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That car is the 30 year old reincarnation of my old 240SX Coupe. Perfectly balanced, stout little 4CYL that could always use more power, front engine, rear wheel drive, manual transmission, 2DR with a useless back seat.
Oh man, to be 28 again with a brand new car.
That's a good comparison. I always thought the 240Z was a cool car. For some reason I was more into the 200SX SE-R when I was looking to get my first new car. Probably due to price. In 1999 it came down to that car, a GTI VR6, or a Subaru Impreza 2.5RS. I got the Subaru because I loved the idea of AWD in the snow and in blue with gold wheels it looked just like the WRC cars that were winning everything. I've owned 4 Subarus, but no VW's and not a single sport compact Nissan. For some reason I was never a big fan of the sporty Sentras. Maybe Nissan will finally get it right with this generation. They certainly look sporty and handle well. They just lack a sporty engine and transmission.
I've never trusted automatic transmissions for performance driving, but in my recent GT-R seat time the transmission seemed to be doing what I wanted when I wanted it. Not sure if it was in some sort of mode - but it was NOT in manual. I was pleasantly surprised it downshifted appropriately for apexing.
Am I now a convert to autos in performance cars? No. Just a data point.
I've never trusted automatic transmissions for performance driving, but in my recent GT-R seat time the transmission seemed to be doing what I wanted when I wanted it. Not sure if it was in some sort of mode - but it was NOT in manual. I was pleasantly surprised it downshifted appropriately for apexing.
Am I now a convert to autos in performance cars? No. Just a data point.
What year was the GT-R you were in? It is simply amazing how good some of the "automatic or dual clutch transmissions" have become for performance driving. The GT-R and Porsche PDK transmissions come to mind and sometimes even seem a bit telepathic. Faster around a race track, but still not as involving or fun to drive as a stick shift for me.
I've been scouring the internet for G sedan exhaust system clips. Was initially thinking HFC + axel back (mainly because I don't have much space to store a full stock CBE).
But MAN does the Motordyne CBE seem to get the best sound out of our cars. Arguably overpriced, but I can respect the amount of development seemingly put into their products. And it seems the sedan configuration is visually lowkey (unlike the coupe, where the polished piping hangs too low and sticks out like a sore thumb).
If anoyne has a Motordyne exhaust anywhere near the DC metro area, rack of Keystone Lights on me if I can hear it in-person
My first car (1976 Firebird) had a straight 6. It was a 250ci, 3-speed auto, if I remember correctly. That translates into 4.1 liters, which seems huge by today's standards.
Stout little engine. So mechanically simple, I kind of miss that.
My first car was a 1973 Open GT that my Dad and I spent many years of my childhood restoring. It had a 4-spd manual along with the "high output" 1.9L 4 cylinder engine, which was good for a whopping 83 HP IIRC. However, the car was so unreliable that I only drove it for a couple of years before I ended up buying a 1987 Firebird Formula. I got the car from one of my parent's family friends, and it was only a couple of years old and it great shape, so it was too good of a deal to pass up. That car had the 5.7L V8, but unfortunately it had a auto transmission, so it wasn't nearly as fun to drive as the Opel GT. Although the fit and finish on that car was horrible, it was still extremely mechanically sound (albeit not nearly as mechanically simple as your 1976 Firebird was, John). When I sold that car it had over 150K miles on it and it was still running great.
My first car was a 1973 Open GT that my Dad and I spent many years of my childhood restoring. It had a 4-spd manual along with the "high output" 1.9L 4 cylinder engine, which was good for a whopping 83 HP IIRC. However, the car was so unreliable that I only drove it for a couple of years before I ended up buying a 1987 Firebird Formula. I got the car from one of my parent's family friends, and it was only a couple of years old and it great shape, so it was too good of a deal to pass up. That car had the 5.7L V8, but unfortunately it had a auto transmission, so it wasn't nearly as fun to drive as the Opel GT. Although the fit and finish on that car was horrible, it was still extremely mechanically sound (albeit not nearly as mechanically simple as your 1976 Firebird was, John). When I sold that car it had over 150K miles on it and it was still running great.
