Car Appreciation Thread

[Brian Rubin]

Hey y'all, how are ya? I'm starting this thread because I have a car I absolutely love, and I wanted to know if there were any others here who loved their cars too. :)

I have a blue 2008 Honda Fit Sport, and it's the best car I've ever owned. Fun as hell to drive with fantastic handling, decent acceleration and a great ride at speed. She's also really practical with a ton of room inside and is very comfortable to drive on long hauls. I love my car so much that I don't even mind LA traffic at all, because she's so much fun to drive. ;) I've never had a car that clicks with me as much as this one does. :)

How about y'all? :)

[mkozlows]

I have to say, 11,356 posts all to establish yourself before beginning your viral marketing career? That's dedication.

[Omniscia]

Wow, Brian, you have a blue Honda Fit? Why haven't you mentioned this before? ;)

[Robert Sharp]

I have a 2004 Saturn Ion 3 and it's the best car I've owned. I love that car, from the dent proof doors to the solid engine. I've never had major issues with it, and I don't treat it that well maintenance-wise. I'm pretty sad that Saturn has gone away; I would definitely buy another one, if I could some day.

[Adam Altmann]

I'd nominate my grandmother's old maroon colored Plymouth Horizon. I spent a lot of time in that car. She'd take me out to lunch for filet-o'-fish in it, and on the way I'd just sit and slap the saggy flabby part on the backs of her arms so it swung back and forth. Not once did she complain. Those were fun trips. By the time I was old enough to drive, she had put some shaggy muppet-fur type seatcovers on it, also maroon colored. Very sharp. I took Stephanie P. to prom in it, and right there in the maroon, shag, arm-fat-slapping passenger seat is where I became a man.

[fire]

I miss my old, mostly-broken, salvage-titled '95 M3. That was the best, most fun car to drive, with comparatively few bells and whistles, and no other car I've driven can even come close.

http://yikes.com/~fire/qt3/car.jpg

[Freezer-TPF-]

It's way too boring for some/most, but I am very happy with my recent purchase of a 2011 Honda Civic, my first brand new car.

I have a soft spot for my first ever car, a 1980 VW Rabbit Diesel. It was total crap mechanically and the roof rattled at certain RPMs, but it had charm inside and out. Also, it got over 50 MPG on highway trips, the last of which claimed its life. /lights glowplug in its memory

[Brian Rubin]

Oh, if we're getting nostalgic, I also really miss my first car, a 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser station wagon with a lovely V8 engine it it. Car was a damned aircraft carrier, but I loved driving that thing.

[Eilonwy]

We've got a 2009 Honda Fit and we love it. Never had a problem with it, the only thing I'd change is that I want map lights, dammit, but we didn't feel like upgrading to the Sport just for those.

[Brian Rubin]

What are map lights?

[Houngan]

What are map lights?

Small lights above the center console, like what you have on airplanes. They light the driver and passenger side so you can read a map. You know, if you happen to be driving and get lost in 1995. ;-)

H.

[Brian Rubin]

Small lights above the center console, like what you have on airplanes. They light the driver and passenger side so you can read a map. You know, if you happen to be driving and get lost in 1995. ;-)

H.
Oohhh, yeah, seems a bit weird. I've not seen anyone use an actual map in ages.

[Eilonwy]

They are very helpful if you are looking for something in the car while driving at night or if you have a baby in the car and are digging through the diaper bag and want the use of both your hands.

[Brian Rubin]

Oh, that makes sense, though I'd hope they could be turned on and off at will. I'd hate for them to be on all the time.

[robsam]

Brian!

[Brian Rubin]

Um...yes?

[mkozlows]

Oh, that makes sense, though I'd hope they could be turned on and off at will. I'd hate for them to be on all the time.

Your advocacy for your car would be more persuasive if you'd shown sign of having driven any other car at all since 1985.

[CourteousD]

Oh, if we're getting nostalgic, I also really miss my first car, a 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser station wagon with a lovely V8 engine it it. Car was a damned aircraft carrier, but I loved driving that thing.

'78 Buick Skylark, for me – we probably could have traded each other half the parts!

