LeVeL
Forum Addict
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2007
- Messages
- 13,246
Easier said that done. I graduated, got a job, and all of a sudden I like pen0r 
More pics coming... eventually.
edit 1: a few details about the car.
Previous owner put in an LSD, Bilsteins, Kenwood headunit and speakers, Rockford Fosgate amp, an alarm... I think there was something else, I don't remember. The car is very clean with zero rust; a couple of very small dings and scratches but they are barely noticeable; top looks perfect. It also came with a car cover, front bra, OEM headunit, and a box full of service receipts.
First impressions - below, say, 50mph its smile-inducing even putting around town in traffic and shifting at 2500rpm, if not earlier. On the highway, its a mixed bag. On the one hand, the wind noise at 65mph is louder than in the Accord at 100mph. It also revs at 4000mph at 72mph (GPS-verified; btw, the speedo exaggerates by about 3mph) so there is quite a bit of engine noise. I don't much care for comfort and noise levels but 75mph is honestly the limit of my comfort in this car - its just downright obnoxious above that. On the other hand, even at 85mph (my current speed record) on 185mm all-seasons it tracks dead-straight and feels stable.
I also love how tiny it is! On the highway I swerved to the right to avoid hitting a pothole on the left side of my lane and yet I was still a good distance away from the car in the right lane. Oh, and it looks 3/4th sized next to the A4 :lol: The (glass) rear window provides surprisingly good rear-view visibility and can also be used when switching lanes (yes, the car is so small that if you turn your head to check your blind spot on the right, you can see out the rear window). There is, however, a big blind spot on the left but that's easily cured by adjusting the mirror. Switching lanes is done by basically thinking about it: signal, check mirrors, turn head to check blind spot, and by the time you look back ahead you're already half way in the next lane. The tiny cabin and black top also heat up the car quite a bit with the top up.
The gearbox is, needless to say, an absolute delight. 'Nuff said. For the first few miles I would go up to third and, because its SO close to first, I'd take it out of gear again just to make sure I'm putting it in third. Pretty quickly I learned to trust my instincts though.
Short-term plans:
-Get new headlight and brake light bulbs, one of each.
-Fix the rear defroster. Previous owner never drove it in the winter so he didn't bother fixing it in the time that he owned it.
-Figure out the audio setup. ie see if I want to keep the aftermarket headunit and amp.
-Clean up the wiring a bit. Its not horrible but I still want to tidy it up a bit.
-Figure out how to stop the alarm from locking the car with the keys in the ignition :lol:
-Order rollbar.
-Order wider grippier tires in a month or so.
-Get a loud-ass horn. The stock one is somewhat on the quiet side and it also sounds girly
edit 02.27.11
Bought the car yesterday, started ordering parts today. Rollbar (aka anti-gay bar) is in the mail. Its a HDM2HCHTDD. Good luck figuring that one out
edit 03.06.11
Rollbar is in!
http://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0573.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0579.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0589.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0595.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0609.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0616.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0617.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0618.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0620.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0623_001.jpg
I'm only in one picture, as far as I'm aware:
My friend's caption: "project miata racecar. Anthony and I are willing, ready, and able to cut and weld everything. Owner Lev keeps us sensible." :lol:
More pics coming... eventually.
edit 1: a few details about the car.
Previous owner put in an LSD, Bilsteins, Kenwood headunit and speakers, Rockford Fosgate amp, an alarm... I think there was something else, I don't remember. The car is very clean with zero rust; a couple of very small dings and scratches but they are barely noticeable; top looks perfect. It also came with a car cover, front bra, OEM headunit, and a box full of service receipts.
First impressions - below, say, 50mph its smile-inducing even putting around town in traffic and shifting at 2500rpm, if not earlier. On the highway, its a mixed bag. On the one hand, the wind noise at 65mph is louder than in the Accord at 100mph. It also revs at 4000mph at 72mph (GPS-verified; btw, the speedo exaggerates by about 3mph) so there is quite a bit of engine noise. I don't much care for comfort and noise levels but 75mph is honestly the limit of my comfort in this car - its just downright obnoxious above that. On the other hand, even at 85mph (my current speed record) on 185mm all-seasons it tracks dead-straight and feels stable.
I also love how tiny it is! On the highway I swerved to the right to avoid hitting a pothole on the left side of my lane and yet I was still a good distance away from the car in the right lane. Oh, and it looks 3/4th sized next to the A4 :lol: The (glass) rear window provides surprisingly good rear-view visibility and can also be used when switching lanes (yes, the car is so small that if you turn your head to check your blind spot on the right, you can see out the rear window). There is, however, a big blind spot on the left but that's easily cured by adjusting the mirror. Switching lanes is done by basically thinking about it: signal, check mirrors, turn head to check blind spot, and by the time you look back ahead you're already half way in the next lane. The tiny cabin and black top also heat up the car quite a bit with the top up.
The gearbox is, needless to say, an absolute delight. 'Nuff said. For the first few miles I would go up to third and, because its SO close to first, I'd take it out of gear again just to make sure I'm putting it in third. Pretty quickly I learned to trust my instincts though.
Short-term plans:
-Get new headlight and brake light bulbs, one of each.
-Fix the rear defroster. Previous owner never drove it in the winter so he didn't bother fixing it in the time that he owned it.
-Figure out the audio setup. ie see if I want to keep the aftermarket headunit and amp.
-Clean up the wiring a bit. Its not horrible but I still want to tidy it up a bit.
-Figure out how to stop the alarm from locking the car with the keys in the ignition :lol:
-Order rollbar.
-Order wider grippier tires in a month or so.
-Get a loud-ass horn. The stock one is somewhat on the quiet side and it also sounds girly
edit 02.27.11
Bought the car yesterday, started ordering parts today. Rollbar (aka anti-gay bar) is in the mail. Its a HDM2HCHTDD. Good luck figuring that one out
edit 03.06.11
Rollbar is in!
http://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0573.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0579.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0589.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0595.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0609.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0616.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0617.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0618.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0620.jpghttp://thumb.armedcats.net/l/le/level/2011/03/06/300/IMG_0623_001.jpg
I'm only in one picture, as far as I'm aware:
My friend's caption: "project miata racecar. Anthony and I are willing, ready, and able to cut and weld everything. Owner Lev keeps us sensible." :lol:
Last edited:
