# Commuters who love cars?



## chewymilk99 (Nov 26, 2008)

Am I the only one? I've noticed a general smug hatred of cars on this forum. Most of it seems directed at a*#holes trying to turn us ito organ donars. But a few seem to treat cars like they are actively infectious or something. The things that drawl me to bikes (the cool nerdyness of suspension designs. Composites, etc) are the same thing I like aboit cars and motorcycles. I currently own 3 running cars (yes my carbon footprint is visiable from the moon) But one of them is coming off the road in a few months to become a rally racer/track day **** ( I have to hit 200K first) How many other enjoy motorsports?


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## Gary the No-Trash Cougar (Oct 14, 2008)

When ire is directed at "cagers," as a motorist it's easy to get defensive about the whole matter. It is similar to the ire directed (often by me) at roadies and their behavior. In these situations, you have to remember that it's the behavior and those partaking in it that raises ones hackles. Quite frankly, if you drive (or ride or act in general) like an a-hole, you deserve to be called one. If however, you are not guilty of careless, illegal and dangerous road maneuvers then you really have nothing to be defensive about. 

That being said, I am a gearhead myself. I drive a black 2006 Mustang GT and I absolutely love it. I don't feel too bad about driving a muscle car, since I only drive it once a week, if even that. Gets surprisingly good gas mileage considering. Muscle cars are in my blood, growing up my Mom had a '66 Mustang and my Dad had a '72 Corvette. I love drooling over vintage cars and motorcycles. And classy old planes and boats for that matter. I also like trains, especially art deco style engines. Yeah, I guess I am a gear head after all!


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## CarolinaLL6 (Apr 12, 2010)

Casual gearhead. Bought 2 new Camaros ('84 Z-28, '90 IROC) on different tours that I had the pleasure to operate in Germany courtesy of Uncle Sam.

Now drive a '96 Impala SS.


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

I am an automobile enthusiast. I used to have a car that I poured many many tens of thousands of dollars into in order to make it very fast and pull more than 1g of lateral cornering force, and I would take it up hills really really fast as well as take it to racetracks and SCCA autocross events. However, my preferred mode of transportation is by bicycle. Anyone can drive a car, just not anyone is a good or qualified driver, just the same as there are plenty of sketchy-ass cyclists out there who aren’t aware of the laws tied to cycling.


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## hydrogeek (Feb 20, 2006)

I am into cars, have been since I was a kid. I use to be into restoring vintage cars before I had kids. I spent most of my disposable income on cars and even worked on other peoples cars in my spare time to get money to spend on my cars. Now I don't really want to spend so much money on a car and would rather spend money on bikes where I can ride to benefit my health. I still get the same feeling of pride and have the same fun building a bike as I did building a car.

Any negativity from me stems from people driving cars in a manner that endangers other road users, specifically vulnerable road users like us (cyclists), pedestrians, and motorcyclists. I do believe that, as Americans, we drive too much and burn more than our share of fuel. I also believe our fuel is too cheap and should reflect the true cost that driving has on our environment, society, and our infrastructure.


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## nachomc (Apr 26, 2006)

I used to like cars but my interest completely faded in them after I found bikes. I still drive and don't despise those who do, I just could not care less if my car is dirty. As long as it's running and I have a sweet bike, I'm in good shape.


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## freed0m (Aug 23, 2008)

I drive a 2007 BMW M6 and absolutely love it!


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

I`m neither a car hater nor a motorhead. Unless something intervenes (strokes, blindness, poverty,etc), I don`t ever forsee not owning/driving a car or truck, but they`re straight up utility for me. My current stock is an aging 2WD Toyota truck and the wife`s ten Y.O. cheapo Saturn sedan. If money were no object, there`d also be a 4WD of some kind and probably a high passenger count van in the mix as well. I do get off on other STUFF, just not on cars.

As far as other people go, I have a very solid "live and let live" attitude. I deeply admire those who choose to live carless and hold nothing against people who chose to drive every time they leave the house. I do consider myself relatively green (partly out of my own genuine sense of responsibility, partly wife induced), though that has nothing to do with why I pedal- I enjoy cycling, and any other benefits to me or anybody else are just nice side effects.


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## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

Not into motorsports, but do admire the occasional car, usually ones I had like old Dodge Darts & Chevy Novas. I'm sure cyclists would enjoy the roads more if they were less car-centric or we just got 1/2 the peole to drive with more than 1 person in the car sometimes and reduced the traffic. I've found inconsiderate drivers in all kinds of vehicles. Pickups are very popular here & not particulary bothersome, and my last 3 vehicles were old pickups. Was impressed yesterday by a passenger getting into a jacked up F650 (didn't know they went that high); she did an amazing gymnastic split manuever to climb in.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

I have a 09 GTR, Motorsports LOVER. I do a few track days a year with the GTR, but track days are boring far to much traffic


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

Not cars, Jeeps. I have a serious Jeep problem. I'm on my 3rd... buy, build, abuse, sell, repeat. I've had a YJ, a TJ, and currently an XJ. The XJ is at the end of the 'build' phase, just beginning the 'abuse' phase. :lol:

Also not into street bikes...but dirt bikes, yes. Currently riding a KTM 300mxc, the ultimate woods weapon. It's in 1000 pieces all over my shop for a full rebuild. Should have it done before the snow melts in the high country...


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## RevRacer (Nov 22, 2009)

I have had a long passion for classic, muscle and enthusiast cars that was only preceeded by the need for personal transit before I had my driver's license (bike) and now by a motivation for greener and more fit transportation (bike). 

However, I still drag race my '65 Nova and occassionally street drive it. At times when I feel green-guilt, I rationalize racing becasue we use methanol in the kid's jr. dragsters.

