Yep. You can't go wrong with the German cars. I'm partial towards the 330i but the A4 is quite a lovely car. I was wondering why you haven't looked at the C class though.
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The Automotive Discussion Thread
- Thread starter Zyzyxxz
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Yep. You can't go wrong with the German cars. I'm partial towards the 330i but the A4 is quite a lovely car. I was wondering why you haven't looked at the C class though.
A brand spanking new 2012 Infiniti G37x.
I ordered it in black but was put on waiting list till the end of the month. Unfortunately, that vehicle had more options and would've cost more money so I told them I'll pick a different color. I chose silver with black interior. So beautiful.
I picked it up on Wednesday and it's awesome.
mescalineeyes
Banned
the 3 series makes both the A4 and the C class its bitch, really.
Another one for the G club, yo
cool impressions. i'm sorta looking at the same types of cars with slightly less budget and prefer a wagon/hatch over a sedan. might i suggest the subaru legacy gt and volvo s60r? both available in turbo awd for the performance aspect.
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
The VQ Army is assembling mighty fast.
FRS or BRZ? Would like some opinions on how Scooby's Lightning Red looks in person.
Congrats on getting a true driver's car!
Ordered some H&R Springs for my X1 today, should be here in a week!
Played with photoshop a bit, and hope this is how it will look once on springs.
Proud owner of a shooting brake.
I really don't get this 'not modern interior' complaint many people have about older cars - what exactly are you looking for?
For me, as long as it's somewhat ergonomic, isn't shitty cheap plasticy, doesn't rattle, and isn't consumed by bhutans and infotainment, I'm happy. Am I misguided here?
That army needs some fitness training. D:
Duracelllll
Member
Hey, picked this up a little while ago, Nissan Skyline R34 GTR in Bayside Blue. Car was about 5500 km away, so flew over and bought it, then drove on a 900 km road trip to take it to the transporters. I had to remove the licence plates for the drive. Once I dropped it off, it then took 2 weeks to get to me, and finally she's here. Then went to the depot and picked it up and drove it home, then the next day got up at 4am to get it registered and get my new plates fitted. The car is 100% original and unmodified, still has factory exhaust, radio etc, and came with Japanese log books and service history. It's taken 9-1/2 years of long, hard work to be able to get it, so I'm pretty excited.
And some pics from the road trip:
First fuel stop after 300km
Getting car cleaned for quarantine
Driven away at transporters
2 long weeks later
Edit: Sorry for the giant photos I had them resized to 1024x768 but they look massive.
And some pics from the road trip:
First fuel stop after 300km
Getting car cleaned for quarantine
Driven away at transporters
2 long weeks later
Edit: Sorry for the giant photos I had them resized to 1024x768 but they look massive.
Thats because toyota can't style a car to save their life.
Subaru can take even a flawed design like the GT86 and make it look alright.
Hey, picked this up a little while ago, Nissan Skyline R34 GTR in Bayside Blue. Car was about 5500 km away, so flew over and bought it, then drove on a 900 km road trip to take it to the transporters. I had to remove the licence plates for the drive. Once I dropped it off, it then took 2 weeks to get to me, and finally she's here. Then went to the depot and picked it up and drove it home, then the next day got up at 4am to get it registered and get my new plates fitted. The car is 100% original and unmodified, still has factory exhaust, radio etc, and came with Japanese log books and service history. It's taken 9-1/2 years of long, hard work to be able to get it, so I'm pretty excited.
Goddamn! Absoluately Gorgeous. Congrats!
Edit: Sorry for the giant photos I had them resized to 1024x768 but they look massive.
It's ok. *drools*
Mattlikewhoa
Member
Congrats on the new ride my man! I've ALWAYS wanted on but they changed the Canadian RHD import laws from 10 to 15 years and it threw a wench into my plans...Since I bought a new house I won't be able to really think about buying one till we consider moving to a larger place in a few years...
I'll just live vicariously through you and my friend who bought a GTR33
Stripper13
Member
Wasn't really sure where else to ask, so here will do.
