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21 year old lurker checking in - I come here to be granted wisdom from everyone thats old as gently caress. Also - I don't know if it's true that young people don't like cars- it's just more stratified. The big thing is now the technology. Most of my friends are engineer/science types, and they're all obsessed with electric cars. I don't have many friends like like big, noisy or otherwise bonkers gasoline cars. My STI gets more love from 30+ dudes than anyone in my age bracket. Loving the thread though, living vicariously through it.
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Sep 27, 2015 08:49
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dk2m posted:21 year old lurker checking in - I come here to be granted wisdom from everyone thats old as gently caress. i love this post
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Sep 27, 2015 10:33
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Re: seatbelt I'm pretty sure you're supposed to still use the lap belt for fear of submarining. Lots of early 90s cars had the same system, albiet mirrored. My 323 doesn't shut off the belt light if I don't put on the lap belt. I don't think the SE-R gave a crap.
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Sep 27, 2015 10:38
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HotCanadianChick posted:Anecdotal, and tainted by your own tastes and likes being a large influence on him. Cars are less interesting and more of a commodity. When I was 18, we'd talk about mods to genuinely improve performance, getting under the bonnet was an essential skill, there was a real difference in performance between brands/models and the differences between them were greater. These days, the most useful questions that are going to be asked are: what lease deal should I get and how do I clear the CEL? You used to be able to identify a car by just the taillights. Now I have problems telling them apart when I am looking at the entire thing.
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Sep 27, 2015 16:10
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leica posted:Not many new people coming through. Isn't TT the latest regular AIer that hasn't been run out of here? I think the two S13 guys are relatively new, right?
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Sep 27, 2015 16:23
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Nodoze posted:I think the two S13 guys are relatively new, right? Ive been here since 2004 or something, lurker for years before that. I only made a thread because I felt like I was posting too much in the 'what did you do to your ride today' thread.
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Sep 29, 2015 00:43
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Laserface posted:Ive been here since 2004 or something, lurker for years before that. I only made a thread because I felt like I was posting too much in the 'what did you do to your ride today' thread. I don't know how I didn't know that 
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Sep 29, 2015 01:22
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Nodoze posted:I don't know how I didn't know that Ive done a few threads actually. The toybaru thread was mine (when we had lofty expectations of it not having a boring as gently caress engine) and a hanful of others. but yeah Ive been around for a long time.
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Sep 29, 2015 01:45
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Laserface posted:but yeah Ive been around for a long time. Join the club... Started as a VW guy (84 GTI projects), then Honda guy (the DREG Civic Coupe project), now I'm a boring old fart. Cases in point: GTI (2004-ish):  '01 GTI (2006-ish):  Heading to Alaska (2011):  Very few pictures to show the changes, but I don't look anything like I did in '04. I think the community is shrinking, primarily because we accept very little BS. People don't want to learn to behave, they'd rather go to Reddit/FB/wherever and be juvenile. I can barely deal with 90% of the automotive forums out there. It's poo poo-tastic, except for this place.
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Sep 29, 2015 02:09
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This is the only consistently readable forum about cars I've ever found.
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Sep 29, 2015 02:47
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sharkytm posted:I think the community is shrinking, primarily because we accept very little BS. People don't want to learn to behave, they'd rather go to Reddit/FB/wherever and be juvenile. I can barely deal with 90% of the automotive forums out there. It's poo poo-tastic, except for this place. I think its a damning condemnation on the larger car community that this is literally the only tolerable car forum on the internet and it isn't growing at any substantial rate. Should also say the fact that the Formula One thread on SA isn't stuffed with insufferable cocks that take it way too seriously is also a huge benefit to having an SA account. Tony quidprano fucked around with this message at 03:10 on Sep 29, 2015 |
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Sep 29, 2015 03:00
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The only other forum I can't complain about is the Protege forums, but that's a pretty small community. Once you get into the numbers of miata owners on mnet you have yourself a very consistent dumpster fire. That being said my local Miata forum isn't bad.