It feels like drinking the diet Coke with my Snickers bar. Cycling hopefully helps me to offset my size 11 carbon footprint fun...


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## Tom93R1 (Jan 26, 2005)

I am into rotary engines... So I have a '93 Mazda RX7, a 1974 Mazda rotary engine pickup, and a 1975 Suzuki re5 (motorcycle). Also have a small Mazda rotary engine rebuilding business in the back yard shop.

My other motorcycle is a 1993 Yamaha GTS1000, only about 600 imported to the US. It has a swingarm front end instead of fork, so ultimately I think it's that I like things which are different.

Then there is the '96 Volvo 850R wagon, it's the daily driver and bike hauler. 

In the end though, this year I have been commuting to work by bicycle more than everything else combined. So while I have lots of cars, they really aren't driven all that much these days.


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

Niiiice! Good to know I'm not the only one into rotaries _and_ Volvos! :thumbsup:


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## AndrewTO (Mar 30, 2005)

Born and bred in a SBF, i've owned several Capris in various incarnations. First car was a '86 5.0 RS, which was slowly worked into a track-only car. Right from the first time I hit the 1/4 mile I was addicted. I was always a bit of a gear head, but once I got that car I went berzerk. I stopped mountain biking completely for nearly a dozen years. There wasn't much I didn't do myself - engine work, transmission, rearend , suspension, brakes, even spent the coin on getting my own SCT engine tuning software/hardware. I was about to open my own business doing tuning, but things fell apart and I did a 180 and now a car is just a car.

Of course it didn't help (cars) that I think got into motorcycles. THAT _really_ screwed me right up - i'll NEVER be the same. :lol: Cars are just super boring now since you can't lean them through a corner. :thumbsup: (drifting doesn't count)

I always have loved bicycles, right from day one Mom said "once you were on a bike *pppsssshhhtttt* you were gone". Thanks, Mom!  I always come back to bicycles "between phases" because I always need to get back into finding that one thing, that one constant, that helps me help myself. I always find most other hobbies involve engines and/or me getting flabby and lazy. :nono:

Oh, speaking as an ex-commuter, since I haven't done that in quite a while (moved).


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Getting off the farm was freedom. First a bike, then a car. I'm a gear head. I love cars. Good because we have had to drive a lot. My stable over the years:

19681/2 MGB Honeymoon car. Still have spouse. 40,000 miles and two years of college.

1965 Ford Fairlane (the cheapest, slowest and best snow car I ever owned.) 25,000 miles.

1974 Alfa Romeo Berlina (sports sedan). Sold before license lost or bankrupted. 40,000 miles

1979 Mustang 2.3 L Turbo Ghia with leather and TRX Michelins. First new car & custom ordered. Kathryn totaled it on a curved overpass covered with dew/ice. 55,000 miles.

1982 Nissan Stanza. 4 Dr hatch. Car as appliance. Traded at 77,000 miles because of possible rust and tranny issues.

1972 Ford F150 given to me to commute in bad weather. Put another 5,000 miles on it before I scrapped it. 

1985 Honda CIvic SI (a CRX with a back seat) 240,000 miles. With wide fat tires, surprisingly quick. Embarrassed bimmers in it. 

1985 VW GTI 70,000 and traded on 1986 NOS VW Jetta GLI for a bit more hauling capacity. Jetta made 220,000 miles before weird stuff started to break and we traded it.

1994 Honda Civic DX 2 year lease 25,000 traded early on a 1995 Honda Accord LX 250,000 before my son totalled it in 2005. He survived. And learned a hard lesson.

1995 Ford Contour SE V6 5 speed. Bimmer killer. 260,000 miles and signs it would go over 300,000 when totaled by uninsured motorist. A sweet, fast, little Q-ship of a ride. 

2005 Mercury Montego 3 L belt drive AWD currently 140,000 miles. Nicest and largest car we have ever owned a great Interstate hauler. Gets better mileage then the MGB did.

2000 Ford Ranger Pickup 4.2 L V6, We put 105,000 miles on it. Worst vehicle I have ever driven in snow. Only marginal with stuuded snows. Was my business ride and part of the severence package.

1999 Ford Contour Sport V6 5 speed. My son's college car, and with the low gearing a blast to drive. Much cruder that the 1995 SE. We put 28,000 miles on it so far.

So my wife and I have about 1.5 milliion miles. Adding in miles before I was married and driving for work, we have over a million miles each. 

As enthusiasts who like to drive, and try to drive well, with no at-fault accidents and few accidents at all, I think we have a decent enough driving record to back up our concerns of some of our fellow cage drivers.


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

BrianMc said:


> 1979 Mustang 2.3 L Turbo Ghia with leather and TRX Michelins. First new car & custom ordered. Kathryn totaled it on a curved overpass covered with dew/ice. 55,000 miles.


Those motors were pretty bulletproof, and with the Euro-spec Cosworth aftermarket parts available one could eke 500 horsepower of of them. I only know this because I am a Volvo guy, and I know that the 16-valve Volvo Penta head can be used on the "Pinto" motors with very little modification, and vice-versa the Cosworth 16-valve head can be used on the B230 Volvo turbo motors without much modification being involved (and also it's not unheard of to get 400+ HP from a Volvo inline-4 B21/B23 turbo engine).



BrianMc said:


> 1995 Ford Contour SE V6 5 speed. Bimmer killer. 260,000 miles and signs it would go over 300,000 when totaled by uninsured motorist. A sweet, fast, little Q-ship of a ride.
> 
> 1999 Ford Contour Sport V6 5 speed. My son's college car, and with the low gearing a blast to drive. Much cruder that the 1995 SE. We put 28,000 miles on it so far.


