Wth is all that smoke from. Are the tires doing a burn out on the dyno or is that thing burning oil like mad?
I looks like the tyres might be slipping.
Alternatively, some rolling road places put a tacking grease on the rollers for big bhp cars, which can smoke a lot if the rollers get hot.
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clownfoodpacket pusherin the wallsRegistered Userregular
edited October 2010
So on Friday I bought a 2009 VW GLI.
I kinda like this engine. It is quick and the car is pretty well balanced. The 6 speed transmission is nice. But I do not look forward to the speeding tickets that I will be getting.
Try driving closer to the speed limit then. Unless you are making really long journeys speeding does not get you anywhere that much faster. Traffic and red lights really diminish any time gains you would have made by speeding. Plus I don't know about you guys but doing 80mph in a 60mph doesn't really seem that much more fun or enjoyable to me.
If I am going to get a ticket it will be for speeding in the mountains where it is actually fun.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
I kinda like this engine. It is quick and the car is pretty well balanced. The 6 speed transmission is nice. But I do not look forward to the speeding tickets that I will be getting.
The engine is great, actually most VW 4cyl Turbo engines are.
Good luck dealing with everything else in the car though, and then paying when any of it breaks.
So we get stiff once in a while. So we have a little fun. What’s wrong with that? This is a free country, isn’t it? I can take my panda any place I want to. And if I wanna buy it a drink, that’s my business.
This Corvette Z06 sounds pretty nice, but I'm looking for one of the older, classical cars that one of the Top Gear guys drove during one of their challenges.
So we get stiff once in a while. So we have a little fun. What’s wrong with that? This is a free country, isn’t it? I can take my panda any place I want to. And if I wanna buy it a drink, that’s my business.
The alfa 8c is so good that it restores my faith in a just and meaningful universe.
Hey Zilo, how do you like the A4?
I haven't driven any of the newer ones. The two I've owned were a 2001 2.8 that I got with 11k miles on it, which I drove for 20k more miles and then later a '98 2.8 with 160k miles on it, which I drove for another 15k (grad school in Chicago, needed a beater I could park on the street and the '98 2-door Explorer I had at the time was a turd).
I've had short periods in other vintages, mostly '98 to '02s, with both the four and six cylinder engines. I loved them all. They're (generally, barring one timing belt disaster on the '98 beater) reliable, roomy, and wonderful to drive (though I never had one with an automatic). They're also quite good in midwestern winters. I would have bought another one after grad school but I got a screamin' deal on a 2001 A6 2.7t so I drove that until the turbo started to twitch out, so I got rid of it and now I have an '08 VW R32 that I bought new.
I probably have another A4 in my future (or, Jebus willing, an S4). When I bought the VW I wasn't a big fan of the styling direction Audi had been taking but they're starting to veer back towards something I find more palatable judging by the new TT and A6. Now that I'm married I'm going to need something with a back seat, if the A4 gets a refresh in the next 2 years or so I wouldn't hesitate to by one.
Although I'm conflicted... do I get an A4 (or a used S4), or a Focus ST and a motorcycle?
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SixCaches Tweets in the mainframe cyberhexRegistered Userregular
Although I'm conflicted... do I get an A4 (or a used S4), or a Focus ST and a motorcycle?
Was that even a question?
I hate being the voice of reason here but have you had a motorcycle before? If so then do whatever since you know what it is like. If you haven't I would suggest getting a cheap older one and see if you can handle people trying to run you over constantly.
If you ride a motorcycle without full gear on I will be the first to call you a complete idiot. :P
On the A4 note, how could you really go from a R32 to an A4 without feeling like it is sluggish?
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Although I'm conflicted... do I get an A4 (or a used S4), or a Focus ST and a motorcycle?
Was that even a question?
I hate being the voice of reason here but have you had a motorcycle before? If so then do whatever since you know what it is like. If you haven't I would suggest getting a cheap older one and see if you can handle people trying to run you over constantly.
If you ride a motorcycle without full gear on I will be the first to call you a complete idiot. :P
On the A4 note, how could you really go from a R32 to an A4 without feeling like it is sluggish?