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Sep 29, 2015 03:11
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On my registration, the TS apparently translates to Convertible. Here's why: There's a latch at each end of the windscreen:  The way it tents up the sunvisor is one of the few annoyances I have about the cabin -- I keep noticing that end of the visor in the edge of my vision.  The lever just squeezes a small tab against the windscreen top bar. There's no elaborate hook or mating system to better secure it. Just pull back the lever and the tab opens up. Push up the front edge of the targa top and pull a bit forward, and then it's free. You can remove and stow the targa top standing outside one open door. If the windows are down, you could probably do it with both doors close. I'm sure if you really wanted to, you could do it seated in the car. It weighs maybe 25lbs and is unwieldy but not too bad to deal with solo. But let's assume you have one door open. This is what you see behind the seats:  I forgot to take a picture of the targa top itself, but the rear is secured by two 3" metal stakes. The top faces forward, and the stakes plop into those holes.  Note that the shoulder belts are under the top. If you actually stopped and got out while the top was stowed, you'd have to be extremely anal to tuck them behind the top. Ferrari being Ferrari, they did not put any kind of limit on the seats to prevent you from sliding back and crushing your top. That's how the dealer dinged a chip into my top. I'm juuuust short enough at 5'10" to slide it back without touching the top. I have to keep the seatback pretty upright, through, which I feel is antithetical to the standardized Italian driving position -- leaned back, arms straight out, legs scrunched up and to the right. When I first test drove the car with the top stowed, I couldn't clutch or brake well because of how bound up my legs were under the wheel. There's supposed to be a leather tonneau type cover to snap and drape over the stowed top, which would be nice to hold it in place and keep it from tapping into the seatbacks under braking. I'll probably just use a big tan beach towel.  A picture of the chip, which is about a nickel across the long way:  I'm gonna tackle that this weekend with a Dr. Colorchip kit. Not sure if I should fill it mostly with primer and then do the surface, or go Dr. Colorchip all the way. I Shinetsu greased the front and rear seals (which are on the car, not the top). I'll drive it tomorrow morning to go get the tires done. Will see how much it squeaks.
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Sep 29, 2015 03:19
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You guys really don't take any poo poo. I thought about making a thread for my Miata but: 1. I don't have anything to post about 2. I'm afraid I'll turn into the next Sperglord Firecock
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Sep 29, 2015 03:21
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Please post how well that grease works. I have some seals on the GTI that are intact, just very dry. Itd be awesome if that poo poo could save them. And yeah, AI is a very good and unique community. Once I found it, I stopped going to any other auto forums for anything beyond searches.
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Sep 29, 2015 03:29
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mariooncrack posted:You guys really don't take any poo poo. I thought about making a thread for my Miata but: Don't feel bad, I haven't posted a thread in years, mostly because the poo poo i do is pretty boring maintenance poo poo. iwentdoodie posted:Please post how well that grease works. I have some seals on the GTI that are intact, just very dry. Itd be awesome if that poo poo could save them. Get the grease it's worth it just to have it around for whatever.
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Sep 29, 2015 03:54
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iwentdoodie posted:Please post how well that grease works. I have some seals on the GTI that are intact, just very dry. Itd be awesome if that poo poo could save them. The seals in the car are actually all in pretty good shape. I'm hoping the grease is enough to quiet the squeaks. It spreads easily and doesn't have a separated oil component like some silicone greases I've used.
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Sep 29, 2015 04:02
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1500quidporsche posted:
You and I must be reading different F1 threads...
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Sep 30, 2015 01:16
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Got the tires swapped on this morning. Holy poo poo is there a difference from the old Advans (and something something in the back) to ZII Star Specs all around. The steering effort is noticeably lighter, but nothing like the modern dead and overboosted sensation. I can drive one handed now -- as soon as you get rolling, you can steer without having to heave yourself down on the wheel. The pedal box is a bit cramped, though, and my knees and hip joints were complaining once I got out of the car. I have achy knees from kickboxing, and my go-to excuse for not liking a car is that its clutch seems heavy and would wear my knee out. If I could tilt the wheel up a bit to get my legs more under it, I would, but it's not adjustable. The Shinetsu grease helped a ton -- the squeaking is reduced by 80%. I'm gonna redo it this weekend to try to really get it dead. e: oh, when the tech pulled the car into the shop garage, someone yelled out "Magnum PI!" I was amused. And a bunch of Asian girls pointed and stared when I was stopped at a light. kimbo305 fucked around with this message at 04:49 on Sep 30, 2015 |
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Sep 30, 2015 04:21
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leica posted:Not many new people coming through. Isn't TT the latest regular AIer that hasn't been run out of here? Hi. I love AI. 23. I just mostly lurk as I don't have any money for interesting cars at the moment, since I just recently started a new job. And have zero access to credit due to moving countries. Speaking of which, I'm jealous of what you pay to insure the Ferrari. Try being an immigrant to the UK. 3600 dollars/year to insure a 2002 Skoda Fabia 1.4 with its dangerously high 75 horsepower. With a mileage limit of 2000 miles\year. With a 1500 dollar excess. On a 1000 dollar car. With a telematics box. That is the single cheapest quote I've been able to find. It's even better when I look at quotes for something at all interesting and the algorithms freak out. Why yes, I do think paying 40,000 a year to insure a 1500 dollar car is reasonable.
