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I thought the AWD Matrix lost power due to issues with a re-routed/altered exhaust or something like that. Not that it matters, the thing was seriously underpowered regardless.
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May 18, 2015 17:35
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Tommychu posted:Not to mention the fact that the chassis of the Matrix/Vibe is horrendously sloppy so it takes more bracing and stiffening than suspension work to make them handle in even a reasonably predictable manner. That's not to say it isn't fun to throw it into a corner at speed, watch what it throws back at you and force it into compliance, but it'll never be a track car. Is there any good resource of information on these cars? I've looked but the community is heavily tunerzzzz (mostly base model automatics with painted rear wheel drums). Kind of a culture shock coming from Volvo.
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May 18, 2015 17:40
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Best use of a Matrix XRS is as an engine/transmission donor for a aw11 mr2 or mr2 spyder 
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May 18, 2015 18:20
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LloydDobler posted:I've spent a lot of time fantasizing about selling all 3 of my current cars and buying one of those instead. I won't, but I fantasize about it. For much cheaper you can buy the knockoff Polestar emblem or even the real thing.
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May 18, 2015 19:51
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angryrobots posted:That's fair, but I have a predisposition for lovely fwd cars, so I enjoy it for what it is. I feel like a good set of rubber will make a world of difference. All 4 tires it came with are different brands... There was a not-entirely-terrible community back in the day with boatloads of good info but it largely fell apart in 2011-2012 (whenever matrixowners.com went under). GenVibe still has a little bit of solid info but it's a ghost town. You can PM me if you have any specific questions, I did a boatload of research on these things when I still had high hopes for my Vibe's performance. I think I also have a few parts kicking around, I know I have a Progress rear swaybar at the very least. And since you mentioned rubber, these cars take really well to Falken 912s if you can find them cheap. 22 Eargesplitten posted:115 hp in a 3000+ lb car? Noooope. I'll take the 5-speed in my OBS over that. I'd even take the 2.5 liter OBS over that, head gaskets be damned. 2700 actually. They're slow but they're not totally anemic.
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May 18, 2015 19:57
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 Car and Driver (I think) said 2900-3400. I figured it would be on the high end for AWD, due to the extra shaft, diff, and axles.
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May 18, 2015 20:01
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My sister had a vibe. It struggled to go up hills unloaded. With more than 1 person, it had to drop to third to go up inclines on the interstate.
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May 18, 2015 22:55
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My wife has an 03 XRS (which I believe is the highest power rated year.) It's fuckin sweet. When we test drove it she was freaking out about me sitting on the highway in second gear, until I showed her what happens when the second cam comes in at 6200, at which point she looked at me with wide eyes and said "this is the car for me." Engine top end was designed by yamaha, and it straight up sounds like a crotch rocket at high revs. The clutch is super grabby and combined with the high-revving nature of the engine it really makes around-town driving difficult. She stalls it once a week, and I literally can't drive it because my DD is a 5 speed cherokee which is so heavy and torquey that going to her car means I just slip the clutch way too much when I'm starting from a light. Also the 03 has a short circuit in the headlight switch at below-zero temps which makes the lights come on in the middle of the night and drain the battery (not fun in the middle of Jan!) Anyway even given the headlight problem and the lack of down low torque it's totally the best japanese hatchback that you could buy in the US except maybe an STi or something. Feel bad for people with normal Vibes/matrices. Also the corolla XRS didn't come with the 2zz, so hatchback/wagon supremacy. 
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May 19, 2015 13:12
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ShotgunWillie posted:My sister had a vibe. Why were you looking in her dresser in the first place?
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May 19, 2015 17:14
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Why were you looking in her dresser in the first place? Oy vey.
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May 19, 2015 17:26
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 (edited for size) DropShadow fucked around with this message at 20:48 on Jun 11, 2015 |
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Jun 8, 2015 19:06
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You need to NSFW that 
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Jun 9, 2015 05:42
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Are there luxury wagons from the past ~20 years that aren't unreliable, expensive German cars? If there was a Towncar or Lexus LS wagon, that would be what I was looking for. I know there's the Cadillac CTS wagon, but I think I remember Tremek saying they sold less than 2000 of them.
