Sadly, I'd never pay enough to buy one of these new, so in about 2025 I'll be in the market if a Mach 1 comes out.
That's my problem too, or worse because I prefer buying new and still refuse to pay over ~$20k for a car, thus limiting my choices.
That's why I'm still fascinated by the $16k one (loaded 5-speed w/tops) that got away...
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
Also, the new C7 Stingray Regular Car Review was very nice (not in the old-car funny way as the others).
Last edited by MarkG; 11/18/1405:29 PM.
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
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I'm still going through those videos. The Don Rickles of car reviews, people offer up their cars for them to review. LOL That '88 is SWEEET. No doubt pricey with that mileage.
It's really a great time for car people. The new 'Vette is great, the Nissan GTR is impressive, the new BMW 4-series are real lookers, the Camaro is amazing (the 1LE package and Z/28 are incredible performers, and the next gen will undoubtedly be even better), the Challenger and Charger are powerful cruisers, and the new Mustang looks great and is getting performance to match.
Probably better than the '60s, when you think about it, and I'm sure I'm leaving some great cars off the list.
Don't forget the fact that today you can get a Honda Accord with more horsepower than many of the muscle cars from that era
And technology is through the roof these days. You can buy a Hyundai with radar adaptive cruise control, heated AND cooled seats, an infotainment center!
And there's lots of other amazing family-mobiles out there that offer diving fun without sacrificing versatility and economy. To me that's what really makes this an awesome time to be a car person, it's easy to have your cake and eat it to!
Only annoyance I have is that (in the states at least) contemporary wagons are an endangered species. Right as we were on the cusp of having awesome, powerful, highly drivable family-mobiles based off the plethora of excellent sedans out there...people decided they wanted giant, gas guzzling SUVs
And the real face palm: When gas prices started to rise, rather than go back to wagons...the market asked for 'compact SUVs'.
Last edited by AggressorBLUE; 11/18/1409:57 PM.
My Rig:i5-3570k @ 4.2 GHZ W/ Corsair Hydro H110 Cooler / Asus Sabertooth Z77 Mobo / GTX 1070/ 16 Gigs DDR3 RAM / A Few SSDs, and a Bunch of HDDs / All held together by: Corsair C70 Case
Other Assets Deployed: HOTAS: Thrustmaster Warthog SN#22621/CH Throttle Quad/MFG Crosswind Pedals SN#0004 TrackIR TIR 5 w/ TrackClip Pro Simpit: Obutto R3VOLUTION
I sticking with a European super car Arr the virtues of American design v European design Often thought of starting a tread on same but thought better off it. LoL
The Honda Accord has much more HP than it did in the late-'80s but is also much bigger, heavier and more expensive (even accounting for inflation). Not to mention looks, although that's subjective (I loved late '80s Accords, not so much today).
The problem for me today is that I haven't changed, I still want the little affordable "exotic" I've always wanted. Don't care about burnouts and time slips, just something light and fun to drive and that corners on rails, with good mileage and reasonably priced.
Growing up my friends dreamed of owning black Trans-Am's with the gold pinstripe "Bandit Package" or Mark Hamill's orange Corvette.
I was the odd-ball, this is what made such a huge impression on my young mind...
And you had choices then, like the Fiero and MR2, even the RX-7 and 280Z seemed kinda exotic at the time.
My '89 CRX Si (under $12k with A/C and custom wheels) had a nice, no-nonsense interior (not mine but same car)...
You didn't pay for gismos and screens, they only came one way... without power locks/windows/cruise/etc., only standard power sunroof (metal like the roof, not glass). What you got was a really nice wrap-around interior and excellent seats for the low price (2-seater)!
But still, it was no Fiero GT. It just didn't have that exotic way about it like the Fiero, the poor man's Ferrari (or Lotus Esprit).
Yeah, there's a family resemblance, but as I've said before, I don't see that as a bad thing (I'm pretty sure that image is either a one-off mod or a photoshop hack, though). The Fusion has gotten rave reviews for its looks, so a car that shares some features looks good too. I'd rather have a good-looking car that shares some features with another good-looking car than a unique ugly car
Ken Cartwright
No single drop of rain feels it is responsible for the flood.
Joined: Feb 2002 Posts: 4,920Moses
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Joined: Feb 2002
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Tulsa, Ok, USA
Originally Posted By: Arthonon
Yeah, there's a family resemblance, but as I've said before, I don't see that as a bad thing (I'm pretty sure that image is either a one-off mod or a photoshop hack, though). The Fusion has gotten rave reviews for its looks, so a car that shares some features looks good too. I'd rather have a good-looking car that shares some features with another good-looking car than a unique ugly car
Yeah, there's a family resemblance, but as I've said before, I don't see that as a bad thing (I'm pretty sure that image is either a one-off mod or a photoshop hack, though). The Fusion has gotten rave reviews for its looks, so a car that shares some features looks good too. I'd rather have a good-looking car that shares some features with another good-looking car than a unique ugly car
That photo is perfect - it even has an example of a boring car in it!
Ken Cartwright
No single drop of rain feels it is responsible for the flood.
It's got a 5.2L V8 using a flat plane crank, which Ford says is good because:
“Unlike a traditional V8, where the connecting rods are attached to the crankshaft at 90-degree intervals, this design evenly spaces all crank pins at 180-degree intervals,” Ford said in a statement. “The 180-degree, flat-plane layout permits a cylinder firing order that alternates between cylinder banks, reducing the overlap of exhaust pressure pulses. When combined with cylinder-head and valvetrain advancements, this permits better cylinder breathing, further extending the performance envelope of the V8.”
Rubbish. Flat-plane cranks don't make any more power than 90° cranks, they just sound better but have secondary harmonics vibration problems unless you're very clever with the balance.
Out of ammo Out of energy Out of ideas Down to harsh language
Balance A flat-plane V-8 is an inherently balanced engine because two pistons in each bank of cylinders are at top dead center, while the other two are at bottom dead center. For this reason, a flat-plane crankshaft does not need counterweights, unlike a cross-plane crankshaft, which requires counterweights to achieve balance. A flat-plane crankshaft does vibrate more than a counterweighted cross-plane crankshaft because of an inherent lack of rotational balance, but this can be controlled by using a short stroke and lightweight pistons.
Efficiency A V-8 design with a flat-plane crankshaft allows a firing order that alternates from one bank to the other. This simplifies intake and exhaust tuning and thus improves engine efficiency.
Usage The flat-plane V-8 is more commonly used as a dedicated racing engine than a passenger car engine because its simplicity, light weight and the need for a short stroke are well-suited to racing use. The low reciprocating mass allows faster acceleration, while the high efficiency improves horsepower at high rpm.
In motorsports V8s are common and have been a popular engine choice in purpose-designed engines for race-cars in many different types and classes of automotive racing, with use for example in the Formula-1 or the American NASCAR-racing league. They usually have flat-plane crankshafts, since a crossplane crankshaft results in uneven firing into the exhaust manifolds which interferes with engine tuning, and the crossplane's heavy crankshaft counterweights prevent the engine from accelerating rapidly.
Last edited by Arthonon; 11/20/1410:48 PM.
Ken Cartwright
No single drop of rain feels it is responsible for the flood.