Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
picture of your car
- Thread starter puckhead193
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
- Status
Actually if I had my pick of a project car, it'd be a big bumper Mk2 with a VR6 in it. I've had Mk2's, and I've had a VR6, but never together. I know it's not the optimum setup but it's kind of the wild idea I'd love to make happen someday.cplusON3R said:buy a mk2 jetta coupe shell and install a 1.8t!
kjr39 said:
He knows that.
Mad and I exchange PM's about GM and such. And let me say this. The amount of blind fanboism is amazing. Both the Corvette and Evo are very cool vehicles. Too bad Mits might go bankrupt in the U.S Market. They're the only company that seems to be proud of its Japanese Heritage. While Toyota and Honda try to surround themselves with American flags claiming to be as American as GM and Ford which is a ridiculous claim. To trash talk the Small Block V8 says that you know nothing about it. Sorry for a reality check. The Z06 can beat a Gallardo, and many other European exotics in the price range of $200-300K. And the Corvette SS with 600+ HP will make it even more of a exotic killer. Now of course there are cars that can beat the Z06.jaydub said:ho-lee-shiat. That's exactly what I want too, even the same color.
I had an 87 8v GTI that I loved, I so want another!
man, and you've even got single rounds, my favorite!!
lol.. werd alpine white, single rounds, e-codes w/city lights.. notice the early style mk2 jetta grille? still on the lookout for some used french fogs as well.
dooo eeet! you know want it! and if you and your friends are pretty knowledgable the swap could be done in one weekend!
oh yeah.. the engine bay may be a bit on the dirty side but I track it more than I show it so whatever.. and obviously I dont track it with the BBS RMs.. those are just my 'good time' wheels.. and dont mind the the low hanging BPTD skidplate.. I need to tweak it a little more for it to fit properly..
For you Z06 haters out there. Here is what Top Gear has to say about it. As usual though they input their European Bias in the review. They don't do there research as the Y-Body( the Corvettes and XLR's platform) would need extensive redoing to put the steering wheel on the right side. Anyway, here is the review.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sp6VQpG8CRE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sp6VQpG8CRE
skipskop24 said:Is that your house behind the M5?
Used to be. Just thought that it would eb a nice backdrop for the car. Love the round driveway.
Im Mike, New Here. We have lots of Hondas !
03' Pilot EXL w/DVD
01' Accord 5spd Sedan - My Sporty 150hp beast hehe
96' Accord LX - Perfect in all ways
06' Civic EX - Son #1's
06' Civic EX Son #2's (Btw- Those sons are 30secs apart from each other. Yep Twins!)
But here's my two rides.
Almost to 100k!!! - 96 Accord
The 01' Straight From the Car Wash.
I love my Hondas!!!
Good Day.
Mike
!03' Pilot EXL w/DVD
01' Accord 5spd Sedan - My Sporty 150hp beast hehe
96' Accord LX - Perfect in all ways
06' Civic EX - Son #1's
06' Civic EX Son #2's (Btw- Those sons are 30secs apart from each other. Yep Twins!)
But here's my two rides.
Almost to 100k!!! - 96 Accord
The 01' Straight From the Car Wash.
I love my Hondas!!!
Good Day.
Mike
kjr39 said:
Yeah, it's one of their best features. It's a very cool engine, despite being hounded as a primitive design.
Thanks for the link quagmire.
I don't get what you mean by 'European bias' or that they don't do their research.quagmire said:
Clarkson's only problems with the car was that it was so unrefined on the road. Now I haven't driven one but how is that European bias, are you saying it is refined, doesn't have tyre roar etc.?
mpw said:
They always find ways to bash the American cars. Like the corvettes are "talentless" comment in this review. And how they went out of there way to find that the rear is a bit flexible when hit. If they did there research they would of found out that fact that the Y-Body would need major redoing for the steering wheel to be on the right side. While a valid complaint in the UK, he should of mentioned that fact. So far no American car magazine has complained about anything Clarkson brought up. And if you're going to buy a performance vehicle like the Z06, why care how good the radio is? As long as it is decent, it shouldn't warrant complaints. It isn't a freaking luxury vehicle.
dpaanlka said:
Ever driven a Suburban, an Impala with the 3800, the Malibu SS, G6 and the new Impala with the 3900? I have a Suburban, while not as refined as a Cadillac or Lexus, it is refined for what the vehicle is and especially for that "horrid", "Old", "POS" Pushrod V8 that powers it. While I haven't ridden in an Impala, I have ridden in its platform mate, the Grand Prix with the 3800 and that V6 was very smooth and sounded great! Reviewers are quite surprised how refined and smooth the Pushrod 3900 VVT V6 is. Chevy isn't as refined as Cadillac is, but it is refined for what the Brand is. With a few exceptions like the 3400 in the Equinox. What a POS that engine is. And the interiors in Chevy's are improving. Look at the new Impala and Tahoe.
quagmire said:
I have a 2005 Tahoe Z71. I love it for it's beefy, manly truck qualities. I also own a 2001 Saab 9-5 Aero....
