Automobiles

[DOOFUS]

That's what I've got. Love it. With the rear seats down, I can fit backpack, rollers, and a 54cm bike with both wheels on with plenty of room to spare. I've even managed to fit two bikes inside without too much trouble.

The hatch, and the lack of adaptive dampers, are swaying me more towards the Sport Hatch. The SI is a hoot, but I do wonder about the longevity of the adaptive dampers -- when one of those things go, you're out huge money. We've only seen those on Civics since 2017, so the jury is still out. I'd rather trade less tech for more mileage.

[jerk]

The hatch, and the lack of adaptive dampers, are swaying me more towards the Sport Hatch. The SI is a hoot, but I do wonder about the longevity of the adaptive dampers -- when one of those things go, you're out huge money. We've only seen those on Civics since 2017, so the jury is still out. I'd rather trade less tech for more mileage.

Doofus:
The jury is not still out- those adaptive dampers are fine. there are cars with lots of miles on'em and there aren't an reports of them spontaneously combusting or anything. if you're going to get a Honda get the SI. You can get a hatch off a regular one if you hate that wing.

that sport thing is kind of under powered for 23k.

don't like my hyundai? a gti is too nice? if you have to get a new car that's practical- i think i'd follow Matt's example I think and get a WRX.

[DOOFUS]

Doofus:
The jury is not still out- those adaptive dampers are fine. there are cars with lots of miles on'em and there aren't an reports of them spontaneously combusting or anything. if you're going to get a Honda get the SI. You can get a hatch off a regular one if you hate that wing.

that sport thing is kind of under powered for 23k.

don't like my hyundai? a gti is too nice? if you have to get a new car that's practical- i think i'd follow Matt's example I think and get a WRX.

Ok, points considered. Realize that I am stubborn about mechanical things -- I still ride saddles from the 80s, and I don't trust Di2 or carbon clinchers or disks. This leads me to such statements as "those adaptive dampers are all going to break in 5 years."

I still have a jones for the SI and GLI -- bikes fit in trunks. I'm just nervous about reliability -- I've never had a car that needed anything other than for me to keep up with the oil changes and factory maintenance checks, and I don't want to end up with a money pit (which kind of scares me off from the GLI).

What Hyundai are you driving these days? I do like that GT N Line -- drove a manual and it's a good car. 90% of a GTI at 80% of the price, I'd say.

[dgaddis]

Doofus:
The jury is not still out- those adaptive dampers are fine. there are cars with lots of miles on'em and there aren't an reports of them spontaneously combusting or anything.

I think your perception of reliability is different than a lot of us. You seem to get a new car every six months, some of us drive 'em till the wheels fall off. The last Civic we had was an '03 my wife got new, she/we had it for 15 years.

[J_B]

That's what I've got. Love it. With the rear seats down, I can fit backpack, rollers, and a 54cm bike with both wheels on with plenty of room to spare. I've even managed to fit two bikes inside without too much trouble.

Is it quiet on the highway? I know that everybody’s threshold is different for this, and I wouldn’t consider myself overly sensitive considering I’ve never yet owned a car newer than 10 years old. Am I correct in assuming that newer cars are pretty well insulated?

[jerk]

I think your perception of reliability is different than a lot of us. You seem to get a new car every six months, some of us drive 'em till the wheels fall off. The last Civic we had was an '03 my wife got new, she/we had it for 15 years.

it just seems that way. sometimes i get a good couple of years out of a car.

kidding aside, i don't see how the fact that you've had a Civic for fifteen years and I've had a shit box GT500 for three years has anything to do with the reliability of Honda's adaptive dampers.

regardless- Doofus' reasoning behind not wanting adaptive dampers has nothing to do with the objective reliability of the technology. i dick around with cars a lot. Adaptive dampers have been pretty standard for a while now and there aren't any reports of any issues with them as far as I've been able to tell. If you want reliability and something cheap to fix- i think you'd be hard pressed to go wrong with a Honda or a Toyota. Still- if you like to hold on to a car for a long time and beat the shi'ite out of it- the Koreans are doing decent product with an awesome warranty.

I rented a base model Veloster once- and I literally fell in love with the car. It was a great size, it had great infotainment, and it was super practical with its three doors and the hatch. I test drove a new N and its amazing how great that Chassis is with the right attention paid to the suspension and the right amount of power. They did a great job with that car. I'd get one instead of a GTI i think- and I have had 9 GTIs in my life.

[defspace]

Is it quiet on the highway? I know that everybody’s threshold is different for this, and I wouldn’t consider myself overly sensitive considering I’ve never yet owned a car newer than 10 years old. Am I correct in assuming that newer cars are pretty well insulated?

No complaints here. But like you, I was in a 10+ year old car. My Outback sounded like the Millennium Falcon making the jump to light speed.