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Jun 9, 2015 16:50
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If you consider a Buick Roadmaster "luxury," yes
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Jun 9, 2015 16:52
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Are there luxury wagons from the past ~20 years that aren't unreliable, expensive German cars? If there was a Towncar or Lexus LS wagon, that would be what I was looking for. I know there's the Cadillac CTS wagon, but I think I remember Tremek saying they sold less than 2000 of them. They sold less than 2000 of the -V model - the high performance version - but there's more 3.6 v6 models out there. Someone in this thread has one. Also consider looking at the TSX wagon maybe? Not my cup of tea but reportedly good cars. Better question, what's your budget?
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Jun 9, 2015 18:00
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That is the absolute sweetest wagon I have ever seen in my life
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Jun 9, 2015 19:11
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Tremek posted:They sold less than 2000 of the -V model - the high performance version - but there's more 3.6 v6 models out there. Someone in this thread has one. There's a lot (comparatively) of the 3.0 and 3.6 CTS wagons around. I just bought one a couple of months ago and there were about 10 for sale within 50 miles. You can probably get a 2010 with the 3.0 for 18k or so.
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Jun 9, 2015 21:02
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From a quality perspective thus far mine has held up very well, and we haven't been particularly gentle with it: I think Cadillac did very well on build quality and reliability on the 2nd-gen CTS platform. That's probably your strongest non-German contender, and it can be had either in AWD or RWD.
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Jun 9, 2015 21:40
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Honestly, buying it is probably going to come at the end of 2016, if not early 2017. I've got a wedding to pay for first. Half of it was idle curiosity, the other half so I can sperg out on the options for a while. I could probably start looking at something in the ~15k range then, though. That would give me basically half a year to save up a down payment, and God willing I'll be making considerably more money by then, since I'll have had my CS degree for a year. A luxury wagon just seems like the ideal car for my wife to drive. That way I get to drive all of the stupid, weird, and impractical cars I want while we have a comfortable, decently powerful, and practical wagon to go on road trips or whatever else with. I'm pretty sure I remember her liking the looks of both the CTS and the TSX, too.
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Jun 9, 2015 22:23
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Tremek posted:From a quality perspective thus far mine has held up very well, and we haven't been particularly gentle with it: You monkey humper. You made me go look them up and there's a 2011 with 23,000 miles on it that I want, badly. 
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Jun 9, 2015 23:15
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Volvo's making some cool wagons right now too but they won't be in the $15k range next year. Seems totally doable to find a low-mileage CTS wagon for that kind of coin though. Also discovered there are some cynical motherfuckers at Cadillac... Mom car? gently caress no, they doubled down and named the goddamn color vanilla latte.  Tremek fucked around with this message at 23:40 on Jun 9, 2015 |
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Jun 9, 2015 23:32
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Tremek posted:Volvo's making some cool wagons right now too but they won't be in the $15k range next year. Seems totally doable to find a low-mileage CTS wagon for that kind of coin though. I wonder how that would look with the chrome blacked out. I didn't realize the prices came down that far. Not bad...
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Jun 10, 2015 02:04
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Tremek posted:From a quality perspective thus far mine has held up very well, and we haven't been particularly gentle with it: What's the deal with the police officer that appears to be checking the speed on your burnout? Is he the burnout police
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Jun 10, 2015 02:15
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8ender posted:What's the deal with the police officer that appears to be checking the speed on your burnout? Is he the burnout police He's recording shoeish from the forums doing the biggest burnout ever, with a full load of passengers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOeE3nGzDqY
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Jun 10, 2015 03:40
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Honestly, buying it is probably going to come at the end of 2016, if not early 2017. I've got a wedding to pay for first. Half of it was idle curiosity, the other half so I can sperg out on the options for a while. I could probably start looking at something in the ~15k range then, though. That would give me basically half a year to save up a down payment, and God willing I'll be making considerably more money by then, since I'll have had my CS degree for a year. TSX is highly recommended. I've had mine for 6 months now and love it. You're not likely to find one for $15k just yet though. Bikes and camping and wagon life.