The Tahoe is not even close to being what I consider "refined"
EDIT: I should say, my mom technically has the Tahoe, although I picked it out. The Saab is my car though. Nobody owns it but me.
dpaanlka said:
What do you consider refined? If it is the interior, I agree. Since I am always getting into the Pushrod/OHV vs DOHC debate I always interpret unrefined as relative to the engine. Sorry, about that. The interior of the GMT-800's aren't the best and I would understand if you call it unrefined, but it is a truck. In, the new GMT-900's, the gaps between sheetmetal have been tightened, the interior has been vastly improved, and the Vortec 5300 has more power and gets better fuel economy then the predecessor. Remember the GMT-800's dates back to 1999. So there quite old.
quagmire said:
It's everything. Overall quality. Interior, handling, engine, efficiency, advancement. But not just how high of quality the build or materials are, but how much effort goes into the design of various parts of the car. How well-thought-out the placement, style, and form of a dashboard is, is really important to me.
For example, Lexus interiors have very high quality materials, but they aren't designed in a very driver-focused manner as BMWs and Saabs are. I find that most of these *young* brands, such as Lexus, have seemingly no real focus to their designs. Lots of blobs placed all over. I guess "focus" is a word I should use to describe what I'm looking for in a car. "Focus" and "purpose" and "driver-oriented."
I analyze every curve and form of a car's design and ask myself "why is this designed this way?" I find that most of the time, the Lexus or Acura or Chevrolet or Honda will just leave me with the answer "I have no idea."
You truly have to pay close attention to the details of a BMW or Saab to know why these brands of cars are generally considered "drivers' cars." When you drive these cars, they feel like extensions of your body instead of just transport devices.
It's a feeling I cant get from most brands. It's why Lexus drivers, while they may be very proud of their car, tend to not "love" or have any real feeling towards the brand. What Lexus driver knows the whole (short) history of Lexus, and can spot the cars from a distance and tell you exactly what it is and tell you fun or interesting facts about it?
While they may exist, it is far less common (percentage wise) than BMW and Saab. I personally never met anybody that actually loves the Lexus brand.
I'm actually having a very tough time thinking of truly refined, truly driver-oriented brands of cars. Here's what I come up with so far:
BMW
Saab
Porsche
Alfa
EDIT: btw, when I say Saab, I do not mean the very GMerific 9-7 and 9-2, but *real* Saabs such as the 9-3, 9-5, 900 and 9000.
BMW
Saab
Porsche
Alfa
EDIT: btw, when I say Saab, I do not mean the very GMerific 9-7 and 9-2, but *real* Saabs such as the 9-3, 9-5, 900 and 9000.
dpaanlka said:
As much as I agree with your previous posts. I find this one rather interesting. The Saab you drive is nothing more than an American car. Sure it's got the key in between the seats and all. Total Saab looking too. But all in all. It's GM's take of Saab, they did a good job IMO, but still it's no real saab. My Wife Karen has had an 02' 9-3 Conv, we loved that car, it was a good ride for the money. Still, when you say BMW and Saab make more driver-focused interiors I question you. BMW has been criticized for their annoying i-Drive system, too many 'tiny' buttons on the dash, and with lower models (a.k.a. 3 Series) having uncomfortable interiors for the price range. Saab I will say is pretty driver-focused, but none of the contols on any Saab I've ever driven are as simple and well thought out as the ones on the Honda's we drive. When Im in my Accord's I feel like the interior fits me like a glove, and that all my contols require no movement of my body bedises my arm to reach them.