I had my license but never owned a bike. It never made sense when I lived in the midwest but now that I live in LA and am close-ish to work... I'm not crazy enough to ride without a full set of leathers though. I see guys riding around in vests and it makes me cringe. The plan, such as it is, is to find a cheap beater on Craigslist and ride that around for awhile to see if it's as fun as I remember.
It'd definitely be a switch, going from the stiff-as-a-board torque monster R32 to something more sensible but I can't go putting a carseat in the back. It's too loud back there for a baby (almost too loud for an adult too). By the time I'm looking (2ish years from now) there should be some used 6-cylinder S4s floating around anyway, maybe I'll find one in my price range.
I would never buy a Mercedes. The quality has gone downhill. It just seems like they don't care anymore.
What is this based on?
I think this was true through the 90s but is not anymore. Of course not based on personal experiences with the brand, but from things like Top Gear of the early 2000s talking about it etc.
Zilo: The alternate solution is to try and find a quieter exhaust which might increase back pressure and kill some power / turbo spool, but you wouldn't have to get rid of the car.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Mercedes has not gone downhill in any real meaningful way. The thing I find funny with the discussions here are the references to this Benz or that M6. how many of you actually own and drive a luxury car on a daily basis?
NargorothRiP on
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SixCaches Tweets in the mainframe cyberhexRegistered Userregular
Mercedes has not gone downhill in any real meaningful way. The thing I find funny with the discussions here are the references to this Benz or that M6. how many of you actually own and drive a luxury car on a daily basis?
It's not in the same class of cars that we're talking about, but my daily driver is a 330, and I've been mulling the idea of a C63, M3, or used M5 for my next car.
Though I'm not sure I could ever really talk myself into it.
Mercedes has not gone downhill in any real meaningful way. The thing I find funny with the discussions here are the references to this Benz or that M6. how many of you actually own and drive a luxury car on a daily basis?
I think most of the complaints in this thread about the M6 is that it's ugly and expensive, not slow or uncomfortable or unreliable.
I wouldn't buy a Merc from the 90s. They had some twitchy electrical issues and weird interior fit and finish problems that are only getting worse as they age. My parents had a few and they were turds. The newer ones seem fine though, a coworker has an E-class from 2005 that he's put well over 100k on, it's problem-free and quite pleasant inside.
The big problem with the mid-90s Mercs (92 to 96 for sure, some models outside those years) was the electrical systems. Environmental regulations led Merc to use wiring with a biodegradable sheath, which didn't respond well to heat in the engine compartment. Electrical goblins are... if not inevitable, certainly commonplace. It's fixable but not trivial in cost or effort. Just google "Mercedes biodegradable wiring", there's tons of info out there.
We had a few different cars from that vintage in the late 90s and they all had problems. The interior issues were less painful but I've never been in an E-class from that era that was put together properly- maybe 20 cars or so? Not a representative sample, but enough to steer me away from them. I vastly prefer the 80s Mercs, we had several turbodiesels from the 70s/80s with over 250k that ran great, and one with 400k(!) on its original engine.
The Juke is actually really tiny, almost more of a kei car than a true crossover. I kinda like the aesthetic just for how funky it is, especially at an angle a real human would look at it from.
And yes the Japanese actually buy them.
*shrug* I don't get the M6 hate. I think it looks fine.
I also wish people would back up their "X is unreliable/bad/crappy" with some consumer reports or other collection of data. Remember this is D&D
Consumer reports honestly doesn't have much more scientific validity than anecdotal data. The methodology is horrible, and there have been examples of mechanically identical cars having wildly differing scores from them.
Jealous Deva on
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SixCaches Tweets in the mainframe cyberhexRegistered Userregular
*shrug* I don't get the M6 hate. I think it looks fine.
I also wish people would back up their "X is unreliable/bad/crappy" with some consumer reports or other collection of data. Remember this is D&D
Consumer reports honestly doesn't have much more scientific validity than anecdotal data. The methodology is horrible, and there have been examples of mechanically identical cars having wildly differing scores from them.
Still, saying "Mercedes isn't trying any more" without backing it up with anything is just silly.
*shrug* I don't get the M6 hate. I think it looks fine.