Yet another amazingly understated performance sedan, and another well-engineered bulletproof engine. They called it the Ford "Mondeo" in the UK, and they did pretty well in the BTCC (British Touring Car Championship) races, although the displacement was limited to 1998cc due to sporting regulations&#8230; but in race trim they revved up to 7,800RPM and were churning out 295HP in naturally aspirated form. For a FWD car (normally I cannot stand FWD) it was really a nice chassis, and the torque steer wasn't really as annoying as it is in a Honda Civic or a Nissan Sentra ("Primera" in the UK).

A for me, well, no one asked of my history, but I am finding BrianMc's pretty interesting, so here goes mine:

• 1958 Volkswagen Beetle. 1776cc engine with dual Dell'Orto dual 40s (four throttlebodies) with some sorta Iskenderian camshaft, it had about 140HP and was a blast to drive. Drove it about 4,000 miles before it was stolen.

• 1962 Volkswagen Beetle. All stock, had 56,000 original miles (pretty amazing considering I took ownership of it in 1989!), but a brake master cylinder failure at 25MPH caused me to plow it into the back of a large Ford Bronco, pretty much totaling the car (I only had the car for two weeks).

• 1963 Volvo 122S. I will try to keep this short. Bought it with 120,000 miles on it, put another 100,000 miles on it personally. Dumped over $25,000.00 into it over the course of twelve years, but the end result was a "street legal" (who would know?) SCCA-spec autocrosser with more than double the stock horsepower that freely revved to 7,200RPMs (1998cc, 292° duration camshaft, forged pistons w/graphite-coated skirts and Total Seal rings, balanced rods, HD oil pump and external oil cooling system, Volvo 240 3-row radiator and electric fan, 45mm intake and 39mm titanium exhaust valves, 10.2:1 CR, 8lb flywheel, hybrid kevlar/organic clutch w/2,800lb. pressure plate, dual sidedraft Mikuni 44PHH carbs {4 throttle bodies in total}), and coupled with a 4.56:1 final drive ratio running through a Pow-R-Lok differential it was a crazy muthafooka to drive on public roads (-2.6° camber/0° toe in front, Bilsteins front/back, 2" lower/35% stiffer springs, 31.75mm front and 22.225mm rear swaybars, Delrin and urethane bushings, and custom heim-jointed adjustable rearend with an adjustable panhard rod, tires were 140 treadwear-rated 205/50-15 Bridgestone Potenzas). Total sleeper? YES!

• 1978 Volvo 242GT. Put 38,000 miles on it. Also had aftermarket suspension modifications which made it pretty much nail any corner thrown at it. Like the idiot college kid I was, I sold it for way too little (I needed money for books and stuff).

• 1969/70 Volvo P1800S. 1998cc w/fuel-injection camshaft, but a measly Weber 32/36 carb, 4.30:1 R&P w/Volvo R-Sport LSD. I ended up putting the suspension from my 1963 Volvo into it, although this car had 4-wheel disc brakes from a later model P1800ES. Drove like a dream, although the brakes were the best part about driving it. I put about 6,000 miles on it and one day some jacktard visitng from another country (driving illegally) t-boned me at an intersection. The car was totalled, but the parts went back into my 1963 Volvo, and the motor went into the next car&#8230;

• 1970 Volvo 142S with similar suspension package as the P1800 and 122S, Volvo R-Sport LSD (with 4.30:1 R&P) went into it. I put about 24,000 miles on it, and the motor got tired and started blowing smoke (bad rings/pistons) so the motor and driveline bits from the 1963 Volvo went in. Drove it for another 30,000 miles, was slated to get a Tremec TR-3550 TKO 5-speed transmission, but the assclown named Jakob Herzog who works at B&J Automotive in Campbell, CA ruined the motor when he was rebuilding it (overtorqued the camshaft gear bolts, _*and*_ decked the block 0.002" out of straightness) such that the engine tore itself apart in less than 500 miles. There went my motorsports "career".

• 1987 Volvo 740 turbo intercooled wagon. Stickshift, limited-slip differential. Best, most reliable car I've owned so far. Bought it with 230,000 miles on it, was sideswiped (insurance company called it "totaled" even though all that happened was tire and paint marks from the other car got on it!!!) with about 288,000 miles on it. Man I miss that car. Could haul lots of big **** with it.

• 1982 Volvo 240 GLT turbo intercooled stickshift wagon. Bought it with 276,000 miles on it, currently has 287,000. Aftermarket springs/shocks/bushings, 4.30:1 rearend gear ratio (insane). On the fence about this one. Drove all the way to Oregon to get it. Fastest damn Volvo I've ever driven, no joke. The previous owner put a huge turbo on it and fiddled with the fuel injection system and the boost regulation such that 0-60 times were in the mid-5 second ranges&#8230; I say "were", since having taken it to my otherwise-reputable shop for servicing, the car has become sluggishly slow. Frustratingly slow. Just sorta sits in the garage.

• 2005 Toyota Prius. Bought it new for my wife. It is currently my daily driver. Has just over 64,000 miles on it, have had ZERO problems with it. Consistently gets me more than 500 miles on a ten-gallon tank of gasoline. Other than the retarded traction-control system and FWD setup, it is an OK car.

• 2010 Volvo V50 R-Design turbo AWD Sport Wagon, 6-speed MANUAL transmission. RED. This is technically my wife's car, although I've driven it about 100 miles. Used the European Delivery Program through Volvo. Ordered it here in California to our specifications, they paid to fly us to Göteborg, Sweden to pick it up. Got to drive it on their iced-up/snow-covered test track back in February of this year. Still has the Swedish tourist plates. My wife loves this car, and I think it's pretty nice too, but I find that the traction control system gets in the way of how I like to drive.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

The coolest that I`ve ever had was a 64 Toyota Tiara sedan. It looked like they had reverse engineered a Studebaker Lark and shrunk it down to about 80% size. Had "three on the tree", wing windows for the front and back seats, a big rotating ring that activated turn signals, and a 1900 engine that actually did pretty well. I remember that I could reach over and wind the passenger side window up or down without leaning at all! I finally gave it away when it needed ignition parts that I couldn`t track down. This one is right side drive and in much nicer condition than mine, but looks the same otherwise.


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

Leopold Porkstacker said:


> • 1963 Volvo 122S. I will try to keep this short. Bought it with 120,000 miles on it, put another 100,000 miles on it personally. Dumped over $25,000.00 into it over the course of twelve years, but the end result was a "street legal" (who would know?) SCCA-spec autocrosser with more than double the stock horsepower that freely revved to 7,200RPMs (1998cc, 292° duration camshaft, forged pistons w/graphite-coated skirts and Total Seal rings, balanced rods, HD oil pump and external oil cooling system, Volvo 240 3-row radiator and electric fan, 45mm intake and 39mm titanium exhaust valves, 10.2:1 CR, 8lb flywheel, hybrid kevlar/organic clutch w/2,800lb. pressure plate, dual sidedraft Mikuni 44PHH carbs {4 throttle bodies in total}), and coupled with a 4.56:1 final drive ratio running through a Pow-R-Lok differential it was a crazy muthafooka to drive on public roads (-2.6° camber/0° toe in front, Bilsteins front/back, 2" lower/35% stiffer springs, 31.75mm front and 22.225mm rear swaybars, Delrin and urethane bushings, and custom heim-jointed adjustable rearend with an adjustable panhard rod, tires were 140 treadwear-rated 205/50-15 Bridgestone Potenzas). Total sleeper? YES!


Got pics? Those things are f'ing cool.


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

chewymilk99 said:


> I've noticed a general smug hatred of cars on this forum.


Apparently not too general.



chewymilk99 said:


> Most of it seems directed at a*#holes trying to turn us ito organ donors.


I for one, don't plan on taking it lying down! 



chewymilk99 said:


> But a few seem to treat cars like they are actively infectious or something.


Actually it sounds like many of us are members of Automobile Anonymous and are repeat offenders.



chewymilk99 said:


> The things that drawl me to bikes (the cool nerdyness of suspension designs. Composites, etc) are the same thing I like aboit cars and motorcycles.


Yep. Then there's this flying under your own power trip thing....


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Leopold Porkstacker said:


> A for me, well, no one asked of my history, but I am finding BrianMc's pretty interesting, so here goes mine:.....


Sub in MGB and TR3 for the VW's a little less mods on the Volvos, no 122, add an old E class, and you have my eldest brother's history. Volvos always held an attraction but I we use up cars a bit too fast.

2010 Volvo V50 R-Design turbo AWD Sport Wagon, 6-speed MANUAL transmission.[/QUOTE]

I love the Volvo AWD active suspension and traction control in the Mercury, I would ADORE a 6 speed manual. They'd never sell though. A recent armoured car heist was foiled in the US cause none of the bandits could drive a standard. Pathetic.

Seems like we do have some car and bike geeks here!


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## Wallzee (May 29, 2010)

I've got a massive old HJ47 Landcruiser Troop Carrier that I love and adore but that's my MTB hauler and gets used for little else but camping and hauling bikes. Everywhere else by bike, out of choice rather than out of any greenfuelled car hatred.

But to put a different spin on this subject I love cars because it makes riding in the city a hell of a lot of fun. 
What fun would there be in riding through the city if you it wasn't for gaps in traffic to maintain 40kph whilst the traffic does 20??? 

If the car drivers who try to kill us and generally annoy were all riding bikes to work instead then I think that cycling in the city would become a very frustrating past time indeed.


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Wallzee said:


> If the car drivers who try to kill us and generally annoy were all riding bikes to work instead then I think that cycling in the city would become a very frustrating past time indeed.


If someone waved THAT magic wand, we'd have an instant epidemic of heart attacks, EMS vehicles, later funeral corteges. Huge population drop. Meanwhile, if the survivors would not wander and would ride on the right, I could blow by them all, ringing my bell and waving friendly-like. Looking at each other's ample derrieres might add incentive, for me to ride faster for them to lose weight.

As if that's ever going to happen....


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

Hardtails Are Better said:


> Got pics? Those things are f'ing cool.


Pictures, _and_ an autocrossing video from 2001. :thumbsup:


































Autocrossing the 122S ("SS") Volvo


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## Wallzee (May 29, 2010)

BrianMc said:


> ...Meanwhile, if the survivors would not wander and would ride on the right...


People adopting appropriate road positioning? 
That will be on the same day that Nixon gets re-elected and John Lennon has a comeback concert I imagine?


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## CarolinaLL6 (Apr 12, 2010)

Seeing all these old euro cars makes me want to show one of my old dependable '73 Opel.

It had several iterations of 1.9l - 2.0 GTE engines over the 130k miles I drove it here and over in Germany between '77 to '89. Actually thinking about it was pretty neat to take it back to where it was made.

At it's peak with a 2.0l euro-spec engine, headers, exhaust and dual 40 Webers it would pull 7k rpm uphill in 4th. It was hampered with only having 4 gears though. Would have loved to have a 5-speed in it. It was an AZ car originally but all the years I had it in Germany gave it a case of terminal rust which was the only reason I got rid of it.


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## wunderkind (Aug 11, 2009)

Leopold Porkstacker said:


> Niiiice! Good to know I'm not the only one into rotaries _and_ Volvos! :thumbsup:


Chalk me up as another Wankel engine lover! Had two RX-7s. Then lulled into all things AWD, Boxer engine and all things rallying. Too many Subarus to count now. Then got myself back into an RX-8. :thumbsup: 
Participated in few winter rallies, track days and autocross. Still do for the latter.
Oh, I used to be an automotive journalist for a local magazine....  So I got to enjoy a few auto mfg sponsored unveilings.  Atleast during the good times.

