Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

[The_Finn]

America has a 25 year DoT exemption rule... that means that anything pre 1984 should be open season which begs the question. Where the FUCK are my badass Australian muscle car imports... i want a Falcon XC GT so bad i can taste it...

want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want

 

[Spectre]

The e class wagon wasn't like that, was it?

Was and still is like that, though it went "special order" late in the W124 run and the BMW went special order back around the time of the E34.

The Rolls failed to start today, and the "Service Check Battery" signal came on. Don't buy hardly used 7 year old Rolls, they are expensive to maintain.

Edit: the surprising thing is the V12 sips on 98 fuel at about the same rate as our BMW E90 320!

That's because the Rolls is part BMW 750iL. The engine, driveline and most importantly the engine controls are all BMW.

You can get a '90s Corolla and a useable E46 for the same money. I don't know why people go for the Corollas..

For the same money you can get an X308 or early X350 XJR. Why would you go for a Corolla or an E46?

 

[Brother Michael]

About the guy wanting to buy an X5: kill him, for crying out loud just kill him. There is not a valid, logical reason in existence to have an X5 or any stupid non-offroad capable SUV for that matter. I don't care how much you want to say "I need the space"...buy an estate !! Or if you want to be beige, gor for an MPV

Volvo V70 ? Mercedes Benz E-class Estate ? 5-series Touring as mentioned ? Mondeo ST220 ? Audi A6 Avant ?''

I guarantee you can't find a normal family who finds the Mondeo, for example, too cramped. Having had one for a long time and my dad still does I can tell you the thing is damn huge, you could get lost in there without a map. Sure the Mondeo isn't the most flamboyant car in the market, but get the ST220, it's all the car anyone could possibly need: it's big, it's comfortable, great to drive, goes like stink, quite good looking, reliable....

If he doesn't want a Ford badge, than get a Volvo with the T5 engine, or the 3.2 I6. If he really wants a posh badge than why not the E-Class, because that really is cavernous.

People don't really seem to understand how much stuff you can fit in the back of an estate, especially a big one like the E-class or Mondeo. If you don't need seven seats, and why would you, to be honest, an estate is the best bet. They are much better to drive than any SUV, I don't care how much BMW wants to tell us the X5 drives like a normal car....IT JUST DOESN'T !! No huge SUV thing will ever drive better than a normal car, the laws of physics alone dictate that.
And for everyone who are saying "Oh I like the high seats and good visibility to the front"....first of all what good does it do ?!? Okay so you can see the road is blocek for the next 300 meters, now tell me what the hell are you going to do with that information ? You are still going to sit there with the rest of us, stuck in the traffic. Second of all if you think that makes your driving somehow easier, LEARN TO DRIVE !!

"X5 is better" he says...."I need the space" he says.....buy an E-class, or a 5-series Touring, buy a summerhouse, go on a holiday....anything but an SUV ! Don't do it !

I fucking hate SUVs. The most pointless car ever made. Or was, now that BMW invented the X6 and the 5 series GT uglything.

 

[Spectre]

I guarantee you can't find a normal family who finds the Mondeo, for example, too cramped.

You will over here.

I fucking hate SUVs. The most pointless car ever made. Or was, now that BMW invented the X6 and the 5 series GT uglything.

Try that with a wagon.

That said, any 'SUV' that can't go offroad isn't an SUV. It's a minivan or wagon with delusions of grandeur.

 

[Brother Michael]

^by SUV I meant these X5/Murano/Q7/etc monstrosities. What you posted I don't even call SUVs, they're off-roaders for me. Land Cruisers, Range Rovers, Pathfinders and such, especially olders ones don't deserve to be called the same as X5s and other Chelsea tractors, since they are proper, purpose built work horses.

 

[Ilpav]

I averaged 14.2L/100km during my last fill-up.

That's quite a lot.

 

[Donington]

Try that with a wagon

If I had an AMC Eagle that was customised as heavily as the cars you posted it would be fun trying.

I'd like to see a stock Cheyenne do that too.

I don't class old-scool 4x4s as SUVs either, even if they technically are it's an insult to them.

 

[chaos386]

That's quite a lot.

Yeah, I don't really know what the deal is, since I'm not an aggressive driver (I shift around 2k RPM). It's all city driving with the A/C on all the time, but still. I'm guessing our fuels aren't formulated for efficiency.

 

[Adunaphel]

City driving also fucks up your fuel consumption bad. Engines are at their most economical at steady rpms, accelerating is bad for mileage.

 

[Spectre]

^by SUV I meant these X5/Murano/Q7/etc monstrosities. What you posted I don't even call SUVs, they're off-roaders for me. Land Cruisers, Range Rovers, Pathfinders and such, especially olders ones don't deserve to be called the same as X5s and other Chelsea tractors, since they are proper, purpose built work horses.

I'd say the Murano should get a pass because:
1. It's not that big.
2. It's being marketed (at least over here) as essentially a tall wagon Altima with AWD optional. Since there's no wagon Altima, I'd say it should get a pass.

If I had an AMC Eagle that was customised as heavily as the cars you posted it would be fun trying.

Maybe the bottom one, but the top two are of an R50 Pathfinder with a new bumper and wheel and tire, no other mods. Can't do that with an Eagle with just those mods.

 

[Labcoatguy]

Maybe the bottom one, but the top two are of an R50 Pathfinder with a new bumper and wheel and tire, no other mods.

Fucking hell...is that the last of the VG-engined ones? One of my classmates in HS had one of those, but she never took it off-road.

 

[Spectre]

Fucking hell...is that the last of the VG-engined ones? One of my classmates in HS had one of those, but she never took it off-road.

Yup, the R50 was the last one to mount the VG series engine.

 

[thedguy]

Maybe the bottom one, but the top two are of an R50 Pathfinder with a new bumper and wheel and tire, no other mods. Can't do that with an Eagle with just those mods.

Eagle may not rock crawl well, but a friend of my dad had 2. When his trucks couldn't get out he knew he could rely on his AMC Eagles. One of those cars is an all original car with 40k miles on it, and original paint.

 

[nouseferaname90]

mildly car related:

who wants to win a nonexistent car?
http://img268.imageshack.**/img268/163/053009183700.jpg

yes, enter to win the nonexistent Chrysler Imperial.

 

[public]

Fucking hell...is that the last of the VG-engined ones? One of my classmates in HS had one of those, but she never took it off-road.

"The last of the VG Interceptors."

 

[nsx_23]

I can tell you its an extremely pretty thing in person.

 

[devil500]

I can tell you its an extremely pretty thing in person.

I can imagine..That looks sooo amazing...

 

[nsx_23]

Sounds fantastic too

 

[devil500]

Sounds fantastic too

v8?

 

[nsx_23]

Oh yeah.

I have to say though, one of my favorite Aussie muscle cars is the old Charger with the fantastic sounding straight six engine.