Cars and Motorsports Thread

[JGreen]

2 hours ago, Vhozite said:

What is the deal with manuals? Every car guy loves them and I don’t understand what the big deal is (never driven one).

I should lead off by saying that I actually learned to drive with a manual, so that likely affects my feelings about driving manual. 

 

I think one of the big things about manual vs auto is the main purpose of your car. If it's only to get to point a to point b, than an auto is better. To me, I like the greater involvement behind using a manual. I enjoying rowing through the different gears and the process behind it. Before my current car, I had a BMW M4 with paddle shifters, but found the paddles boring to use. As a result, I never used them and didn't feel like the drive was engaging. My M4 was fast, but dull to drive. 

 

A manual also makes me feel more connected to the car and I get a better sense of what it's doing. I can feel the different gears engage when I'm shifting and controlling the gas. Then, nailing that perfect rev matched downshift and hearing the loud crackle from my car's exhaust is amazing. There's also a thrill when you're driving at speed and need to shift a gear. Steering with one hand, even briefly, is something else when you're going fast.

 

All in all, I'd say give it a shot. You might like it. You might not. Manuals are dying off for a reason afterall.

[Darc_Requiem]

2015 Hyundai Equus

I wanted V8 and rear wheel drive. It's my first foreign car because domestics just lacked options. They are all about trucks and SUVs now. I didn't want a 300, Mustang, or Camaro. The Chevy SS prices skyrocketed, like the G8 and GTO before when people realized what kind of powertrain they had.

 

Seriously if you bought a GTO, G8 GT/GTX, or SS on sale right near the end of their production they were selling for like 2/3rds MSRP. A few years later they all sold above MSRP used. My brother has a 2005 GTO. He bought it for 22k in 2007. It only had 11k miles at the time. He went to the dealer to look into an extended warranty and they offered him 28k for it. I had a G8 GT that I bought for 25K in 2011. I totalled it in 2013 😭 and my insurance company gave me 27K for it. I went to look for another one and the same model I had was going for that much with more miles than the car I wrecked.

 

Side Note: Totaled my ass. Two weeks after I totaled it, I got a call from the mechanic that bought it at an auction. He fixed it and was wondering if I still had the second set of keys. They only made G8's for about a year and half. They were built in Australia. Insurance company just didn't want to fix it. 😔

Edited August 8, 2021 by Darc_Requiem

[Vhozite]

41 minutes ago, Darc_Requiem said:

They are all about trucks and SUVs now.

Ive had this conversation with my dad. Sedans are slowly getting phased out because Americans apparently love larger vehicles. I definitely get the appeal of having extra room and ground clearance but realistically I don’t need either of those things day to day as much as I’d use extra power under the hood. 
 

How is your car in bad weather? I always hear RWD is shit in bad conditions but they can’t be as bad as people say since I see them everywhere.

[Reticently]

My favorite cars to drive are compact crossovers, but I know I'm weird like that.  I end up driving a lot of shitty road conditions, but still want something that's easy to park in the city.

 

In video games I love the engagement and nuance of a manual, but in the real world I don't want to have to micromanage at that level.  Shit, my favorite car was a Nissan Juke, and that thing had a CVT.

[Vhozite]

I’ve driven CVT transmissions and the lack of gear changes just throws me off even if it’s probably (definitely?) more efficient. I had to drive my moms car for a week while mine was in the shop and I just really hated it even though her car is better than mine in almost every way.

[Reticently]

CVTs are definitely more efficient.

 

I think they're fine, except when they're paired with an underpowered engine (but an underpowered engine is going to suck regardless, so that's whatever).

[Darc_Requiem]

1 hour ago, Vhozite said:

Ive had this conversation with my dad. Sedans are slowly getting phased out because Americans apparently love larger vehicles. I definitely get the appeal of having extra room and ground clearance but realistically I don’t need either of those things day to day as much as I’d use extra power under the hood. 
 

How is your car in bad weather? I always hear RWD is shit in bad conditions but they can’t be as bad as people say since I see them everywhere.

RWD isn't bad if you aren't an idiot with it. Don't floor it while making a left or right turn when exiting a parking lot in the rain. It has three modes Normal (for Fuel Economy 🤨) Sport (Default for me, I have V8. I want to use it), and there is a Snow mode for winter weather. I've only had to use it a few times but it with traction control gives you a solid feel. My previous car, 2010 Taurus SHO, was a beast in bad weather. I do miss the AWD from my old SHO sometimes. The Equus is a luxury car though. It's more of a cruiser, it's basically the car rich dudes in South Korea buy to get chauffeured around. There is arm rest in the back seat that allows you control everything. Although I don't see the point of the DVD player. Format aside, you can't use it when the car is in motion. Like who is going to sit in their car and watch movies 🤣

[Faltimar the Dark]

My old car here -

 

'99 Cadillac Seville

[Darc_Requiem]

52 minutes ago, Faltimar the Dark said:

My classic Caddy here

Nah fam, I had to fix that for you. I really liked those cars a lot back in the day. I was fascinated by the Northstar V8.

[Genghis_Dong]

I'll have to borrow my gf's camera to take better pics of the gtir. Spend most of this first year owning it doing maintenance and repairs. Should get a fat work bonus and I'll use it to do some fun upgrades. Car has been fun though. First jdm car I've owned and the repairs were less than I thought they would be.