It is sad the hatred of cars by so many cyclo-commuters. Quite the contrast to the car enthusiasts that doesn't have the same strong emotion towards bicycle. In fact I know lots of car guys that rides too.


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## freed0m (Aug 23, 2008)

...


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

freed0m said:


> ...


Dude, show us pictures of your matching Bianchi!!!


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## 2silent (Dec 19, 2008)

I like cars-

we own a tuned mini cooper s (the girlfriend's daily) and a 1999 Mercedes C43 with a lot of truly custom work done that makes close to 500 hp/tq from a custom eaton installation with methanol and an air-water intercooler etc. etc.(my toy)


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

2silent said:


> &#8230;1999 Mercedes C43 with a lot of truly custom work done that makes close to 500 hp/tq from a custom eaton installation with methanol and an air-water intercooler etc. etc.(my toy)


Gotta hope it's got a proper manual stickshift transmission and some sort of torque-sensing differential with NO traction control in order to be able to really use (and enjoy) the power&#8230; but if you're one of those autotragic-driving folks with an amputated left leg, well, then leave me a single-tire super sticky three-block-long burnout.


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## 2silent (Dec 19, 2008)

no manual- just not feasably possible until I actually break the auto and even then it will be as much of a project as the rest of the work has been. Mercedes simply does not make a true manual that can handle the power.

I have a switch wired in that completely removes the power to the electronic stability control (truly turns it off- the factory "off" setting it is still in the background).

I've owned a few "racier" cars- highly tuned wrx, s4(s) etc. and really fell in love with this thing when it was stock with only 300hp and the auto. I just enjoy the more understated look and lazy fast v8 performance so much. It hauls ass now, but it's never going to be something to autox or ideal for stoplight type racing. It WILL keep up with about anything from a roll and it will deliver 25+ mpg on long trips in perfect comfort.

I'm glad I talked the girlfriend into the mini- that's what I now take on any trips where I leave town (I drive a Tahoe) and am not bringing our 3 dogs. It's not quite as fun as the cars I dream about, but it is pretty close.


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## campisi (Dec 20, 2004)

Cars (and trucks) are strictly utilitarian for me. I currently own a '99 Dodge Ram 4X4 that gets about 15 mpg. When I don't bike-commute I commute in this bad-boy though my commute is only about 13 miles one way. I wish I'd bought something smaller back in 99 but what's done is done and it makes no economic sense to get rid of it. It's paid for and it's solid as a rock. I also have a plated dirt bike, XR250, that I ride to work sometimes. This thing gets about 70 mpg on the road. 
And for the king of bad mpg vehicles - when I was younger I was totally into muscle cars and bought and completely restored a 1970 Olds 442. This thing was bad-ass. Muncie close-ratio tranny, 455 motor. I never drove it easy and it got about 8mpg. Yeahbaby!


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## RidersofDslum (Jun 8, 2007)

I have a 92 4runner and take it off road. Sometimes I drive it to work. Sometimes I ride my bicycle to work. I ride my bike off road too. I like being off-road in my truck or on my bike. 

I bet I use less gas than most Prius owners. Plus my truck can access places no Prius will reach and can hold everything I own. It can also tow things and if a little fuel efficient car got stuck in the snow, i would pull them out. The small hybrids and other cars are not the ideal vehicle were I live and what I do for fun.

I love my truck and take care of it like my bikes. I have 2 bicycles that save me lots of money in gas and allow me to use gas for recreation. My truck spends a lot of time in my driveway sitting there and not burning up gas.

I hate it when people pigeon hole SUV owners as gas guzzling wasteful environment haters. My truck is not a daily driver and gets close to 20mpg. I am not a soccer mom.


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

I seem to have lost much of my interest in cars. I still drive occasionally but don't enjoy it much.

I don't hate cars either. But occasionally I come across drivers who don't see anything smaller than a car in traffic.



Leopold Porkstacker said:


>


One guy at work has been fixing and driving a Volvo pretty much like this:









(just a pic I found, not exactly the same)


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Volvo P1800. One used to park next to my Alfa in 1979.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Alfa_2000_Berlina_1974.jpg

Mine was same color as picture, had some minor cam timing and other tweaks. Twin cam, two litres, 5 main bearings, alloy block with wet steel liners and alloy head, the engine comes balanced from the factory. It had four throttle body mechanical fuel injection, sodium cooled exhaust valves, triple core radiator, finned 6 quart baffles aluminum sump, header type exhaust system. It weighed 2450 pounds and about 150 hp as I had it tuned, 17 lbs/hp. 50/50 weight distribution. I had oversize low aspect (70 series then) sticky Euro radials on it and it would corner! I should have recorded the exhaust note, it was sweet running up through the gears. It just ate money every time we had some set aside.


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## AlmostQuick (Jan 18, 2010)

I've always had at least one classic or muscle car, often times two. Bikes have kinda taken over lately, but I still have this 1974 Nova that I bought from the original owner back in 1997 with only 14,XXX miles on it. It was my daily driver for several years, even through our road salted winters, and now has 74,XXX miles on it. Presently it sits covered in the garage and only comes out on nice days. It doesn't even see 1000 miles a year nowadays.

It has the original L-48 350 cid V-8 with 4 barrel carb and dual exhaust. This was the top Nova motor for the year, the same one the SS Nova got. It has a few minor modifications, but was made to look stock. It has a turbo 350 auto with a shift improver kit that allows it to really chirp the tires with the upshifts.