I have an (Australian) Ford XR6 Turbo. It's completely stock at the moment.
I have replaced my car every 12 months or there abouts since I've had my license... and I've had this one for 2 years now. I still LOVE the car (6 speed manual, black, 270kw 533nm... dumb fun) however I can feel the boredom starting to set in. This is the feeling I get before I start making excuses to trade the car in and start with something fresh.
I want to save some money though... I don't feel like getting new car finance and dropping wads of cash to get into something that in all honestly, probably won't be much faster or sound much better. So I've decided it's time for some (mild) modifications. Little cost, makes the car a little more unique, and the end goal is to have a car I am happy to keep for years longer.
Basically I'm planning a nice clean set of 18" Mags (it has 18" Alloys at the moment, but they're beginning to bore me). I'm going to remove the middle muffler and make it sound a bit beefier. Finally, and this is why I'm posting, I'm heavily undecided on a Blow off Valve. Before anyone laughs... I think they CAN sound good . However many of the people I have mentioned it to, have laughed off as pathetic/boy-racer/ricer material and a total waste of money (it's relatively insignificant in cost).
The alternative (maybe) is that I throw some mags on the car, and spend the money I would have spent on a BOV (and then some) on a strong exhaust setup for the car. I'm not sure it would be worth it to be honest... the car already has a good sports exhaust setup from factory and many of the XR6Turbo's I have witnessed with exhausts generally sound worse.
So in a nutshell... BOV, yay or nay?
I have an (Australian) Ford XR6 Turbo. It's completely stock at the moment.
I have replaced my car every 12 months or there abouts since I've had my license... and I've had this one for 2 years now. I still LOVE the car (6 speed manual, black, 270kw 533nm... dumb fun) however I can feel the boredom starting to set in. This is the feeling I get before I start making excuses to trade the car in and start with something fresh.
I want to save some money though... I don't feel like getting new car finance and dropping wads of cash to get into something that in all honestly, probably won't be much faster or sound much better. So I've decided it's time for some (mild) modifications. Little cost, makes the car a little more unique, and the end goal is to have a car I am happy to keep for years longer.
Basically I'm planning a nice clean set of 18" Mags (it has 18" Alloys at the moment, but they're beginning to bore me). I'm going to remove the middle muffler and make it sound a bit beefier. Finally, and this is why I'm posting, I'm heavily undecided on a Blow off Valve. Before anyone laughs... I think they CAN sound good . However many of the people I have mentioned it to, have laughed off as pathetic/boy-racer/ricer material and a total waste of money (it's relatively insignificant in cost).
The alternative (maybe) is that I throw some mags on the car, and spend the money I would have spent on a BOV (and then some) on a strong exhaust setup for the car. I'm not sure it would be worth it to be honest... the car already has a good sports exhaust setup from factory and many of the XR6Turbo's I have witnessed with exhausts generally sound worse.
So in a nutshell... BOV, yay or nay?
Snkfanatic
Banned
Awesome! Congrats
surrealist
Member
simply beautiful
[
the three R's come to mind: robust, repairable, reliable
Best SUV ever. A Landcruiser will outlive its owner. I'd love to pick up a FJ80, but 13 MPG is keeping me away.
Dreams-Visions
Member
That Vanquish.
;_;
;_;
Stripper13
Member
From what I understand, it's a classic. And in my opinion, it looks amazing.
I've mentioned this before on GAF I think, but it amazes me what people appreciate.
Over here in Australia - a Skyline is relatively common. A 34 GTR would sell for decent money and be appreciated by enthusiasts... but I doubt many would consider it special.
However, if you managed to get a Mustang/Camaro/Challenger or Corvette over here, you'd have stupid amounts of attention.
That said, an R34 GTR is definitely a special car worth every cent you spent on it. Look after it!
surrealist
Member
The technology, over engineered chassis. The long racing pedigree. And having very handsome muscle car like proportions. R34 is so much better looking than R35
Hey, picked this up a little while ago, Nissan Skyline R34 GTR in Bayside Blue.