I also wish people would back up their "X is unreliable/bad/crappy" with some consumer reports or other collection of data. Remember this is D&D
Consumer reports honestly doesn't have much more scientific validity than anecdotal data. The methodology is horrible, and there have been examples of mechanically identical cars having wildly differing scores from them.
You can really only get a very general impression from user reviews, and only if you manage to track down well over a dozen for a given product. Having spent the last week shopping for tyres really brought that home. For any given make and model, there's always one numpty who can't drive whining about how they only lasted 15k miles, but if you see the same comment in two thirds or more of the reviews, make a little note and move on to the next possibility.
The Juke is actually really tiny, almost more of a kei car than a true crossover. I kinda like the aesthetic just for how funky it is, especially at an angle a real human would look at it from.
And yes the Japanese actually buy them.
Yeah, it's basically Micra-sized, but taller and with a weird bulbous high-grille thing going on at the front that is probably intended to make it look bigger than it is.
They will almost certainly do the same thing as they did as they did with the Micra and tone the styling right down in the first refresh. Looking at Nissan's website, it's interesting to note that they don't really do any kind of standard hatchback anymore, with the possible exception of the Note. Everything else is a city car, a 4x4, or a crossover.
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SixCaches Tweets in the mainframe cyberhexRegistered Userregular
edited October 2010
Every time I see a Nissan Cube on the street I think it's not real and someone's playing a joke on me.
The first time I saw a cube, I thought that it was hideously ugly, but at least it would solve one of my biggest complaints of a lot of cars - the giant blind spot when looking over your shoulder because of the rear pillar. But no, there's still a giant pillar there, it's just covered in ugly.
The Juke is actually really tiny, almost more of a kei car than a true crossover. I kinda like the aesthetic just for how funky it is, especially at an angle a real human would look at it from.
And yes the Japanese actually buy them.
Yeah, it's basically Micra-sized, but taller and with a weird bulbous high-grille thing going on at the front that is probably intended to make it look bigger than it is.
They will almost certainly do the same thing as they did as they did with the Micra and tone the styling right down in the first refresh. Looking at Nissan's website, it's interesting to note that they don't really do any kind of standard hatchback anymore, with the possible exception of the Note. Everything else is a city car, a 4x4, or a crossover.
What do you mean by "true hatchback?" The Versa hatch seems to be pretty much a hatchback no?
Posts
I looks like the tyres might be slipping.
Alternatively, some rolling road places put a tacking grease on the rollers for big bhp cars, which can smoke a lot if the rollers get hot.
I kinda like this engine. It is quick and the car is pretty well balanced. The 6 speed transmission is nice. But I do not look forward to the speeding tickets that I will be getting.
If I am going to get a ticket it will be for speeding in the mountains where it is actually fun.
The engine is great, actually most VW 4cyl Turbo engines are.
Good luck dealing with everything else in the car though, and then paying when any of it breaks.
*shudders*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT9_O3X9Llc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAdvaOLKIn4
Exhibit A:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSzOd__feIw
I rest my case.
my idea of a nice car is one that completes even challenging operations (rapid acceleration, for etc) with minimal noise
the smallest amount of external noise, cabin noise, and vibration possible, is ideal in my mind
Oh there are times and places for such cars. As a daily driver for instance. But sometimes you just wanna hear an engine roar.
The CLK 63 Black sounds pretty mean.
It was my runner up.
Serious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GUdDk5cJE4
I haven't driven any of the newer ones. The two I've owned were a 2001 2.8 that I got with 11k miles on it, which I drove for 20k more miles and then later a '98 2.8 with 160k miles on it, which I drove for another 15k (grad school in Chicago, needed a beater I could park on the street and the '98 2-door Explorer I had at the time was a turd).
I've had short periods in other vintages, mostly '98 to '02s, with both the four and six cylinder engines. I loved them all. They're (generally, barring one timing belt disaster on the '98 beater) reliable, roomy, and wonderful to drive (though I never had one with an automatic). They're also quite good in midwestern winters. I would have bought another one after grad school but I got a screamin' deal on a 2001 A6 2.7t so I drove that until the turbo started to twitch out, so I got rid of it and now I have an '08 VW R32 that I bought new.