I can't say I miss it much, though. The thing was built used. Rolled out of the factory with 50,000 miles on it. The five years I had it were a parade of irritating problems (hardly any of them my fault, honest), culminating in the headliner coming unglued and sagging down into the passenger compartment for an Arabian Nights motif.

On the other hand, it was easy to work on, provided any number of learning opportunities, and the parts were certainly 1) easy to find and 2) cheap.

I've owned "better" cars since, but oddly enough the one I really loved was a 1987 Mazda 323 hatchback. Totally unglamorous, but durable as hell, ridiculously cheap to run, an elegant minimum of moving parts, and surprisingly good performance (power to weight!). Just a solid, eager to please workhorse.

[extarbags]

I love my VW Rabbit right to death. So awesome.

[Brian Rubin]

Your advocacy for your car would be more persuasive if you'd shown sign of having driven any other car at all since 1985.
I honestly haven't had a lot of cars. The ones I've had are:

1979 Olds Wagon
1992 Buick LeSabre
1996 Chevy Blazer
2008 Nissan Sentra
2008 Honda Fit

[playingwithknives]

My Fiesta ST 2.0 (http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/91/4511788426942c24169db.jpg). I went to the local Ford garage to look at sensible replacements for an old Fiesta I had for years, and bought this on impulse. It's modified a little, with remapped ECU, filters and exhaust but it's not outrageously fast. Very nice to drive on country roads and locally, but not great for longer journeys (1hr+) and on motorways you have to be careful not to speed.

One of my best cars was an Audi Coupe GT (someone else's here (http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k149/fivepot/mygoldgt.jpg)), 1988 plate. This got me round the country when I was clubbing every weekend in the 90s. Lovely handling, great for country roads and motorway driving. It ran great for years, but eventually became too uneconomic to fix when I was hardly driving due to living near a Tube station.

[Brian Rubin]

Oh yeah, those new Fiesta's look surprisingly nice.

[Lunch of Kong]

an old Fiesta I had for years

Did your old Fiesta have a manual choke?

[Linoleum]

Is this where I proclaim my love for black cars?

[Shellfishguy]

My favorite of all my past cars was my 1996 Ford F150. Black and silver with the extended cab and the short bed. Was such an awesome ride, it almost killed me when I lost my job and had to get rid of it.

Since then I've mostly been driving Dodge mini vans, we've had three to date. Now that we're a two income house again, my wife just upgraded to a 2011 Honda C-RV which is really nice. Once her bonus comes in, we'll finally be trading away the last two vans and I'll be upgrading to a Honda Ridgeline (http://automobiles.honda.com/ridgeline/exterior-photos.aspx). I didn't really like them at first look, but after driving one and spending more time around them as we shopped for my wife's car, I really fell in love with them.

[Brian Rubin]

Is this where I proclaim my love for black cars?
Only if you want to fuck them.

[playingwithknives]

Did your old Fiesta have a manual choke?

Nah, it was a 95 plate and long past that tech.. I had manual chokes on my first few cars though, a Renault 5, VW Polo and the worst car in the history of motoring, an Austin Metro.

[Hans Lauring]

My favorite of all my past cars was my 1996 Ford F150. Black and silver with the extended cab and the short bed. Was such an awesome ride, it almost killed me when I lost my job and had to get rid of it.

Since then I've mostly been driving Dodge mini vans, we've had three to date. Now that we're a two income house again, my wife just upgraded to a 2011 Honda C-RV which is really nice. Once her bonus comes in, we'll finally be trading away the last two vans and I'll be upgrading to a Honda Ridgeline (http://automobiles.honda.com/ridgeline/exterior-photos.aspx). I didn't really like them at first look, but after driving one and spending more time around them as we shopped for my wife's car, I really fell in love with them.

That's one nasty looking car (but so is the F-150, so it's probably a cultural thing), but I can see it being handy back on the farm.

[Hans Lauring]

I really like my Renault Clio Sports Tourer diesel, but would probably love a more expensive station wagon or mpv more.

[Lunch of Kong]

Nah, it was a 95 plate and long past that tech.. I had manual chokes on my first few cars though, a Renault 5, VW Polo and the worst car in the history of motoring, an Austin Metro.

Yeah, mine was on an E-plate Ford Fiesta. My first car ever. It would shake violently at 70mph, but then settle down if you dared take it past 75. I lost its muffler on the M40 between junctions 3 and 4.