Yes, yes, Im starting to sound like some silly Honda driver that is trying to prove a point. But keep in mind, I've owned all of the makes you describe in your post, so this is in no way close minded. You say Honda and Acura make you say "I have no idea why they did that" in their design touches. Well thankfully Im well informed about the brand that Im proud of and turely love, so I can gladly give you an answer. It's called "Safety for Everyone" Honda/Acura's commitment to giving all buyers a car loaded with Safety features. But wait! There's more. They also extended their commitment to Safety in automobiles to pedestrians and other motorvehicles. Why to all Honda's have curved hoods at the grille? Simple. It's so that then a pedestrian is stuck by the car, they wont be pushed down to the road and end up going under the car. The idea is that instead, they will slide up on the hood giving them a higher chance of surviving with less bodily injury. IMO too. The designs they've made with that strategy have been quite proving, and look pretty good too. Just for the heck of it. I thought I'd do a little head to head beauty contest with your car, and an Acura TL.
Here's a Picture of my friend Steve's TL:
And Here's your Saab.
Not trying to put you down or anything. Just asnwering your unanswered questions. I miss our 9-3 quite a bit to be honest. It was a good car despite the GM build quality. Should Saab ever become a Saab again. We might even buy one.
BTW- Still not getting the interior thing???
TL:
Accord:
Ain't it neat how you can get an interior like that and near BMW level driving experience for about 22k well equipped?
Anyhow. Im such a proud and loving Honda owner that I ahd to throw that out there. I'll admit though (not a toyota fan!!!). I didn't like the lexus SC430 at all! Glad we got rid of it.
Mike
The 9-5 was designed when Saab was still owned by Saab. It is very un-GM and has nothing in common with any other GM. So I don't know what you're saying there. In fact, it's still the last Saab to use an acutal Saab H engine, not any other GM engine.
Also, the Acura TL STILL doesn't have a driver focused interior at all. And I've been in plenty of TLs and can tell you they don't come near BMW in terms of interior.
And finally, posting a picture of a TL and a 9-5 together makes me like the 9-5 even more.
Another problem with Acura/Lexus is every single car they make looks completely unrelated. There is no brand pride there. No heritage. Just two car companies that never existed 20 years ago now trying to pretending like they've been great contributions to the industry over the last century.
EDIT: Sorry the more I look at that Acura interior the more I hate it. Especially how similar it looks to the much cheaper Accord interior. I never even realized that.
EDIT #2: This is what a REAL driver-focused interior looks like. I especially appreciate thte high level of tradition you find in Saab interiors. They essentially have the same layout as Saabs from 20 years ago, right down to Saab's traditional knob-and-pane air vents. Very classic, very driver-oriented. The car was designed from the ground up to be an enthusiasts car. The Acura TL is just a dressed up Accord.
The Saab 9-5 interior surrounds the driver like a glove, and then gets out of the way of the passenger so they have plenty of room. It's an excellent design.
Also, the Acura TL STILL doesn't have a driver focused interior at all. And I've been in plenty of TLs and can tell you they don't come near BMW in terms of interior.
And finally, posting a picture of a TL and a 9-5 together makes me like the 9-5 even more.
Another problem with Acura/Lexus is every single car they make looks completely unrelated. There is no brand pride there. No heritage. Just two car companies that never existed 20 years ago now trying to pretending like they've been great contributions to the industry over the last century.
EDIT: Sorry the more I look at that Acura interior the more I hate it. Especially how similar it looks to the much cheaper Accord interior. I never even realized that.
EDIT #2: This is what a REAL driver-focused interior looks like. I especially appreciate thte high level of tradition you find in Saab interiors. They essentially have the same layout as Saabs from 20 years ago, right down to Saab's traditional knob-and-pane air vents. Very classic, very driver-oriented. The car was designed from the ground up to be an enthusiasts car. The Acura TL is just a dressed up Accord.
The Saab 9-5 interior surrounds the driver like a glove, and then gets out of the way of the passenger so they have plenty of room. It's an excellent design.
Attachments
The 9-3's engine isn't in any other GM vehicle. The only engines that are in a Saab and in other brands is the Vortec 4200 Inline 6 and the Vortec 5300 V8 since the 9-7x is a rebadge of the Trailblazer. But, the 9-7x is only a stopgap until a true Saab Crossover SUV will arrive. And macmeplease, sorry if your 9-3 was troublesome. In 2003 is when the 9-3 came out so bugs and quality issues can be expected. Even in a Honda. Most of the common problems of the first year Saab 9-3's have been worked out. Expect the new 9-5 and 9-3 to have a grille similar to the Aero-X concept. The 9-2x might be gone, but a true Saab 9-2x based on the Delta platform may come along, but nothing confirmed yet.
- Status