Edit: Sorry for the giant photos I had them resized to 1024x768 but they look massive.
Congrats!! I've always desired one of these to some extent. Where did you import it TO?
Your car should already have a BOV or BPV on it from the factory as a turbocharged car. What you seem to be asking is to swap it for one that vents to atmosphere, if I'm correct?
I can only say, do what you want. There's 0 performance benefit. You'll just basically be attracting more eyeballs/enjoying the sound.
Stripper13
Member
Yeah it comes with a BOV from factory. I am debating whether to get one that vents to atmosphere like you said. I know there is no performance benefit... but, they can sound so cool. I feel like I'll be acting like an 18 year old if I get one though.
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Hey, picked this up a little while ago, Nissan Skyline R34 GTR in Bayside Blue. Car was about 5500 km away, so flew over and bought it, then drove on a 900 km road trip to take it to the transporters. I had to remove the licence plates for the drive. Once I dropped it off, it then took 2 weeks to get to me, and finally she's here. Then went to the depot and picked it up and drove it home, then the next day got up at 4am to get it registered and get my new plates fitted. The car is 100% original and unmodified, still has factory exhaust, radio etc, and came with Japanese log books and service history. It's taken 9-1/2 years of long, hard work to be able to get it, so I'm pretty excited.
Edit: Sorry for the giant photos I had them resized to 1024x768 but they look massive.
The bigger the better...
*fap*
Mattlikewhoa
Member
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
I agree whole-heartedly. My only comment would be that cars that were "well-equipped" back in the 80s or 90s will seem obnoxious now; if there are 20 knobs and levers and an equalizer just for the radio it's going to be a burden. A simple, well built interior with quality materials is timeless.
That's exactly the issue with interiors from the 90s. Cheap plastic abounds, hollow-feeling buttons/controls, quality of materials....as you know, I drove my 1990 240sx proudly into the early to mid 00s....and that interior was pretty good, asides from the center console which was el-cheapo plasticyness but it can't even compare to what passes for a mediocre interior now.
13mpg? 1FZ 4.5 straight six petrol? because I have a FJ80 with the 4.2 straight six turbo diesel 1-HD engine coupled with a 5 speed manual transmission and i shit you not, i get 27mpg on motorways, 22 town driving.
i recorded the sound mines make
Scarcity is a factor for sure. Especially in the USA. I live in exotic car central and yet I have only ever seen three Skylines in my life. Two R33s and an R34 V-Spec II. And it was pretty amazing to see them in person. Keep in mind I see the latest and greatest Lambos and Ferraris every single day, so often that I don't pay them a lot of attention any more. But if I see a real Skyline GT-R then I'm gonna be all over it.
(BTW I'm not talking about the new GTR, which are fairly common.)
surrealist
Member
Nice. I'd love a diesel Land cruiser. But in the U.S. there is rarely a diesel option available from any manufacture unless it's a heavy duty pick up.
ChiTownBuffalo
Either I made up lies about the Boston Bomber or I fell for someone else's crap. Either way, I have absolutely no credibility and you should never pay any attention to anything I say, no matter what the context. Perm me if I claim to be an insider
Gaf, I lost a bet.
I have to drive an Aztek for a week to be determined.
I have to drive an Aztek for a week to be determined.
The amount of hate the Aztek gets pretty much solely for its ugly design is getting close to pissing me off these days. I saw a list of worst cars ever made. The Aztek was #1. Not a car where the doors will fall off. Not a car that will explode if you get rear-ended. Nope, they picked an ugly but otherwise mediocre if not decent crossover. Pathetic.
Does this Aztek have the tent add-on? You could go camping in it.
Mattlikewhoa
Member
I have to ask...
Does anyone members here read any automotive magazines? If so what do you read?
For me, I buy Option JDM and Drift Tengoku almost every month from Japan. I also pickup GTR magazine whenever they release them (I think it's every other or every third month).