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

RidersofDslum said:


> I bet I use less gas than most Prius owners. Plus my truck can access places no Prius will reach and can hold everything I own. It can also tow things and if a little fuel efficient car got stuck in the snow, i would pull them out. The small hybrids and other cars are not the ideal vehicle were I live and what I do for fun.


Me too. I own a Prius that regularly sees 56+MPG on a tank of gas (tank is somewhere around 10 - 11 gallons, and I drive it like a grandma, but not in the fast lane-lots of around town driving plus the regenerative braking that charges up the battery pack is nice to have), yet I drive it so little since I ride my bike most places. Why drive when you can bike??? I must be getting a combined MPG rating of about 200 at this point! 

We've taken our Prius camping up in the Sierras a few times before (silt/gravel/dirt roads, was able to stow everything we needed without adding a roof rack. Of course we don't attempt to take it into the snow, but trying to compare a snow-capable truck with an otherwise city-capable sedan is pretty retarded, I will agree with you on your point that you jumped right in on establishing with no time wasted.


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

BrianMc said:


> Volvo P1800. One used to park next to my Alfa in 1979.
> 
> https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Alfa_2000_Berlina_1974.jpg
> 
> Mine was same color as picture, had some minor cam timing and other tweaks. Twin cam, two litres, 5 main bearings, alloy block with wet steel liners and alloy head, the engine comes balanced from the factory. It had four throttle body mechanical fuel injection, sodium cooled exhaust valves, triple core radiator, finned 6 quart baffles aluminum sump, header type exhaust system. It weighed 2450 pounds and about 150 hp as I had it tuned, 17 lbs/hp. 50/50 weight distribution. I had oversize low aspect (70 series then) sticky Euro radials on it and it would corner! I should have recorded the exhaust note, it was sweet running up through the gears. It just ate money every time we had some set aside.


I've owned two of them- a 1963 1800S "Jensen" (had later model disc rearend and frnt disc brakes from a 1971 P1800ES and wide wheels with sticky tires, plus IPD suspension, otherwise engine was a D-cammed FI 2.0 engine from an early 1970s 142s), and a 1969/70 P1800E (had ES brakes/rearend/LSD in the rear, but had vented 164 discs/calipers which made the stopping power amazing&#8230; also a mildly-tuned--150HP or less--B20 under the hood). Both of mine were surprisingly reliable, but the most impressive factor was the serious braking power. Both had sticky Bridgestone Potenza rubber on all four corners, and the P1800E had custom widened steelies (15"x7") with 215-50-15 in front and 225-50-15 in the rear. Man, that thing handled amazingly. The P1800E would do 130+MPH, not bad for an old-ass 4-cylinder car!


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## TraumaARNP (Oct 13, 2005)

I'm all about leaving a big azz carbon footprint everywhere I go.....


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## 350Rocket (Oct 16, 2008)

My summer driver is a 1984 Olds Cutlass Supreme with a 1970's 350 Rocket under the hood. I drive it 222km's round trip per day. My winter car is a 1983 Chevy Caprice Classic, and just retired a 1989 Caprice Classic with 520,000km's (or 323k miles) because of excessive rust. Bicycles are my 2nd passion after anything with an engine.


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## Tank99 (Apr 27, 2009)

I have 2-

99 Nissan Maxima - modded with the typical stuff, just been doing a lot of maintenance lately. 

05 Nissan Xterra - Daily driver and mountain rig, stock. (I love MTBing, but also love some off-road wheelin'. 

I'll post some pics when i'm not on dial-up...


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## wuzilla (Sep 9, 2008)

I work for a motorsports company and am around racecar drivers all day long. You should see the looks I get when I ride my bike to work :thumbsup:


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Jeeze... I'm used to being jealous of other people's bikes on this web site. Now I'm jealous of everyone else's cars too.

Hopefully this latest round of education will get me to where I can afford a nicer one myself. And while I'd rather be one of those old dudes who shows everyone just how arbitrary the age classes at a race are, if I chew up my knee again... autocross.

I'm working for the Census right now and driving around fifteen miles a day in my '93 Ford Ranger. Usually, though, it sits in front of my house for about a week at a time. I typically use it more to go mountain biking, racing or skiing than to commute.


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## Killertofu (Jul 2, 2010)

the silver one i built. the rest are other people's.








engine bay. she was sold a year or two ago.









current daily driver.


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

Wow, what a bunch of ********. I drive cars/motorcycles, but it is usually less than one time a week. I do think that car culture in America needs a huge facelift, and no, I don't really see muscle cars being part of the future, unless you guys figure clever ways of making them electric. 

Anywho, hard to get to the trailhead without a car....


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## Killertofu (Jul 2, 2010)

umarth said:


> Wow, what a bunch of ********. I drive cars/motorcycles, but it is usually less than one time a week. I do think that car culture in America needs a huge facelift, and no, I don't really see muscle cars being part of the future, unless you guys figure clever ways of making them electric.
> 
> Anywho, hard to get to the trailhead without a car....


who the hell would want an electric car? blasphemy!

the 2011 mustang V6 is the first vehicle in history to make over 300hp and 31+mpg.

babying the thing gets like 48mpg. thats just insanity. 700 miles per tank? i'd say they're doin alright.

http://www.stangnet.com/2010/06/24/2011-ford-mustang-v6-hits-49mpg-in-1000-lap-challenge/#more-2732


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Killertofu said:


> who the hell would want an electric car? blasphemy![ /QUOTE]
> 
> The Tesla is desireable. Faster than a Ferrari F430 or whatever. Not a cross country driver, but the Ferrari isn't meant for that use either.
> 
> ...


