What stable of cars do you have/are you aiming for?

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by soundman98

..the first real issue is that i'm still adjusting to the fact that a decent car(that doesn't need $1k in parts immediately) can no longer be had for $500-1,000.

Yea, from my experience having been in this end of the market off and on for the last decade as my sons came of age and started driving, you aren't going to get there for under $5,000 unless you get real lucky. Anything less than that and you might as well be making car payments because the car is going to be in the shop every other month or so.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

Better to install the solar panel on the roof or in a field where it gets sun all day, a cheaper panel that is more efficient and doesn't have to deal with the NVH or curves of a car. A solar panel on an EV only makes sense if you're going to boondock for long periods.

Actually I read @why? comment to mean that the solar panels would be efficient enough to keep the car charged while driving, removing the need to "charge up" at a station all together. I like that in theory but efficiency either in the motors or the roof panels or both would have to improve by magnitudes for that to happen.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by Clutch Dog

I volunteer for the SR20VE swap.. whats this DE bs you are trying to pull

and yes I went to thailand and saw a Levorg... why.. why did we not get it here?? T_T


also I like the compliment about realistic cars. I think it was about 19 or 20 i realized id never make enough to own something more than an audi R8 and therefore why not have many cool cars..

I think between the 190e Evo2 and the Safari Build Brz ill be broke enough as it is.

Long live the Panther !

The DE swap is almost plug and play at this point, little bit more work for the VE. I ain't got the time for that.

Levorg's are awesome.

Setting realistic goals is helpful for my sanity!

- Andrew

[LotsaMiles]

I have four cars (all of the scions were purchased new):

2013 Scion FR-S
I drive this the 155 mile round trip from my south central rural "hobby farm" to my job in Louisville. It's been very reliable though I'm disappointed in the throwout bearing failing at only 150k miles. It gets great mileage and is a blast on the smooth twisties, void of cops, but full of deer. I've been through 8 sets of tires. Six speed manual

2016 Scion iA
This is my wife's "get around" car locally and for the trips to see the grandkids in Chicago. It very much feels like a big car on the freeway in the ways needed, but it is a bit cramped as the grandkids age and grow. It's an auto and I wish I'd gotten stick.

2006 Scion xB
I bought this when I was quite active in Seattle bands. It is the ultimate musician's vehicle. It's now at 220,000 miles and, other than a water pump and alternator, it's had nothing done except tires, oil changes and a couple of brake jobs. It's a five speed and still drives smooth as silk. I have 32 acres and, because I smacked a deer with it pretty hard a couple of years ago, It's ugly. So I may find myself removing the front and rear bumpers and use it on my 32 acres the same way people use those new two passenger "off road" open cockpit thingees - but mine will have AC. And no, it won't be licensed nor insured. It will be strictly off road. And I'll get a pair of front tires to match. BTW, I can get 8' long lumber in this thing and shut the hatch.

2004 Chevy Silverado z71 4x4 pickup.
This is for the heavy stuff. Pulling stumps, hauling wood and branches as I clean the property, carrying large stuff from the hardware stores and Amish auctions, etc. It's the most unreliable vehicle I have.

1960 John Deere 1010 tractor
I use this to bushhog tall fields, grade my driveway and pull large logs out of the woods to where they can be handled more conveniently. I don't know that this counts, though...

Want (future):
My wife and I both turn 66 in 5 months. We'll both be getting substantial SS benefits that will bump our income to pay off our house. I'll keep working (IT Contracting) but take more time off. When the house is paid off, I'll quit and be "self employed".

Early on I'll trade in the FR-S for a Toyota Sienna minivan. I'll commute in the iA.

The xB will be sidelined as described above until it dies. Then I'll park it in the front yard and make it into a nice planter. Or I may turn it into a rat-rod.

The reason for the Sienna is that we plan on taking time off in two or three week increments to drive around the country. You can get a mattres in the back of that thing if you want to "camp out" here or there or can't find a hotel. And they are VERY comfortable and quiet. It (any good minivan) is the perfect answer to comfort, quietness, fuel economy, and the ability to carry people and stuff. Frankly, I think SUV's are not practical for the lion's share of people that buy them. And they roll too easily.

For our honeymoon 21 years ago we drove around the western US (to the tune of almost 4,000 miles) and we love road trips. And our family is scattered all over the country so the mini-van is the perfect choice for this sort of thing.