For North American magazines, I read Modified and D Sport whenever the articles interest me, or there's a member of a forum that I know who has his car in the issue.
I also drop stupid money buying Mooks and Hpyer Rev Mooks for car models that interest me. My wife said I need to organize them again as they are starting to pile up again.
Does anyone members here read any automotive magazines? If so what do you read?
For me, I buy Option JDM and Drift Tengoku almost every month from Japan. I also pickup GTR magazine whenever they release them (I think it's every other or every third month).
For North American magazines, I read Modified and D Sport whenever the articles interest me, or there's a member of a forum that I know who has his car in the issue.
I also drop stupid money buying Mooks and Hpyer Rev Mooks for car models that interest me. My wife said I need to organize them again as they are starting to pile up again.
weekend_warrior
Banned
Hey, picked this up a little while ago, Nissan Skyline R34 GTR in Bayside Blue. Car was about 5500 km away, so flew over and bought it, then drove on a 900 km road trip to take it to the transporters. I had to remove the licence plates for the drive. Once I dropped it off, it then took 2 weeks to get to me, and finally she's here. Then went to the depot and picked it up and drove it home, then the next day got up at 4am to get it registered and get my new plates fitted. The car is 100% original and unmodified, still has factory exhaust, radio etc, and came with Japanese log books and service history. It's taken 9-1/2 years of long, hard work to be able to get it, so I'm pretty excited.
(
God daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn. It looks like it's straight outta GT5. So fucking jealous.
ChiTownBuffalo
Either I made up lies about the Boston Bomber or I fell for someone else's crap. Either way, I have absolutely no credibility and you should never pay any attention to anything I say, no matter what the context. Perm me if I claim to be an insider
I normally read Car and Driver, but pretty much stopped caring after Sport COmpact Car went under.
Mattlikewhoa
Member
They always had great tech articles!
Tempted to pick up a Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 V6, 2011 year model. Anyone here own one or have any opinion they wanna share to help me make a more informed decision?
Haven't been able to test drive any myself yet as have to drive quite far to get to the nearest dealer.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b224/lilljolle/Genesis-Coupe-600x405.jpg
Someone a few pages back said they drove one and were super disappointed.
used to get and read grassroots motosports and evo, from the uk.
at the jp bookstores, i flip through option, doriten, stylewagon, wagonist, vip car, nostalgic hero, and g-works.
It's warranted. Just like there's no excuse for a pretty vehicle being an absolute basket case technically, there's no excuse for an otherwise unremarkable vehicle to be an affront to vision. I avert my eyes whenever I see one, and not out of reverence.
Had a sub to R&T at one point. Got sick of them featuring nothing but luxury and exotics. Then I had a sub to SCC. Loved that mag. Despite much rice, it was very down to earth, and the tech articles are still second to none.
Hey Autogaf, have a fine selection of 80s digidashes.
Buick Reatta
Fiat Tipo 1600 dgt
Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am
Subaru XT (Alcyone)
Aston Marton Lagonda
Italdesign Lancia Orca
Citroen GSA
Citroen BX Digit
Alfa Romeo 75
You forgot the Oldsmobile Toronado
Looks spiffy, but what would an '80s American interior be without copious amounts of fake wood, like in my Riviera
Buick Reatta
Looks spiffy, but what would an '80s American interior be without copious amounts of fake wood, like in my Riviera
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
Acres and acres of the finest textured plastic money can buy.
Hey Automotive Gaf! Glad I found this thread as a new set of wheels has been on my mind these past few weeks. I've been doing some research and will next week actually get out and drive a few things to see what I actually like.
I know that I want an enthusiast car. I've been a car guy since before puberty and in my highschool days used to be all about horsepower and 0-60 times but have since grown up and value a car's handling and overall feel far more than just straightline acceleration. I'm hoping to spend no more than 35k (although it's really more about hitting a monthly payment target than an overall price) and still have many factors to consider.
My shortlist:
1 Porsche Boxster 2005-2008 (Can I live with only 2 seats and a convertible top?)
2 Porsche Cayman 2006-2008 (2 seats again and like all Porsche's the maintenance will be pricey)
3 BMW 128i (It's not a Porsche and I'd have to order one to get a stick shift)
4 Subaru BRZ (I'm not in love with the styling or the wheels)
Anything else I should be considering? I'm visiting the Porsche and BMW dealerships on Tuesday and will be driving those vehicles I listed. I need to know if I can live with the Porsche's on a daily basis and if the lack of interior space will bother me as I've never owned a 2 seater before. If I can then it will just be a choice of convertible or hardtop.
If I can't then I'll take a very serious look at the BRZ and the BMW both of which at least have small backseats that could be used for additional storage or an extra body or two in a pinch.
I'm currently driving a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES that is utterly boring in every way but at least has a 5 speed, is payed for and only has 56k miles on it. I may keep it as a beater or I may decide to sell or trade it. As I said, I have alot of stuff to figure out! =)
I know that I want an enthusiast car. I've been a car guy since before puberty and in my highschool days used to be all about horsepower and 0-60 times but have since grown up and value a car's handling and overall feel far more than just straightline acceleration. I'm hoping to spend no more than 35k (although it's really more about hitting a monthly payment target than an overall price) and still have many factors to consider.
My shortlist:
1 Porsche Boxster 2005-2008 (Can I live with only 2 seats and a convertible top?)
2 Porsche Cayman 2006-2008 (2 seats again and like all Porsche's the maintenance will be pricey)
3 BMW 128i (It's not a Porsche and I'd have to order one to get a stick shift)
4 Subaru BRZ (I'm not in love with the styling or the wheels)
Anything else I should be considering? I'm visiting the Porsche and BMW dealerships on Tuesday and will be driving those vehicles I listed. I need to know if I can live with the Porsche's on a daily basis and if the lack of interior space will bother me as I've never owned a 2 seater before. If I can then it will just be a choice of convertible or hardtop.
If I can't then I'll take a very serious look at the BRZ and the BMW both of which at least have small backseats that could be used for additional storage or an extra body or two in a pinch.
I'm currently driving a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES that is utterly boring in every way but at least has a 5 speed, is payed for and only has 56k miles on it. I may keep it as a beater or I may decide to sell or trade it. As I said, I have alot of stuff to figure out! =)
I read the Top Gear magazine. Most entertaining car mag out there IMO. I've read a couple issues of Import Tuner and Honda Tuning but the writing was less than mediocre.
Duracelllll
Member
As some of the others said, racing history, it's the japanese supercar, and how advanced it is (was, for the time) and over-engineered the car is. They were made from 1999 and the screen does live telemetry (3 different screens including a line graph with 30 seconds history), satnav (japan), tv tuner (japan), I can plug my current phone in and listen through the radio. Obviously for this day and age it's nothing special, but 13 years ago that was very advanced. The car is 4wd, but is mostly a rwd car until you push the car then the computer will send more torque to the front wheels for better traction.
They're also over-engineered because of the law at the time in which stated that japanese cars couldn't be sold with more than 272HP (276PS), so they were detuned but could easily be increased significantly in power.
Additionally, it's a road car based on a race car, not the other way around. Unfortunately most American's don't know it's racing heritage, which is probably part of the reason for the low sales of the current GT-R. Anyone in Australia with a bit of racing history knowledge will know how the GTR dominated Group A racing in Australia (and worldwide) destroying the local competition, and earning the nickname 'Godzilla'. They had to change the rules to ban them from competing!
Can I recommend you watching the first 9 minutes of this video - it has a bit of history on the GTR before going in to the R35 GT-R.
The R34 GTR is also pretty rare, for example, 17k Ferrari 360s were built, only 12k GTRs. It's already got a lot of attention around here, had a few people come up at the lights/when parked etc to ask about it and I've only driven it a few times so far.
