MrDrew Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 12 hours ago, Uncle Buck said: Don't give up on the dreams you guys. Prices are going crazy right now, but 10-15 years from now styles will have changed and everybody will be looking for something else. Who knows? Maybe the "cool" thing will be to trade in the street racer for an electric car or something like that. Eventually, the cars you like will come down in price a little bit, and more importantly, your income will go up. Either that or if you wait long enough, you can get it for next to nothing as I did for the one I posted above. I only paid $3,500 for it. It's one of the least expensive cars I've ever bought, but because I wanted one so badly back when they were new, it still makes me smile every time I open the door to go out into the garage. I guess that's one of the perks to getting older. There are things that I want just because I like them, and I don't have to chase things and pay big bucks for "the new style." Some day you will walk out into the garage and you will have that FD RX-7 that you always wanted. The cost isn't the most prohibitive part of getting one right now. They can still be had for under $30k, and in decent shape. The lack of a backseat hurts, but the kids are almost gone (19, 15), so just a little longer. What really hurts with that car specifically is that it was one of the dream cars for tuner culture, and they are very hard to find without having been destroyed. The guys 5-10 years younger than me were teenagers when The Fast and the Furious came out. It seems like they all thought it would be a great idea to buy a gorgeous car that looked like this take out the sequential twin turbo system that made up for the lack of low end on the rotary engine, and then make it look like this It makes me want to cry. Hopefully I'll find somebody that bought one in '95 as a midlife crisis car, didn't change anything, kept it garaged, and can't drive a manual anymore. It's awesome that you got one of your dream cars. It's even better that the kids don't realize the performance of those things, and they just think they're an old land yacht.It lets you get something really clean, and at a great price. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Buck Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 (edited) 19 minutes ago, MrDrew said: The cost isn't the most prohibitive part of getting one right now. They can still be had for under $30k, and in decent shape. The lack of a backseat hurts, but the kids are almost gone (19, 15), so just a little longer. What really hurts with that car specifically is that it was one of the dream cars for tuner culture, and they are very hard to find without having been destroyed. The guys 5-10 years younger than me were teenagers when The Fast and the Furious came out. It seems like they all thought it would be a great idea to buy a gorgeous car that looked like this take out the sequential twin turbo system that made up for the lack of low end on the rotary engine, and then make it look like this It makes me want to cry. Hopefully I'll find somebody that bought one in '95 as a midlife crisis car, didn't change anything, kept it garaged, and can't drive a manual anymore. It's awesome that you got one of your dream cars. It's even better that the kids don't realize the performance of those things, and they just think they're an old land yacht.It lets you get something really clean, and at a great price. Actually, my car is pretty much just a land yacht with the 3.2 engine. It works for me right now for a low-cost daily driver though. I had a 2006 Mercedes S500 and replaced it with the old 320. It's not my dream car like the 600 V-12, but it does the job. I can see why you like those RX7's. I've never been into Japanese cars too much, but that RX7 had beautiful lines. I couldn't understand when I saw Vin Diesel driving one in the Fast and Furious movie. A car that elegant just doesn't match the personality of his character. Either way, hopefully, one of those beauties will find it's way into your garage sooner rather than later. I'm not sure where you live, but maybe you can find a nice unmolested example in the midwest. Here is one for sale down near Chicago: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/796435832/overview/ Edited February 20, 2020 by Uncle Buck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Buck Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 22 hours ago, Tugboat said: Yeah. That bloating is the biggest problem, all around. Cars are just getting...kinda huge. I know part of it is just the progression of built in safety systems, including the high waistline dictated by pedestrian impact laws now...but cars just don't need to be as big and heavy as they generally are becoming. They still make tiny "city cars" for Europe that meet crash test regulations and don't weight 4,000lbs. It can be done. The thing is, the horsepower has skyrocketed in modern engines too. When I was 18, I had a 1978 Porsche 924 that was powered by what was essentially a VW engine with its 4 cylinders putting out just over 120 horsepower. Zero to 60 time? 9.5 seconds! It doesn't surprise me either. It was a turtle when it came to acceleration. It was a good car for a young kid to own though because handling and braking were both excellent, and it wasn't fast enough to allow me to get myself into too many dangerous situations. After owning the 924 for three years, I upgraded to a 1987 Porsche 944. That car seemed like such an upgrade, but the 0-60 time on that was still only 8.3 seconds. Today's cars might be getting bigger, but it seems like the corresponding increases in horsepower and torque will at least keep them from getting any slower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Buck Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 This is a real "feel-good" video with a car theme. Pretty cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tugboat Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 On 24/02/2020 at 10:19 AM, Uncle Buck said: This is a real "feel-good" video with a car theme. Pretty cool! This is so good. You can tell it just made that guys life. And the reason, they totally explain there. Cars are about more than what they do...they're about the sound, feel, and smell. The way someone like this can appreciate cars, just speaks to that. It's about all the senses. Not about some chart or statistical performance thing. Dang that made me feel good to watch. That said, i wouldn't let that guy near my car as a mechanic. Not to be "sightist" or whatever, but i've kinda gotta be sightist here. I find it hard enough in unfamiliar engine bays, without having to feel my way around an engine bay. And literally...in my current car's engine, it's physically impossible to do. There are important things that you simply cannot do without sight. You can't do some of them with sight. But the whole thing harkens back to an era when you almost kinda could, and i think that is absolutely badass. I wish we could return to a lot of