[Shellfishguy]

That's one nasty looking car (but so is the F-150, so it's probably a cultural thing), but I can see it being handy back on the farm.

I've always been a truck guy. When it was time to get my first car, I wanted to buy a small pickup. Instead my dad took my savings and bought a Pontiac T-1000 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_T1000/1000) (ie Chevy Chevette) from a friend of his at church. Hated that fucking car.

[Adam Altmann]

I've always been a truck guy. When it was time to get my first car, I wanted to buy a small pickup. Instead my dad took my savings and bought a Pontiac T-1000 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_T1000/1000) (ie Chevy Chevette) from a friend of his at church. Hated that fucking car.

For a long time I swore up and down that I'd never own a truck. I'd look at them and think "Nah, not for me." Then one day it was time to get a new vehicle, and I started thinking "Hmmmm, maybe I should get a truck. I've never had one." So I bought one, a Ford Ranger. That thing was great! You can do so much more stuff! Fill it up with heavy things and move them around! Awesome. I had a little car after that and loved it for the gas mileage, but that's about it. I'm back to owning a truck and loving it for moving heavy things around. Doing work on my fixer-upper house requires a bunch of trips to Home Depot, and the recycling yard, and a host of other places. I wouldn't be able to manage without it, and I'm planning to keep this truck until it dies. I guess I'm no longer a car person.

[Hans Lauring]

Oh, I'm not knocking trucks for utility reasons. I grew up in the country and knew people on farms, so I get their use - and If I bought a house/yard that needed work a truck would be a consideration.
My house is small, so we made do with renting a trailer. Of course my new car doesn't even have a tow hitch...

[Brian Rubin]

Instead my dad took my savings and bought a Pontiac T-1000 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_T1000/1000) (ie Chevy Chevette) from a friend of his at church. Hated that fucking car.
Oh god, those were AWFUL I'm told. I'd be so mad at your dad...

[nKoan]

I bought my dad's old pickup off him a few years back when I bought my first house. An 03 Toyota Tacoma. And I love it for its utilitarian uses. I also tend to drive it more because it gets slightly better gas mileage compared to my 'fun' car, a 05 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT.

But yeah, hooray for cars!

[Shellfishguy]

Oh god, those were AWFUL I'm told. I'd be so mad at your dad...

I lived in upstate NY and went to college on Long Island. The trip from one to the other ran down a lovely stretch of road called the Taconic Parkway. A little highway with these huge steep hill sections. I had to gun the engine and go as fast as I could (around 70) on the downhill sections just so I could be going about 40mph by the time I hit the top. The car had no balls whatsoever.

[fourfs]

Despite a horrific list of problems and charitably described as sounding like a "rattling death trap" by my loved ones, I will always have the deepest love for my '03 Focus ZX3. It's my first car, and somehow, so far my only car. Also, the moon roof.

[Mean Dr. Lily]

I love my 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis. I have a 60 mile commute each way, and it's the perfect vehicle for that. Smooth, powerful, safe, reasonably efficient (~25mpg), and very inexpensive to maintain. I previously owned a 1998 model and took it up to 250,000 miles without doing much of anything besides tires and brakes on it. It still looked great when I sold it, too.

I bought this one a few months back with only 64k on the clock for $4,800. I was going to buy a used Prius for $10k more, but there's no way I'd recoup the money on gas.

[Brian Rubin]

That looks like a comfy car to drive, Mean.

[Fugitive]

I remember seeing an AMC Rambler that my father had in a barn at his mother's house, and how one day he was going to get it fixed up and it would become mine. Though this was something like 25 years ago, we've never been back out to that place, or talk to that side of the family much, and it was in terrible condition even back then. I remember it now more for the hazy mystique of it in my memories, than any kind of actual practical value.

[Robert Sharp]

This video (of my favorite Queen song...yeah, really) belongs in this thread:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdDNFJpil50

[Omniscia]

Thank you, Robert. I was waiting for someone to bring that up.

[Bill]

I love my BMW Z4 convertible, it still brings an easy smile, especially with the top down, which is anytime above 55 F. It wasn't intended to be my daily driver but since the Acura died it's filled that role nicely. I know the styling is polarizing but I think it looks great and it has a good amount of power (it's the SI) which is fun on the back roads.