Don't worry man your time will come, like I said I've had to work for a lot of years to be in a position to buy something nice, now I've got the house etc.
I'm in Perth, AU
Thanks for the kind words.
Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am
Where is the damn Turbo Boost button??
MisterNoisy
Member
Tempted to pick up a Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 V6, 2011 year model. Anyone here own one or have any opinion they wanna share to help me make a more informed decision?
Haven't been able to test drive any myself yet as have to drive quite far to get to the nearest dealer.
I've owned my '11 3.8 Track for about 16 months now, and here's my take.
There are valid complaints:
The interior isn't amazing - hard (and fairly ugly) plastics on the dash and other surfaces where you don't touch it a lot and decent soft-touch stuff on the contact points. Despite that, the '11 interior got decent upgrades from the '10 and earlier models - they replaced the godawful silver painted stuff with gunmetal colored faux-brushed metal that looks and wears pretty well and made a very nice nav system standard, which also includes automatic climate and a fairly decent audio package. All that said, the seats are fucking godly - just about perfect for a car with sporting intent and drive all day comfortable, and the leather actually feels like it came from cows. One other note: old-school gooseneck hinges for the trunk are a complete pain in the ass.
The suspension is very harsh for something that's supposed to be a budget Grand Touring car, but will definitely facilitate some good times on back roads if you defeat the traction control - the first time the TCS kicked in on mine, it cut in so aggressively that it literally felt like something had broken. You can add the $30 front camber bolts if you want to sharpen turn in - my dealer popped them in and adjusted them for free since I was there for an oil change/routine service. If you're concerned about ride harshness, you may want to consider the 'Grand Touring' trim level, but I think that may be A/T only and you lose the Brembos.
The shifter is notchy as hell, but works well enough. You sure as hell won't mistake it for a Miata lever. There have been fairly numerous complaints on GC-specific forums of a grinding in the higher gears, but I haven't experienced it yet. The clutch isn't heavy, but has something of an on/off quality to it.
That said, I really dig this car - it's absolutely willing to play with you if you're in the mood, and the engine makes all the right sounds and pulls pretty damned hard once you get it to about 3000-3500 RPM. The brakes are outstanding once you swap to good aftermarket pads. It's also a pretty decent head turner, especially in yellow.
Mileage is okay at about 20-22 in-town and 28-29 on the highway during an eight-hour interstate slog to NC.I drove this against a '11 V6 Mustang Premium, heavily optioned (Track package, nav, etc) to get to feature parity with the GC and the '11 Camaro similarly equipped, and for me, the GC was the easy pick - it's lower and feels more sporty than either of the V6 ponycars, plus there aren't a bajillion of them cruising around. I also considered a Mustang GT stripped to get to the same price point, but nobody actually had one of those at the time - I think that sort of package only exists in magazine comparisons.
All told, the Gen Coupe feels like something between the raw/unrefined nature of a ponycar and something like a 370Z or G37, and may suffer in comparisons by trying to straddle all those segments - people looking for a GT or sports car won't like the unrefined parts of it, while the ponycar types will ask where the V8 is. It works very well for me and my needs/desires.
Hey, picked this up a little while ago, Nissan Skyline R34 GTR in Bayside Blue. Car was about 5500 km away, so flew over and bought it, then drove on a 900 km road trip to take it to the transporters. I had to remove the licence plates for the drive. Once I dropped it off, it then took 2 weeks to get to me, and finally she's here. Then went to the depot and picked it up and drove it home, then the next day got up at 4am to get it registered and get my new plates fitted. The car is 100% original and unmodified, still has factory exhaust, radio etc, and came with Japanese log books and service history. It's taken 9-1/2 years of long, hard work to be able to get it, so I'm pretty excited.
Congrats on getting a great car. Enjoy it ;-)
If you can afford it then go with the Cayman. By the way, the BRZ back seats are there for show only, no space to fit anyone in there (other than a child seat I guess). I know I'm biased towards the Subaru right now but give it a whirl. It's a fun ride when compared to the other two cars you have in that list.
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