I probably have another A4 in my future (or, Jebus willing, an S4). When I bought the VW I wasn't a big fan of the styling direction Audi had been taking but they're starting to veer back towards something I find more palatable judging by the new TT and A6. Now that I'm married I'm going to need something with a back seat, if the A4 gets a refresh in the next 2 years or so I wouldn't hesitate to by one.
Although I'm conflicted... do I get an A4 (or a used S4), or a Focus ST and a motorcycle?
Well, the M159 in the SLS is a somewhat-modified version of the M156 in the C63. They are great sounding engines
I hate being the voice of reason here but have you had a motorcycle before? If so then do whatever since you know what it is like. If you haven't I would suggest getting a cheap older one and see if you can handle people trying to run you over constantly.
If you ride a motorcycle without full gear on I will be the first to call you a complete idiot. :P
On the A4 note, how could you really go from a R32 to an A4 without feeling like it is sluggish?
The only time I would find this acceptable is in a Tesla.
I had my license but never owned a bike. It never made sense when I lived in the midwest but now that I live in LA and am close-ish to work... I'm not crazy enough to ride without a full set of leathers though. I see guys riding around in vests and it makes me cringe. The plan, such as it is, is to find a cheap beater on Craigslist and ride that around for awhile to see if it's as fun as I remember.
It'd definitely be a switch, going from the stiff-as-a-board torque monster R32 to something more sensible but I can't go putting a carseat in the back. It's too loud back there for a baby (almost too loud for an adult too). By the time I'm looking (2ish years from now) there should be some used 6-cylinder S4s floating around anyway, maybe I'll find one in my price range.
What is this based on?
I think this was true through the 90s but is not anymore. Of course not based on personal experiences with the brand, but from things like Top Gear of the early 2000s talking about it etc.
It's not in the same class of cars that we're talking about, but my daily driver is a 330, and I've been mulling the idea of a C63, M3, or used M5 for my next car.
Though I'm not sure I could ever really talk myself into it.
I think most of the complaints in this thread about the M6 is that it's ugly and expensive, not slow or uncomfortable or unreliable.
I wouldn't buy a Merc from the 90s. They had some twitchy electrical issues and weird interior fit and finish problems that are only getting worse as they age. My parents had a few and they were turds. The newer ones seem fine though, a coworker has an E-class from 2005 that he's put well over 100k on, it's problem-free and quite pleasant inside.
I also wish people would back up their "X is unreliable/bad/crappy" with some consumer reports or other collection of data. Remember this is D&D
We had a few different cars from that vintage in the late 90s and they all had problems. The interior issues were less painful but I've never been in an E-class from that era that was put together properly- maybe 20 cars or so? Not a representative sample, but enough to steer me away from them. I vastly prefer the 80s Mercs, we had several turbodiesels from the 70s/80s with over 250k that ran great, and one with 400k(!) on its original engine.
I guess one weird looking little CUV wasn't enough for Nissan?
However I have yet to see a crossover that actually looks good. I think the best that manufacturers can do is shoot for "bland".
And yes the Japanese actually buy them.
Consumer reports honestly doesn't have much more scientific validity than anecdotal data. The methodology is horrible, and there have been examples of mechanically identical cars having wildly differing scores from them.
Still, saying "Mercedes isn't trying any more" without backing it up with anything is just silly.
You can really only get a very general impression from user reviews, and only if you manage to track down well over a dozen for a given product. Having spent the last week shopping for tyres really brought that home. For any given make and model, there's always one numpty who can't drive whining about how they only lasted 15k miles, but if you see the same comment in two thirds or more of the reviews, make a little note and move on to the next possibility.
Yeah, it's basically Micra-sized, but taller and with a weird bulbous high-grille thing going on at the front that is probably intended to make it look bigger than it is.
They will almost certainly do the same thing as they did as they did with the Micra and tone the styling right down in the first refresh. Looking at Nissan's website, it's interesting to note that they don't really do any kind of standard hatchback anymore, with the possible exception of the Note. Everything else is a city car, a 4x4, or a crossover.
What do you mean by "true hatchback?" The Versa hatch seems to be pretty much a hatchback no?
I'm watching Top Gear, season 8, episode 3.
I love the Lotus Elise! Such a cool little car.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQOnOXXc-ps