that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanedorf Posted March 26, 2020 Share Posted March 26, 2020 Mr Clueless checking in, seeking some advice We've got a 2003 Toyota Highlander that the kids drive and its starting to leak oil on a consistent basis. Not a lot, we're talking a silver dollar sized spot under the car each day. I'm reluctant to invest a lot of coin in this ancient car, but I'm wondering if anybody has any thoughts on this and I know its a difficult question to answer given the limited info How much work/ $$ is it for a shop to investigate the source and given the age of the vehicle, is it likely to be the end of the line ? Do we just top off the oil from time to time and live with it ? Any insight appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LETSGOBROWNIES Posted March 26, 2020 Share Posted March 26, 2020 3 hours ago, Shanedorf said: Mr Clueless checking in, seeking some advice We've got a 2003 Toyota Highlander that the kids drive and its starting to leak oil on a consistent basis. Not a lot, we're talking a silver dollar sized spot under the car each day. I'm reluctant to invest a lot of coin in this ancient car, but I'm wondering if anybody has any thoughts on this and I know its a difficult question to answer given the limited info How much work/ $$ is it for a shop to investigate the source and given the age of the vehicle, is it likely to be the end of the line ? Do we just top off the oil from time to time and live with it ? Any insight appreciated Imo if it still runs like a champ throw some oil in that beast from time to time and move on. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theJ Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 3 hours ago, Shanedorf said: Mr Clueless checking in, seeking some advice We've got a 2003 Toyota Highlander that the kids drive and its starting to leak oil on a consistent basis. Not a lot, we're talking a silver dollar sized spot under the car each day. I'm reluctant to invest a lot of coin in this ancient car, but I'm wondering if anybody has any thoughts on this and I know its a difficult question to answer given the limited info How much work/ $$ is it for a shop to investigate the source and given the age of the vehicle, is it likely to be the end of the line ? Do we just top off the oil from time to time and live with it ? Any insight appreciated I'd try to trace it back. From where it drops, you should be able to shimmy under and see the source. It's likely an easy fix. Either the oil pan, or the oil filter. A good shop should be able to investigate cheap, if you're not confident in your ability. The fix is likely not expensive either. Maybe a few hundred at most (if it's the oil pan). Just a guess though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PARROTHEAD Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 4 hours ago, Shanedorf said: Mr Clueless checking in, seeking some advice We've got a 2003 Toyota Highlander that the kids drive and its starting to leak oil on a consistent basis. Not a lot, we're talking a silver dollar sized spot under the car each day. I'm reluctant to invest a lot of coin in this ancient car, but I'm wondering if anybody has any thoughts on this and I know its a difficult question to answer given the limited info How much work/ $$ is it for a shop to investigate the source and given the age of the vehicle, is it likely to be the end of the line ? Do we just top off the oil from time to time and live with it ? Any insight appreciated V8 or V6? If its the V8 with the internal waterpump. I gave a fellow that lives close by a hand with that very same issue on a 2003 Tacoma. Like theJ said. Just trace it back. If its coming from a couple inches or so above the pan. Everything above needs to be taken off to get to it. It could be costly if taking her someplace to have the work done. Hopefully its just the pan though. I noticed when helping my friend that when checking. His pan gasket was fairly new. So the owner before him had replaced it for some reason. Likely a leak. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ET80 Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 On 2/13/2020 at 7:51 AM, ET80 said: I like the Camry, test drove the 300hp model - I felt the Maxima drove faster, but don't have anything to substantiate that with. I was about to get the Maxima SL this weekend, but I couldn't get enough on my trade (a 2017 Ford Fiesta - very long story, involves Hurricane Harvey and my absolutely irresponsible Mother in Law). I'm going to give it a week, get closer to month end to get the dealership calling me. So, update: I know a guy who works for a fleet leasing/sales company out here - he was looking for a Maxima for me when he called me and told me he found a 2019 Infiniti Q50 Luxe, AWD with about 26k miles. It was clear he was desperately trying to make a sale, so I threw out a ridiculously low number... and he actually went for it. So... I bought an Infiniti Q50. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dome Posted March 30, 2020 Author Share Posted March 30, 2020 14 minutes ago, ET80 said: So, update: I know a guy who works for a fleet leasing/sales company out here - he was looking for a Maxima for me when he called me and told me he found a 2019 Infiniti Q50 Luxe, AWD with about 26k miles. It was clear he was desperately trying to make a sale, so I threw out a ridiculously low number... and he actually went for it. So... I bought an Infiniti Q50. Merry Christmas 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LETSGOBROWNIES Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 10 hours ago, ET80 said: So, update: I know a guy who works for a fleet leasing/sales company out here - he was looking for a Maxima for me when he called me and told me he found a 2019 Infiniti Q50 Luxe, AWD with about 26k miles. It was clear he was desperately trying to make a sale, so I threw out a ridiculously low number... and he actually went for it. So... I bought an Infiniti Q50. Congrats on the beautiful collection of wreaths. And the car. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ET80 Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 11 minutes ago, LETSGOBROWNIES said: Congrats on the beautiful collection of wreaths. And the car. The Wreaths were a phase for wifey - she made one for every season, sold a few, kept the nice ones. Not sure why she stopped, but I'm probably the reason. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LETSGOBROWNIES Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 4 minutes ago, ET80 said: The Wreaths were a phase for wifey - she made one for every season, sold a few, kept the nice ones. Not sure why she stopped, but I'm probably the reason. Sure buddy... “the wife”.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ET80 Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 56 minutes ago, LETSGOBROWNIES said: Sure buddy... “the wife”.. I wish I was that talented... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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