But I also sometimes miss my first car, a hand-me-down 1980 Mercedes 300D. It didn't handle particularly well but it did handle predictably--after a year of driving it I could get out of a skid or fishtail without thinking or stressing about it. Not real fast. Also, it was mustard yellow, and looked pretty identical to this:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/2363095843_f52d07fe64.jpg

[tiohn]

Much as I love my Mazdaspeed 3, it's nowhere near my affection for my 1986 Volvo 240.
http://www.autozin.com/tmp/image.php?id=12969803758899465&type=jpeg
The car was utterly reliable and simple enough that I could perform any work short of rebuilding the engine myself. So simple, in fact, that replacing the timing belt took 15 minutes and nothing more than a few wrenches. I would drive one every day for the rest of my life if I could.

[krayzkrok]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/2363095843_f52d07fe64.jpg

Did you also use it to run over cats?

[Brian Rubin]

Much as I love my Mazdaspeed 3, it's nowhere near my affection for my 1986 Volvo 240.
http://www.autozin.com/tmp/image.php?id=12969803758899465&type=jpeg
The car was utterly reliable and simple enough that I could perform any work short of rebuilding the engine myself. So simple, in fact, that replacing the timing belt took 15 minutes and nothing more than a few wrenches. I would drive one every day for the rest of my life if I could.
Yeah, most people I know who've owned Volvo's have an everlasting love for them.

[Omniscia]

They just won't die!

You can kill all their features and accessories and the engine keeps on going. They can rust all over and still be solid as a rock.

[Bill]

Did you also use it to run over cats?

Just a raccoon :(

[Wisbechlad]

My 2002 Lexus IS200. OK the mileage is pretty poor (32 MPG UK gallons) but it is a fun car when roads are twisty, a good motorway cruiser, and has bells & whistles. I've got a good indy mechanic for reasonable maintenance costs. Plus it is now at the age and value where I don't particularly care about bumps and scrapes and keeping it pristine, just the mechanical side is kept in top condition.

[Ed Solomon]

Yeah, most people I know who've owned Volvo's have an everlasting love for them.

I love my XC90 but I will never love another car like I loved my old 164. http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4225968006_b8383c5e9a.jpg

Mine was an ancient green, though, like an old penny.

[Talisker]

I love my 1998 Mazda Protege 'cause it's been paid off for over a decade. Should be able to get another 2-3 years out of it, even.

[Strato]

My baby that I bought back in 2005 and still have to this day. It does around 6000 kilometres a year, so it is still essentially brand new.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f241/Josho1984/DSCN0758.jpg

Why do I like it? Well, it is perfect for long highway driving mostly with the ample leg room, though the 6 stacker CD player and the cruise control help immensely. Add to that the fact I can just throw stuff in the back. It is also very quiet inside, at highway speed I don't hear much in terms of road noise.

That photo was taken at the end of the first big road trip. The idea of driving part way up the most boring bits of Australia didn't excite me, so I put it onto the back of a train and I relaxed by the bar in the train.

[Shellfishguy]

That's pretty sweet Strato, what is it exactly?

[Hans Lauring]

It's a freight train. They're pretty nifty...

[krayzkrok]

I sure do love our Toyota Landcruiser. There aren't many places you can't take this machine, plus it has a great turbo for surprising 2WD drivers on the main road. You can also fit an 11 foot long crocodile easily in the back (no, really). Custom plate "SMAUG" arriving later this week.

http://i53.tinypic.com/c6amw.jpg


I love my ITR too for very different reasons, although there are only a few roads around here where you can really drive it. You could probably fit a 5 foot croc into the back of this one, but you won't find me trying that.

http://i52.tinypic.com/2el5nip.jpg

[Freezer-TPF-]

Do you bring the crocs when you go to test drive new vehicles?

"Mind if I test the trunk space on this one? I need to be able to fit two golf bags and a 5 foot croc. I brought them with me, hang on..."

[krayzkrok]

That would never work. I only have one golf bag.