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## Killertofu (Jul 2, 2010)

BrianMc said:


> The Tesla is desireable. Faster than a Ferrari F430 or whatever. Not a cross country driver, but the Ferrari isn't meant for that use either.


the tesla is a toy for people that aren't gear heads 

no electric car on the planet can touch the symphony of a quad cam V8 revving to 9000rpms. i just couldn't be a car guy if they didn't have engines


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## AlmostQuick (Jan 18, 2010)

Like my Nova above, this '65 Impala was also bought from the original owner. I kept this car for over 10 years but sold it a few years back when I decided I no longer needed two cars sitting in the garage covered. It sports the original 327 V-8 and powerglide automatic.


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## AlmostQuick (Jan 18, 2010)

TraumaARNP said:


> View attachment 553963


Looks good Trauma. I love the look of real off road vehicles. Here's my present driver. 2005 (the final year) ZR-2 Blazer with a 5 speed manual transmission. Since I pedal to work this 5 and a half year old truck only has 18,XXX miles on it!










No four door school bus size SUV's for me.


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## wunderkind (Aug 11, 2009)

AlmostQuick said:


> Looks good Trauma. I love the look of real off road vehicles. Here's my present driver. 2005 (the final year) ZR-2 Blazer with a 5 speed manual transmission. Since I pedal to work this 5 and a half year old truck only has 18,XXX miles on it!
> 
> No four door school bus size SUV's for me.


Actually school bus does not have 4-doors.


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## AlmostQuick (Jan 18, 2010)

Nice picture, do you drive that?



wunderkind said:


> Actually school bus does not have 4-doors.


Hee hee, no, but "school bus size SUV's" (slight exaggeration for effect) always do. I hate 'em and would never have one... thus my comment.

When I was in high school I had to ride a bus to one school, and then wait for another bus to pick me up and take me to my school. Whenever I missed the first one I could jump on my bike and still make it to school on time... and it was over 10 miles away!

Then there was the time I topped 100 mph on my way to school in my first car... a 1967 Mustang fastback. I was really early that day!


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

TraumaARNP said:


> I'm all about leaving a big azz carbon footprint everywhere I go.....


Sweet D90! I had a disco for several years...had D90 wheels, that's as close as I ever got to one :lol:



AlmostQuick said:


> Like my Nova above, this '65 Impala was also bought from the original owner. I kept this car for over 10 years but sold it a few years back when I decided I no longer needed two cars sitting in the garage covered. It sports the original 327 V-8 and powerglide automatic.


I also had a 67 impala 2 door in black...very cool ride. It had the 327 and powerglide combo too. Sold it to get my first Jeep... this is my current Jeep. 3rd Jeep, 1st XJ...the others were YJ wranglers. This poor guy was someone's commuter car until I rescued it and started building it up... now it has new bumpers and a basket roof rack, this pic is a year old or so...


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## Sizzler (Sep 24, 2009)

CommuterBoy said:


> Sold it to get my first Jeep... this is my current Jeep. 3rd Jeep, 1st XJ....


Wife and I are talking about picking up our 4th XJ. Haven't owned an HO yet, thought it might be a nice upgrade from Renix!


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

Now you're speaking my language... I was going to get into the HP D30, 8.25, 3.5" RE, 4,0, HO, SYE, NP231, AW4, etc... but I didn't know if the general biking public would get it :lol:


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

Yeah, uh, what?


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## 00sable (Oct 28, 2009)

You've got great taste in cars AlmostQuick. 1970's Novas were my favorite. Everybody else wanted Camaros- 67-69. I had a 72 Camaro and always wanted a Nova. The early 60's Nova's were sharp too. Boxy looking and smaller than the 70's Nova


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## AlmostQuick (Jan 18, 2010)

CommuterBoy- That's a sweet looking XJ. Do you do your own suspension work? I had a 94 that I bought new. It was a two door with a 5 speed manual trans. but no lift kit. We put 170,000 miles on that one... sold it to my brother who took it over 200.

00sable- I had a 68 RS Camaro too. The Nova's are lighter, (if you compare the same years) and not quite as expensive. I like 'em all, but the earliest Nova's don't handle as nice as the 68's and up, which came with a much improved front suspension.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

Thanks... yes I do all the work myself. It's right on par with building bikes in terms of being cheaper than paying a shrink. Shop time brings me sanity. This one has the Rubicon Express 3.5 kit, Track Bar, etc. Only 93k miles, so hopefully a long life ahead of it...That inline 6 4.0 is an awesome motor.


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## RevRacer (Nov 22, 2009)

Very nice SS Almost Quick. The Impalas were great looking cars in the mid 60s. I will concur with other posts regarding the early Novas and their dicey handling. Ours stays on the straights a quarter mile at a time when we are not cycling. They are light weight and take a doses of horsepower quite well.

Here is a photo from the 2009 Little Guy Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park.









I haven't figured out how to put the bike rack on this car though. Probably haven't tried hard enough.


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## AlmostQuick (Jan 18, 2010)

Wow RR, that's really nice! What drive train are you running? Ever have it on the track?


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

RevRacer said:


> Very nice SS Almost Quick. The Impalas were great looking cars in the mid 60s. I will concur with other posts regarding the early Novas and their dicey handling. Ours stays on the straights a quarter mile at a time when we are not cycling. They are light weight and take a doses of horsepower quite well.
> 
> Here is a photo from the 2009 Little Guy Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park.
> 
> ...


Older (1980s) Yakima rack setups work just fine. I know this since I used to drive a 1978 Volvo 242GT with the same "rain channel" business above the doors, which was where the Yakima system mounted to. Show us some awesome-O 4.56:1 Pow-R-Lok wheelstand photos with your bikes on the racks!!! :thumbsup:


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

RevRacer said:


> The Impalas were great looking cars in the mid 60s. I will concur with other posts regarding the early Novas and their dicey handling. Ours stays on the straights a quarter mile at a time when we are not cycling. They are light weight and take a doses of horsepower quite well.