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Sep 30, 2015 07:35
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Is there an airbag and would it help if the wheel was closer? Maybe a hub spacer would help.
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Sep 30, 2015 07:40
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Zeppelin Insanity posted:Hi. I love AI. 23. I just mostly lurk as I don't have any money for interesting cars at the moment, since I just recently started a new job. And have zero access to credit due to moving countries. (you don't have PMs) Have you tried NFU Mutual - they may regard 3 years of not having claimed in the UK as not having had an accident for 3 years, even if you weren't here.
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Sep 30, 2015 08:42
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Thanks, I'll check them out. I was mostly using price aggregator websites.
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Sep 30, 2015 08:48
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Yeah, skip those. Once you are outside their comfort zone, you get put in the same category as someone who asks for a quote whilst holding a still-burning steering wheel. Also remember that UK insurance is targeted to people who choose a policy based on what type of stuffed toy you get with it. Mind you, you're still going to get reamed on costs, compared to the US. OP - what's the car like as a practical drive? Putting aside costs, could/would you use it instead of a Civic?
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Sep 30, 2015 09:29
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Hah, it was the meerkats who quoted me my aforementioned ridiculously low premium. Do you have a UK licence? Because if not, compare what it would be like if you did. Ultimately, though, I'm afraid that it still seems that things like age, experience, and no-claims are what get you the price drops.
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Sep 30, 2015 10:00
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See, that's kind of the problem. If I swap out my license for a UK one, it has a brand new date of issue, so all insurance companies will assume that I've just now passed the test. I have experience, but the UK won't take it into account because I wasn't a named driver, because in my country there isn't such a thing - you insure the car, not the driver. Hopefully the prices are gonna start dropping once I've had insurance for a year. The UK has so many cool and fairly affordable cars in the used market, I just don't fancy paying sums with more than 3 zeroes for insurance. Not to hijack the thread - OP, your Ferrari is awesome and I'm insanely jealous.
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Sep 30, 2015 11:23
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Talk to NFU Mutual or a broker and you might get lucky. NFU gave me three years NCD, even though I had been out of the country and had absolutely no proof that I had been driving/insured while there. Anything you try and do through gocompare, etc is going to end up being put through to their 'special quotes' dept. The AA quoted me £4,000 for a £2k car in a low crime area. NFU came in at <£900
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Sep 30, 2015 13:54
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Zeppelin Insanity posted:See, that's kind of the problem. If I swap out my license for a UK one, it has a brand new date of issue, so all insurance companies will assume that I've just now passed the test. I have experience, but the UK won't take it into account because I wasn't a named driver, because in my country there isn't such a thing - you insure the car, not the driver. Hopefully the prices are gonna start dropping once I've had insurance for a year. The UK has so many cool and fairly affordable cars in the used market, I just don't fancy paying sums with more than 3 zeroes for insurance. Remember that you don't have a choice about swapping your licence. If it's from the US or a similar third country non eea you have 2 years from arrival in the UK after which you are no longer licensed to drive. Book that test! Try Footman James or Sureterm (?) or another specialist broker in the interim. Since this is about eyetie cars - you should be able to insure a Panda 100hp for something like the same rate as the Skoda. Don't forget the Ragazzon catback and de-res pipe for that Council sound.
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Sep 30, 2015 15:38
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Saga posted:Remember that you don't have a choice about swapping your licence. If it's from the US or a similar third country non eea you have 2 years from arrival in the UK after which you are no longer licensed to drive. Book that test! EU master race, my license is valid until I'm 80 or something like that last I checked. I'll have a look at the rest you guys mentioned. I called up NFU and they haven't gotten back to me yet, but said they would take into account my driving experience from when I studied in Ireland rather than treating me as a completely new driver, so that's a massive difference to how most treat me. Thanks guys, I really appreciate you pointing out some of the ones that don't show up on price comparison sites.
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Sep 30, 2015 16:31
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I'm an oldfag by a long way (almost 13 years here) and I've seen the demographic of AI change over the years. A lot of posters have been run off or got bored over the years, but there's still a core group. Kimbo is one of the original core group, and followed an evolution I've seen a few people go through, including myself. I left being a mechanic behind years ago because my project cars (the SW20 turbo and 190E Cosworth for example) were basket cases that never fully worked. I lost patience with it and left most work to dealerships, often at my own peril. Ironically there are newer people here who think I can't lift a wrench when in reality I simply got sick of it. My days of laying on cardboard under a storm drain are long gone, and with good reason - a minor gently caress-up during a suspension install with the SoCal AI crew left me doing an impression of a Reliant Robin on 280. As all this relates to Kimbo's purchase, I think being in a position to DIY as much as possible is the key to "affordable" exotic car ownership. I bought a lifetime extended warranty on the Viper (which will inevitably bankrupt them) to sandbag against the eventual mechanical destruction of the car. By the time I've got a house with a lift I think I'll be prepared to come back to DIY work, but only with the right tools and equipment.