[MattN]

I'm in love with my Audi S5. I recently got into a fender bender with it and had to go a few weeks without it. (Apparently a 5 mile an hour accident with an SUV nets you a 3 week repair time and a fucking expensive repair bill for insurance.) That 5 minute drive back from the shop was euphoric for me. I felt like Sweeny Todd "My hand is complete again!" Also like Brian, I don't mind LA traffic in it. (Most of the time)

[Brian Rubin]

Also like Brian, I don't mind LA traffic in it. (Most of the time)
Hah! Yeah, there are still times when LA traffic gets to any of us. :)

[eliandi]

Anyone else in a local/national car club or active in a car forum(s) for your respective car?

[MattN]

Anyone else in a local/national car club or active in a car forum(s) for your respective car?
I was active in an a/s5 forum but they got mad at me for saying fuck once and I realized it was better that that point for me to just not post anymore since there is no way I could refrain from cussing.

[EvoEco]

Hey, I had a Volvo 164 too. "Oxblood" with a tan interior. I loved it because it tried so hard to look like a Rover P6 front end had been stuck on the front of an otherwise completely square Volvo 144 and because it had a ridiculous toggle switch for overdrive instead of nice, normal 5th gear.

That Volvo and its great torque probably explain why I love my 2010 diesel Jetta wagon. Unless I adopt getting speeding tickets as a hobby, torque is much more fun in modern traffic conditions than horsepower.

[mkozlows]

I'm in love with my Audi S5. I recently got into a fender bender with it and had to go a few weeks without it. (Apparently a 5 mile an hour accident with an SUV nets you a 3 week repair time and a fucking expensive repair bill for insurance.) I realized in those weeks how amazing my car drives, I was car hoping between my family's cars all of which were "nicer" than mine and yet I missed the way mine handled.

Yeah, screw all those fancy luxury cars, all you need is a simple, basic Audi S5.

[MattN]

Yeah, screw all those fancy luxury cars, all you need is a simple, basic Audi S5.
Fair enough, I didn't realize what I typed was so snooty when I was typing it. Removed.

[mkozlows]

Oh, it's not offensive, I just thought it was amusing.

[Brian Rubin]

Anyone else in a local/national car club or active in a car forum(s) for your respective car?
I'm not active but I do lurk a lot and post when I need help over on Fit Freak (http://fitfreaks.net/). Wonderful forum.

[Marcus]

I love my 08 Dodge Charger and I really died a little on the inside with what they have done with the new ones. I was really interested to see where they were going to take the design but they fucked it up.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5199/5833703104_7a63614725_z.jpg

[Marcus]

Oh and I really really liked my 94 Chevy Tahoe but alas with the way parking is in LA I just couldn't keep it around. I think once I move to a place where I have more then one spot I'll get another one.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4523805894_612c125f13_z.jpg

[Brian Rubin]

I love my 08 Dodge Charger and I really died a little on the inside with what they have done with the new ones. I was really interested to see where they were going to take the design but they fucked it up.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5199/5833703104_7a63614725_z.jpg
I've not been paying attention, how did they fuck it up?

Oh, and do any of y'all make up errands sometimes just to drive the car a little bit? Since I work from home I've been doing that to get out of the house and such. ;)

[Brian Rubin]

Oh and I really really liked my 94 Chevy Tahoe but alas with the way parking is in LA I just couldn't keep it around. I think once I move to a place where I have more then one spot I'll get another one.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4523805894_612c125f13_z.jpg
That thing is massive dude. Love it. But yeah, it'd be too much for LA, though I do see trucks like that driving around and just wonder how the hell they park it here and why the hell they need it here...

[Marcus]

This is what the rear looks like now...

http://sportcarnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2011_Dodge-Charger_02.jpg

It reminds me of some abomination we saw in the 90s

[Brian Rubin]

You have bandwidth thief on your rear?

[Marcus]

oh gdi hold on let me fix that.

[Brian Rubin]

Oh, yeah, that looks really...weird...

[nKoan]

I actually like the new Charger over the previous model. I was thinking more 60/70s throwback with a modern spin, but now that you mention the 90s abomination, I totally see it (and you may have just ruined it for me).

[Eric Majkut]

Looks like a 90's Ford Escort.

[Marcus]

I was just driving around and I saw that it actually looks like a 90s Saturn. Wasn't quick enough to snap a picture but damn they look a lot a like.

