany to the states. But youre on the East Coast to docking is a week faster than the West. Lucky you hahah. When the car is at the VPC or the prep center where your friend works at its docked, taken a final look at (repaired if damaged), spray the protective seawater wax off, and send it one it's way to your BMW center in a week or will get held back by customs OR it'll be held off by your dealership to clear out some sales first. BMW will slow slow transports if sales still decline. Good luck man!!!! In the end the 2-3 month wait is worth it if there aren't any delays.

I waited a year for my new 1 heh....

Very true, I remember going through it with my 325ci and my father with his 650. We both bought our cars the same day and his took a month longer, seems that the new production models take a little extra time. Had a few good laughs when we went to the dealership to pick them out: he was devastated that he couldn't get his in that bright electric/crimson red that's available in the 3/Z, so when it was my turn to pick out my car I ditched what I was originally going to go with and got it in that red, lol. :)

Thanks for the kind words and excellent purchase with the 1. I finally got to sit in one recently while at the dealership, it's a wicked ride.
 
Zyzyxxz said:
Maybe my standards are too high and too old school but to me nothing looks as good as an NSX anymore. Too much living in the past for me possibly.

No, not at all. I completely agree with you. The original NSX was a classic, with chassis input from Ayrton Senna and all, and developed back when Honda was in the glory days of its F1 domination. I'd take an NA2 NSX over any contemporary Japanese sports car, even the almighty GT-R. It really was something special.

e9d9j5.jpg


Perfection.

In a way, I'm glad Honda axed its supposed "successor" before it got a chance to ruin the original NSX's image by turning into a fat, GT luxo-barge.

That V10 would've been a bitching engine, though.

2vi4j2h.jpg


A photo-manipulation rendering based on the last camo-shots. Fucking thing looks like a cross between a Supra and a G37. Lame.
 
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