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Sep 30, 2015 17:59
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Das Volk posted:I bought a lifetime extended warranty on the Viper (which will inevitably bankrupt them) 
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Sep 30, 2015 18:20
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Das Volk posted:I bought a lifetime extended warranty on the Viper (which will inevitably bankrupt them) How are repair prices on Vipers? Have they gone up over the past few years as (I'm assuming) Chrysler has stopped throwing interiors in from Town and Countries?
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Sep 30, 2015 19:14
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jamal posted:Is there an airbag and would it help if the wheel was closer? Maybe a hub spacer would help. No, delightfully thin and airbag-free. I'll look into it. spog posted:OP - what's the car like as a practical drive? Putting aside costs, could/would you use it instead of a Civic? I'd say 6/10. I'm betting it would be pretty leaky in the rain, but I don't intend to drive if rain's forecasted. A Civic could easily carry its own track wheels to the track. The 348 frunk can get you plenty of groceries for one or two people, though. It's a two seater, so you can't bring 4 friends to an event. The AC barely works, but would be tolerable enough. Front approach angle is really low. Thanks to the not-stock front tire sizing, I lost 6mm at the wheels, which doesn't help. Every speed hump, I approach at an angle. I take more care to let the engine warm up, though this mostly means I watch the gauges in addition to driving gently for the first several minutes. In the Z06 or Viper, you'd have plenty of power even puttering around. Visibility is actually pretty great. The car never feels unwiedly in close quarters. Of the many sporty cars I've driven over the years, this has the easiest to use clutch, in terms of pressure and progressive uptake. The C6 Z06 was pretty good, but the torque helped. If I were in Cali, it'd be much closer to a daily driver than out in Mass. Das Volk posted:By the time I've got a house with a lift I think I'll be prepared to come back to DIY work, but only with the right tools and equipment. That is a nice life goal. 2 post lifts don't seem that expensive. With air tools and a lift, you can take on any major mechnical stuff. There's still bugbears like doing electrics in the cabin that are painful no matter what.
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Sep 30, 2015 21:46
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Das Volk posted:I bought a lifetime extended warranty on the Viper (which will inevitably bankrupt them) to sandbag against the eventual mechanical destruction of the car. Sorry, not to derail here, but I wasn't even aware such a thing existed. How much did that cost? I'd imagine even for a commuter appliance it would be exorbitant, but for a Viper? Also, who did you buy it from? Disgruntled Bovine fucked around with this message at 21:58 on Sep 30, 2015 |
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Sep 30, 2015 21:54
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Seconding a hub spacer, or you might be able to find a longer hub to begin with. 1" can make a big difference.
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Sep 30, 2015 22:00
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Disgruntled Bovine posted:Sorry, not to derail here, but I wasn't even aware such a thing existed. How much did that cost? I'd imagine even for a commuter appliance it would be exorbitant, but for a Viper? The original dealer gave it to me for cost, so $2K. It's a MOPAR one too, so
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Sep 30, 2015 22:24
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leica posted:Seconding a hub spacer, or you might be able to find a longer hub to begin with. 1" can make a big difference.
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Sep 30, 2015 23:28
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K, adding hub spacer to list of things to look into. Here's one more weird tidbit before I forget -- the key: https://vine.co/v/eQKuVJeWE99  Not really sure why they put a fold into it. In the ignition, the fob part hangs vertically. Could it be a safety-minded feature like Saab's console ignition? To fold slightly more out of the way? The mystery fascinates me enough that I don't want to research it and find out. The key blade is apparently some very common one that any hardware store should have in stock. I've only got the one, so I guess I should have a spare cut.
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Oct 1, 2015 01:50
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I don't post much, on account of work blocking my POSTs, but dang if I don't love this car. Living vicariously through you.
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Oct 1, 2015 06:59
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InitialDave posted:As I understand it, the 348 uses a standard 6-bolt fitting, so an off-the-shelf spacer should work, but I'm going to suggest you consider a removable steering wheel kit. They add an inch or two of spacing out (which may actually be too much), and you get the slight secutity benefit of being able to take the wheel with you or hide it. But doesn't that increase the odds of his steering wheel disappearing if he doesn't take it with him? Honestly, if was really worried about my Momo getting stolen, I'd rather tack weld the nut to the shaft and have to grind it back off if I had to get the wheel off. Removable wheels just make it more of a PITA to me. Not that I'd ever actually do the tack weld thing, but I have thought about it as a solution.
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Oct 1, 2015 18:00
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