[Strato]

That's pretty sweet Strato, what is it exactly?

It is a Holden, which is a major car company here in Australia, owned by GM.


Oh and I really really liked my 94 Chevy Tahoe but alas with the way parking is in LA I just couldn't keep it around. I think once I move to a place where I have more then one spot I'll get another one.



With that beast of yours, couldn't you just park on top of other vehicles? I don't think anyone will fuck with you when they see you getting into or out of that car.

[frank austin]

I'm going to shit on the Fit for a second, sorry Brian.

There are a lot of things I like about mine, mostly because it makes a great car for carting my dog and some stuff around in mixed driving. On the other hand...

The freeway ride fucking sucks. I don't know how on earth you can think this is good unless you have literally never been in any other car on the freeway. The wind noise is downright silly, and over long distances it's just not a comfortable ride.

The handling is not good. No, really, it's not. There is more body roll on my 09 Fit Sport than in some SUVs I've driven. The back end is not nearly as stable as I would expect, and it tends to bounce around given the slightest provocation. (ha)

Rear drum brakes? What fucking year is this?

Living in LA, you and Tom probably don't drive manuals. I made the mistake of thinking I would enjoy the drive more if I got one. The Fit's clutch is an abomination, a miserable piece of shit that couldn't shift smoothly if you dipped the entire thing in a vat of KY.

There are a lot of more personal quibbles that I have with the car, like the dining room table sized dash, the terrible pillar placement, and baffling interior design, but it's still an economy car, and all of the things I dislike about it need to be viewed through that lens. It's just that when other people come out and praise those aspects specifically that I wonder how much driving of other cars they really could have done. Seriously, go test drive an Accord on a freeway and then post in here about how great the Fit's freeway ride is.

[Brian Rubin]

Huh, I've driven eight hours straight in the thing and I find it perfectly comfortable, and I've not noticed any wind noise. Maybe the 09 and the 08 are that different? Most of the cars I've driven are American save the Nissan, but I love the Fit's ride. I do have an automatic, though.

I guess it's not for everyone, though, but I do so love mine. :)

[kedaha]

Nice Ute Strato, what engine does she have? There's a handful of 6.0l ones over here, and a few Monaros but they're pretty thin on the ground due to €1,500 a year motor tax.

I have an 05 MG ZT 190 SE factory finished in Bittersweet chromescent paint. It goes from bluish-green to a deep rich gold depending on angle. Interior is a sumptuous combination of leather, alcantara, walnut and black oak and the KV6 engine is the best sounding v6 engine I've ever heard(even beating the Alfa v6).
Consumption isn't great, insurance kills me, tax is bonkers but I love it to bits. Can only see myself changing it for the v8 version and sticking a supercharger in it.

[frank austin]

Huh, I've driven eight hours straight in the thing and I find it perfectly comfortable, and I've not noticed any wind noise. Maybe the 09 and the 08 are that different? Most of the cars I've driven are American save the Nissan, but I love the Fit's ride. I do have an automatic, though.

I guess it's not for everyone, though, but I do so love mine. :)

You can also look at any review of the car, almost all of them mention wind noise. It's a LOUD motherfucker on the freeway.

Seriously, go test drive an Accord and compare the two.

I like mine, but I don't love it. It's a good economy car, but it's still very much an economy car.

I miss my Coupe GT. I know someone mentioned these upthread, but I had an 87 that remains my favorite car. Some day when I have disposable income I will hunt down a Quattro from that era.

[Strato]

Nice Ute Strato, what engine does she have? There's a handful of 6.0l ones over here, and a few Monaros but they're pretty thin on the ground due to €1,500 a year motor tax.


The engine is a V6 alloytec engine (http://www.autoweb.com.au/cms/A_102048/title_Holden-Reveals-Advanced-AllNew-Alloytec-V6-Engine-/newsarticle.html) which is basically the standard engine in that series of Holden. I got the car when I was 21, so I don't think an 8 cylinder would have gone down too well money wise with either insurance, or for that matter car registration.

The monaro's are a decent car. Heck, the Top Gear guys loved it when it was released in the UK. I remember the segments they had on it, mostly that it was outright fun to drive. One danger I've heard with the monaro however is the blind spots that exist on it, I guess due to its shape. Still, the older monaro's look a lot better in my opinion, the epitome of muscle car goodness.