[Matthew Strongin]

No complaints here. But like you, I was in a 10+ year old car. My Outback sounded like the Millennium Falcon making the jump to light speed.

Maybe that’s a Subaru thing. My car is so loud inside...but that’s partly due to screaming passengers.

[jerk]

Maybe that’s a Subaru thing. My car is so loud inside...but that’s partly due to screaming passengers.

the fit and finish as well as the seals and thickness of doors and body in general are not exactly e46 level BMW on any Subaru. They've always been a little bit louder and a little bit tin-ier than other Japanese cars. German cars up until the immediate post Bangel era were built like safes generally and were stupid solid and quiet. now in the chase of better mileage and lighter cars and better emissions and increased technology and safety stuff- even the Germans are using less steel and their cars are getting less solid feeling. I guess they'll start getting quieter when they all become electric.

i drove a 2018 3 series that we rented through Turo and I could not believe how crappy that car felt in terms of all its touch points and its fit and finish. (i;m not even going to broach the subject of how the outgoing n51/n52 six compared to the new turbo fours they're putting in these things now) it wasn't really crappy- i'm being unfair- but in comparison to the last generation 3 series that we owned- the car felt like a Nissan or a Subaru and not like a BMW. I was really unimpressed with the new entry level 3. It was no where near as nice a car in any way as the previous generation. I love BMWs but I wouldn't buy a new 328 and that kind of makes me sad.

[Matthew Strongin]

In all fairness, my previous daily drivers included a Toyota FJ and a Wrangler with nothing but a bikini top, so the STI is relatively quiet. I’m also usually ripping around the highway in Sport# mode. Compared to my wife’s Volvo wagon, though, it’s like sitting in the engine compartment. Bummer to hear that about the 3 series. My dad had one when I was a kid and I would kill to have that car now. Even if it was burgundy with black vinyl seats (yes, black vinyl in Miami is a terrible idea).

[Jason Musgrave]

Matt - can you give me a synopsis of your FJ Cruiser experience? You had a manual correct? What year? Anything one should be aware of, etc. Thanks.

[Lionel]

I would describe the 911 GT3 as... LOUD. Got a radar detector installed today. Sounds like a good idea as I am basically always at 2x the speed limit with that thing.

[Matthew Strongin]

Matt - can you give me a synopsis of your FJ Cruiser experience? You had a manual correct? What year? Anything one should be aware of, etc. Thanks.

Yep, mine was a 4x4 manual with all the options you want and none that you don't. I bought it new, drove it for almost 8 years, and sold it for about 6K less than I paid (it's crazy how well they hold value). Over that 8 years the AC had an issue that was fixed under warranty and that's the extent of the problems. It was great off road as well as being very comfortable for road trips, both the ride feel and the crazy amount of stuff you could cram in it. I could fit bikes inside upright with the front wheel off and a fork mount. I really enjoyed it.

I ended up selling it for 2 reasons. First, it was tough to get the kid in and out of the back. Now that he's in a forward facing car seat it might be easier, but not much. Second, and more importantly, I missed having a sporty car for my drive to work. I work from home 2-3 days a week, but the days I go to the office I drive about 40 miles each way on a crazy stretch of I-95. The FJ was a lumbering beast with brakes designed for crawling up a trail more so than for stopping short from 80mph when the person in front of you decides they need to exit the highway immediately despite being 4 lanes away.

Despite being much smaller, I feel significantly safer and more in control in the STI than I ever did in the FJ on the highway, so no regrets selling it so far. Though, if I had the space and the desire to have so much money tied up in rapidly depreciating assets (well, other than bikes), I'd want one of each.

[nelzvelo]

I built this to drive my ambitions! Google Daddywagon.

[rydesteel]

That is the Ultimate Sleeper! Nicely done Sir!

[Too Tall]

Second that. Awesome wagon.

[nelzvelo]

That is the Ultimate Sleeper! Nicely done Sir!

Second that. Awesome wagon.

Thanks! The Daddywagon is years in the making. It is also not finished. The highlights are fuel injected 351 windsor, tremec tr-3550 5 speed manual transmission, 2004 mustang cobra independent rear suspension, and matching 13” cobra brakes up front!

[Too Tall]

Thanks! The Daddywagon is years in the making. It is also not finished. The highlights are fuel injected 351 windsor, tremec tr-3550 5 speed manual transmission, 2004 mustang cobra independent rear suspension, and matching 13” cobra brakes up front!

Trade you a lifetime supply of NFS for a chance to hoon that suckah

[Tom]

Dunblane, Perthshire, Scotland. A few minutes later there was a peregrine falcon overhead, the falconer had a lure out.

20190713_103121 by Tom Ambros, on Flickr

It did stoop inches over our head about as fast as the car would go.

[DOOFUS]

ever since I was a teenager, I have had the conviction that the series 1 e-type is the most beautiful car ever made.