[Jordanwolf]

86 - Track
NSX - Weekend
CTR - DD
Xtrek - Camping

[why?]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Actually I read @why? comment to mean that the solar panels would be efficient enough to keep the car charged while driving, removing the need to "charge up" at a station all together. I like that in theory but efficiency either in the motors or the roof panels or both would have to improve by magnitudes for that to happen.

exactly. And they all have to improve at some point, supposedly we have tons of people working hard to increase that efficiency and lower the price drastically. People have been saying we are, "so close" to that leap for decades now.

[EAGLE5]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Actually I read @why? comment to mean that the solar panels would be efficient enough to keep the car charged while driving, removing the need to "charge up" at a station all together. I like that in theory but efficiency either in the motors or the roof panels or both would have to improve by magnitudes for that to happen.

Well, that works with purpose-built, single-seat, experimental vehicles in sunny Australia during summer.

[finch1750]

Have:
13 FRS - my daily/HPDE car
12 BMW 128i - fiancee's daily, road trip car

Want:
2nd gen twin - BMW replacement
CTR - my next daily, something bigger to take camping and what not. turn my FRS into a track/weekend car

Our MR2 Spyder just got totaled last month (BMW was the replacement) and we really miss the convertible. Would like to replace it one day but don't think we could justify having 4 cars lol

[why?]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

Well, that works with purpose-built, single-seat, experimental vehicles in sunny Australia during summer.

and for races and the like in the USA. They keep telling us any time the big jump will come and everyone will be able to buy solar panels dirt cheap and use them for everything. I've been patiently waiting for 2 decades or so.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Have:
-2013 Scion FRS for back roads, fun and occasional commuting
-2018 Buick Regal TourX for road trips, passengers, stuff, and most of my highway commuting
-2008 Subaru Tribeca, my wife's old car, looking into a cx3-ish replacement eventually.

Want:
-Faster FRS because it's just so much fun
-Sport bike of some sort.
-McLaren 570 or one of the faster Porsches because if I can, I should
-Whatever my wife wants
-Mercedes AMG E class wagon
-I guess there should be something practical like a truck or something...

The TourX is a good looking wagon. How do you like it and did you cross-shop it against any SUVs?

Originally Posted by Jordanwolf

86 - Track
NSX - Weekend
CTR - DD
Xtrek - Camping

Nice lineup of cars. Assuming the nsx is first gen? Have you tracked it yet?

[Jordanwolf]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

The TourX is a good looking wagon. How do you like it and did you cross-shop it against any SUVs?



Nice lineup of cars. Assuming the nsx is first gen? Have you tracked it yet?

First gen is my dream car of dream cars. I plan to get one eventually, but have never even had the chance to drive one. The perfect example would be: factory targa top, red, flip up lights(obviously) with a black interior.

[maslin]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

Well, that works with purpose-built, single-seat, experimental vehicles in sunny Australia during summer.

I used to work on Oliver Kuttner's (normal) cars in Charlottesville.

His company won the Progressive X Prize in 2010, I believe their car was one of the few that was not electric or hybrid. Good old ICE.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Very_Light_Car


I understand 2010 was like 100 years ago in battery technology, but it really wasn't all that long ago.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

The TourX is a good looking wagon. How do you like it and did you cross-shop it against any SUVs?

There is a lot that is good about the tourX. It's got plenty of passenger space and cargo space. It looks great, especially in the rioja red metallic. The upgraded sound system is pretty good I think, at least coming from older/basic sound systems. It's also pretty quick for a big car. I really like the Twinster AWD, as you actually feel it working if you accelerate through a corner (in the right gear) which always puts a smile on my face lol. Haven't used it in winter but my guess is it works well in the snow too.

But, the transmission and possibly engine tuning are not good for response. In auto, it's always in way to high a gear, and takes like 3 seconds to shift. Manual gear changes need to be done from the tunnel (no paddles because Buick). All changes are slow and you can't make it skip a gear no matter how quickly you move the shifter. Plus turbo lag and I can't turn auto stop-start off. A tune fixes all of this, but warranty...

We cross-shopped with the golf sportwagen, cx3, Kona, etc, as we weren't sure what we really wanted or which car was getting replaced. Wound up replacing my Hyundai Accent for a highway commuter/light hauler, which the tourX is the best of the choices. It helped that we got the prior model year at a very discounted price. Not competitive at sticker though.

[EAGLE5]

TourX sales are horrible. All wagon sales are horrible. A wagon is a crossover that's harder to get in and out of. Also they just don't get that much better fuel economy vs crossovers.