[kedaha]

Yeah, my brother isn't really a car guy, but he adores the Monaro. It's a simplistic design but results in an understated muscle car(like 60's american ones), unlike the latest holden/fords or any of the new american offerings.

[Lunch of Kong]

One danger I've heard with the monaro however is the blind spots that exist on it, I guess due to its shape.

There are several ways to mitigate large blind spots. One way is to replace your car's mirrors with multivex mirrors that are progressively convex towards the outer edges. It's what I use in my little car to make up for not having a rearview mirror.

www.multivexmirrors.com

(pics are from someone else's little car)

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/attachments/f92/11912d1116729398-multivex-mirror-review-mirrors2005_0521ab.jpg
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/attachments/f92/11935d1116794307-multivex-mirror-review-twomirrors.jpg

[Shellfishguy]

Those mirrors are pretty cool, its amazing how much of a difference it is.

[Wallington]

Your little car? Is that the mirror of a Lotus Elise? I want shots of the outside. Beautiful car.




There are several ways to mitigate large blind spots. One way is to replace your car's mirrors with multivex mirrors that are progressively convex towards the outer edges. It's what I use in my little car to make up for not having a rearview mirror.

www.multivexmirrors.com

(pics are from someone else's little car)

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/attachments/f92/11912d1116729398-multivex-mirror-review-mirrors2005_0521ab.jpg
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/attachments/f92/11935d1116794307-multivex-mirror-review-twomirrors.jpg

[Lunch of Kong]

Your little car? Is that the mirror of a Lotus Elise? I want shots of the outside. Beautiful car.

Thank you, sir. Mine's blue.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/rogerawong/exigefuzzydice.png

I try to keep it nice, but I'm resigned to the fact that if you want a perfect car, you must put it in a museum and never drive it. Especially don't track it. And if you do, try to keep the damn thing on asphalt... :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT8y5olhPR4&hd=1#t=1m06s

[Wallington]

Ha ha what a paint scheme. Is that factory?

Wait, that's a different car. Or has been painted. Mirrors in the first pic are orange, and blue in the second. Which one is yours, the blue one?

Tell me you don't own two. /envy ;) And an Exige, right? They have the roof scoop, right?

One to race and one for trips to the market?

[Lunch of Kong]

Ha ha what a paint scheme. Is that factory?
The base laser blue is factory, but the black and orange stripes and the wheels are not. The original owner had a custom shop perform a lot of work including the custom paint, replacing some interior trim pieces with carbon fiber, and modifying the original seats to accept 6-pt race harnesses.

As you noticed, the color scheme is not everyone's cup of tea. However, it's part of how how I got an excellent deal on the car. The other part was blind luck and being in the right place at the right time.

The pictures of the mirrors are from someone else's chrome orange car. I didn't have any example images of the multivex mirror handy so I borrowed them from him. Sorry for the confusion!

[Strato]

The paint scheme is awesome in my opinion, along with the colour matched fluffy dice.

[kaosfere]

Anyone else in a local/national car club or active in a car forum(s) for your respective car?

Member of the BMWCCA and local autocross clubs. I have an '04 M3 which replaced my '95 M3. Oxford Green over natural leather. I've owned it for a year and I *still* glance back at it almost every time I walk away and think "I can't believe that's *my* car". My love for it is irrational and shameful. It's the model of M3 I'd wanted ever since they first came out, it's a color combination that is both gorgeous and very rare, it's clean, low miles, and it's a blast to drive, both on road and on track, cruising or at speed.

It's not the most luxurious car in the world, nor the best performing, nor the most stunningly gorgeous; but it still gets damn high marks in all three categories. I wish I had more free time these days to track it, as I don't do that as much as I did with my previous cars, but being the father of a young child is... time-consuming.

[eliandi]

I have an '04 M3 which replaced my '95 M3. Oxford Green over natural leather.

Really nice color combination! I love both the 95 and 04 M3s

I'm in the local MINI club myself.

[ReptileHouse]

Anyone else in a local/national car club or active in a car forum(s) for your respective car?

Not as active as I'd like, but I'm around on lotustalk and have attended events with the Golden Gate Lotus Club.