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Jun 10, 2015 03:46
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Are there luxury wagons from the past ~20 years that aren't unreliable, expensive German cars? If there was a Towncar or Lexus LS wagon, that would be what I was looking for. I know there's the Cadillac CTS wagon, but I think I remember Tremek saying they sold less than 2000 of them. 
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Jun 10, 2015 06:28
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Honestly, buying it is probably going to come at the end of 2016, if not early 2017. I've got a wedding to pay for first. Half of it was idle curiosity, the other half so I can sperg out on the options for a while. I could probably start looking at something in the ~15k range then, though. That would give me basically half a year to save up a down payment, and God willing I'll be making considerably more money by then, since I'll have had my CS degree for a year. I'm in the same boat but my wife really doesn't like the CTS styling. I'm OK with it.
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Jun 10, 2015 07:35
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Honestly, buying it is probably going to come at the end of 2016, if not early 2017. I've got a wedding to pay for first. Half of it was idle curiosity, the other half so I can sperg out on the options for a while. I could probably start looking at something in the ~15k range then, though. That would give me basically half a year to save up a down payment, and God willing I'll be making considerably more money by then, since I'll have had my CS degree for a year. $15k puts you squarely in 2007-2011 territory for Volvos, depending on mileage and model. The P2 generation wagons ended in 2007 and the average price has dropped like a rock. There are still some babied low mileage models in perfect condition for that kind of money, and the platform had 8 years of refinement so they're pretty bulletproof. And they're very practical and decently powerful, you'll have to tell us if it's luxurious enough for you.
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Jun 10, 2015 07:49
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I'll take a look at the Volvos too, then. How is the turbo reliability on those?
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Jun 10, 2015 17:36
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Good, they go a couple hundred thousand miles easily with regular maintenance. I'm at 172k on mine right now, still holds all its oil between changes.
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Jun 10, 2015 18:10
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They are hard to find but they are out there. I had to get mine out of state but its been the best Cadillac I've had by far. As fast as both of my previous 2006 DTS's and can fit a 40 Gallon water heater with ease and gets better MPG even with AWD. Also the car is excellent in the snow. 
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Jun 11, 2015 05:56
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For $15,000 you could also buy one hell of a Volvo 240 wagon. e:  
atomicthumbs fucked around with this message at 07:45 on Jun 11, 2015 |
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Jun 11, 2015 07:41
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A Volvo wagon with an LT5?  I like the way you think.
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Jun 11, 2015 10:36
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The LT5 is cool as hell but like... why not save a bunch of money and get a L92 or an L86?
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Jun 11, 2015 13:20
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If you don't give a gently caress about turning the iron 5.3 is like fifty cents
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Jun 11, 2015 16:23
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Slow is Fast posted:If you don't give a gently caress about turning the iron 5.3 is like fifty cents I find it hard to believe that even an iron 5.3 would weigh all that much more than the redblock.
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Jun 11, 2015 16:29
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There's an 80-120lb difference between the 3rd/4th gen iron vs aluminum LS blocks. In a 4,000 lb wagon, that doesn't make much difference.
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Jun 11, 2015 16:36
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IOwnCalculus posted:I find it hard to believe that even an iron 5.3 would weigh all that much more than the redblock. I've actually looked up exactly this because of my long-term 5.3 245 project. The 5.3 weighs about 80-100lbs more than a Redblock, at most.
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Jun 11, 2015 17:24
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Tremek posted:There's an 80-120lb difference between the 3rd/4th gen iron vs aluminum LS blocks. In a 4,000 lb wagon, that doesn't make much difference. 240 wagons weigh ~3075 lbs 
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Jun 12, 2015 00:33
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Huh, I'd have guessed 4k too. They look heavy, and the one we built for a derby back in high school sure didn't hit like a <3100lb car. (third place in the 4cyl class )
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Jun 12, 2015 03:11
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