Oh hey, that wasn't just a Firebird Formula, technically that was a Formula 350.
Loved the '87 Formula 350. Freaking gorgeous car.
I had a friend in college with an Opel GT... black with white vinyl, 4MT. Such a cool looking full-sized hot wheel, and such a truly crappy car. The one thing I member most about that Opel were the headlights and their mechanical lever, the way the lights rolled over sideways, instead of popping up (like your Formula, and my old '82 TransAm).
Oh hey, that wasn't just a Firebird Formula, technically that was a Formula 350.
Loved the '87 Formula 350. Freaking gorgeous car.
I had a friend in college with an Opel GT... black with white vinyl, 4MT. Such a cool looking full-sized hot wheel, and such a truly crappy car. The one thing I member most about that Opel were the headlights and their mechanical lever, the way the lights rolled over sideways, instead of popping up (like your Formula, and my old '82 TransAm).
Yup, you are correct. It even had the Formula 350 decal at the bottom of the door. Besides the classic T-tops, my favorite design element on that car was the power bulge on the hood!!! And, yes, those Opel GT headlights that roll from the side where a pretty cool to see in action.... when they actually worked. That car was so unreliable we actually had two other Opel GT's that we used as parts cars. Funny enough, I've been helping my parents clean out their basement so they can sell their house and downsize, and I actually found several boxes of old Opel GT parts, including a couple of the original headlight assemblies. I told my Dad he should try selling them on eBay, because I'm sure they are really hard to find anymore.
Random car mount question - anyone have a good mount for a Ford Escape? Mine's (well, my employer's) a 2023 but IIRC 2020-2024 are the same. Not seeing much online; there's one that fits a 2021 but with different center vents.
My last work car I did the CD mount - magsafe route. This one doesn't have a CD and I'm loathe to use vent-mounts as they tend to break the vents.
Looking at my spreadsheet, realizing I haven't done anything significant to the car in years. Not much insignificant either, except the TPMS reading in the NAV system.
It also struck me interesting that I bought the car 12 years ago this month. That's the longest I've ever owned a car.
Looking at my spreadsheet, realizing I haven't done anything significant to the car in years. Not much insignificant either, except the TPMS reading in the NAV system.
It also struck me interesting that I bought the car 12 years ago this month. That's the longest I've ever owned a car.
I said it 2 years ago and I still maintain that you completed your journey with the G. You're in a holding pattern now until the next stage in your life with vehicles. https://www.myg37.com/forums/build-t...ml#post4302497
I bet this is the car most of us that have been active for years have owned. I'm coming up on 9 years in May, but I expect I'll be into something newer this spring or early summer.
I find it harder and harder to justify spending more money on the car, but from time to time it is nice to do something small. I decided to try some random aliexpress hydrodipped pieces and yeah, not bad. I havent installed them all yet, the center console is for a g35 sedan, so the cd slot is like a quarter inch too low. Going to need a bit of DIY to make it work. The shifter section also going to need some trimming since I modded my boot + awd switch needs a cutout. Photos don't really do it justice as the pieces actually play in the light like real carbon fiber would, although you can tell if you look really closely. I just tried one piece on (second photo) fits fairly well. Was like $150 CAD total, cant complain.
I find it harder and harder to justify spending more money on the car, but from time to time it is nice to do something small. I decided to try some random aliexpress hydrodipped pieces and yeah, not bad. I havent installed them all yet, the center console is for a g35 sedan, so the cd slot is like a quarter inch too low. Going to need a bit of DIY to make it work. The shifter section also going to need some trimming since I modded my boot + awd switch needs a cutout. Photos don't really do it justice as the pieces actually play in the light like real carbon fiber would, although you can tell if you look really closely. I just tried one piece on (second photo) fits fairly well. Was like $150 CAD total, cant complain.
Ooo, I might need to look into this. The trim pieces on my doors and glovebox, especially on the passenger side, are quite rough.
12-12-2023, 03:50 PM