All the people I knew with the early Novas ran aftermarket suspension setups front and rear, and didn't have the track-wander problems you mention under immense torque loads. Sure, they were using Mark Williams 9" Ford rear ends with 4 multi-links and adjustable panhard rods though, with coilover shocks. If the fronts they were running some sort of aftermarket camber/caster angle adjustment devices on the stock A-arms (since they were lowered)


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## RevRacer (Nov 22, 2009)

Leopold, I definitely agree that the aftermarket fronts are the way to go. I was about 2 years too early with my chassis rebuild as the front-end kits were not readily availalble like they are today. "Back then" the rear quarters ended up being hand formed steel to repair the rust. Now you can pretty much purchase complete sheet metal.

AlmostQuick, we've been through a number of drivetrains, but what started as a 194 six cylinder with a Powerglide has evolved into a 400 small block that is made of all aftermarket parts. I think the only GM/Chevy part on that motor is the 1965 alternator. Dart block, Brodix heads and intake, etc. It currently has a TH350 transmission and after breaking the 10 bolt twice we had a 12 bolt fabbed to fit. To date the best time has been an 11.45 at 120 on 93 octane so we can take the kids to the ice cream stand.


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## AlmostQuick (Jan 18, 2010)

RevRacer said:


> To date the best time has been an 11.45 at 120 on 93 octane so we can take the kids to the ice cream stand.


Wow, that's quite a bit more than almost quick! Sounds like fun.

I bought a 383 (overbored 350 with 400 crank) built up by John Ligenfelters shop for my Camaro many moons ago, but ended up selling the car before installing it. It's still sitting in the corner of the garage. Yeah, it would work in my Nova, but the car runs great as is (and I hardly ever use it) so I see no need to bother.

I've dropped a lot of interest in cars... it's all bikes now.


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## RevRacer (Nov 22, 2009)

Almost Quick, the 383 would make a really fun ride in the Nova, but I hear you about the bike passion. I actually made the statement to my wife yesterday that I could see myself selling the Nova to get a fun carbon bike. Once the bike bug bites...


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

chewymilk99 said:


> Am I the only one? I've noticed a general smug hatred of cars on this forum. Most of it seems directed at a*#holes trying to turn us ito organ donars. But a few seem to treat cars like they are actively infectious or something. The things that drawl me to bikes (the cool nerdyness of suspension designs. Composites, etc) are the same thing I like aboit cars and motorcycles. I currently own 3 running cars (yes my carbon footprint is visiable from the moon) But one of them is coming off the road in a few months to become a rally racer/track day **** ( I have to hit 200K first) How many other enjoy motorsports?


I find old and/or well designed vehicles fascinating, but I find racing to be totally un-interesting. The idea of driving cars as sport (on the track or off-road) just seems kind of dumb to me. Nothing wrong with it, just not my thing. I've done a bit of off-road driving, but it was almost all out of necessity (where I lived), not a sport.

I used to have a 1958 Porche 356A (coupe, not a convertable). Got it when I was 18 and thought it was fun. Dumped stupid amounts of time and money into it, but after college I started moving around the country, and it mostly sat for over a decade. After about 20 years I sold it. Gotta say that I really appreciate old cars, but I doubt I will ever own one, other than the 1958 Austin Healyy my dad may leave to me someday.

When I was younger fast cars seemed really interesting, now I just want something practical that does what I need it to as reliably and efficiently as possible. Thus I now drive a remarkably un-sexy 2003 CR-V. Gone are the days of the Porche, the 1988 VW GTI or lifted 1986 Toyots Pickup 4x4 (though admittedly, I do miss that pickup).


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

kapusta said:


> I find old and/or well designed vehicles fascinating, but I find racing to be totally un-interesting. The idea of driving cars as sport (on the track or off-road) just seems kind of dumb to me. Nothing wrong with it, just not my thing. I've done a bit of off-road driving, but it was almost all out of necessity (where I lived), not a sport.
> 
> I used to have a 1958 Porche 356A (coupe, not a convertable). Got it when I was 18 and thought it was fun. Dumped stupid amounts of time and money into it, but after college I started moving around the country, and it mostly sat for over a decade. After about 20 years I sold it. Gotta say that I really appreciate old cars, but I doubt I will ever own one, other than the 1958 Austin Healyy my dad may leave to me someday.
> 
> When I was younger fast cars seemed really interesting, now I just want something practical that does what I need it to as reliably and efficiently as possible. Thus I now drive a remarkably un-sexy 2003 CR-V. Gone are the days of the Porche, the 1988 VW GTI or lifted 1986 Toyots Pickup 4x4 (though admittedly, I do miss that pickup).


Damn, Debbie Downer! You sound like I sometimes think!  :sad: Yeah, I'm now driving a 2005 Prius. I recently donated my boost-mobile (1.2 bars to be exact) to a local charity since I was dumping too much money into it&#8230; someone will be getting a total SLEEPER!!!


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## bigpedaler (Jan 29, 2007)

hydrogeek said:


> Any negativity from me stems from people driving cars in a manner that endangers other road users, specifically vulnerable road users like us (cyclists), pedestrians, and motorcyclists. I do believe that, as Americans, we drive too much and burn more than our share of fuel. I also believe our fuel is too cheap and should reflect the true cost that driving has on our environment, society, and our infrastructure.


This sums up a LOT of it for me. The American sense of entitlement, the drinking of the Kool-Aid of "greatest country in the world, we should live better and more extravagantly than the rest", leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Maybe my time in Europe when I was in the service has something to do with it, but I don't think we have all that much, as a society, to brag about. Collectively, we are like little kids, not appreciating what we have, and squandering what we do recognize.


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