to run one, you have to afford two

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > to run one, you have to afford two

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

kimbo305 posted:

Does anyone have experience with specialty insurance? After updating my policy, mine took a few days to decide to use declared value, and when I give the sale price, it's coming out to 2800/6 months, which is uhhh, pretty steep. Cheaper than the Viper, though.
Hagerty doesn't cover stuff this new. I'm gonna call Grundy and Amica tomorrow.

Late on this since I just found the thread but check with Grundy. I was paying 1200+ a year on the E30 with Hagerty, switched to Grundy when I bought the E28. Now I have the E30, E21 and E28 for under 800. Most will require a separate daily driver so you aren't racking up miles on whatever they're insuring. American Collectors is also comparable, think that's who Dad has used.

Gorgeous car and good choice if I remember the list of cars you were considering.

# ¿ Oct 1, 2015 23:42

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# ¿ May 5, 2024 11:33

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

Boaz MacPhereson posted:

I go both ways on this. Working on my Mustang (DD) sucks drat near every time. Bullshit rust, poo poo not going right, blah blah. Working on the Nova, however, is usually pretty pleasant. No real rust, good access to fasteners, and no rush to get a job done because its current purpose is to hold down my jack stands.

This is so true, it depends on the car and the work. The VW is a bastard to work on so it goes to the dealership for anything more involved than maybe changing pads/rotors. The BMW's I enjoy working on so I do everything on those. I think it also helps that most times on the non daily driver cars there isn't a big rush to finish it and if something happens and you get delayed it's fine.

kimbo305 posted:

First, one more quirk. Some cars have reflectors on their doors. The 348 goes ahead and lights up:

Dr. Colorchip --

drat that's a great view. Seems like most people I've talked to that went the Colorchip thing had mixed results when it comes to matching something exotic.

# ¿ Oct 4, 2015 13:24

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

Muffinpox posted:

Trip report; this car loving owns. I'll talk about it more when I write up a review but this car is the definition of perfect pure mechanical driving experience.

Holy poo poo :perfect:

# ¿ Oct 10, 2015 23:55

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

kimbo305 posted:

Ok, the important part, the sound. This is keyed right to the flyby pulls:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB5gWbWs7VE&t=191s
Apologies for aggressive driving on the street, etc. The earlier half of the video is some interior tunnel blasting on the action cam (with the windows up but the microphone already clipping badly) and a really tight parallel park.

So much better than the stock, that is time and money well spent. But now I'm looking at headers and exhaust for the M cars because they're too civil.

# ¿ Dec 8, 2015 13:41

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

Das Volk posted:

Just pulling the primary cats in the M3 did quite a bit for the exhaust note:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJdnP-dPQ_k

That's a V8 though so you have that going for you. The E28 has a brand new OEM exhaust so it would be easy to drop it and toss something a bit more open in there. E30...that engine just doesn't sound that great unless it's at full wail honestly even with a full race exhaust.

# ¿ Dec 8, 2015 17:59

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

kimbo305 posted:

Despite my best efforts to avoid scuffing the leather seatback bolster entering and exiting, I'm still doing it. That Corolla parked next to me means I can't even open my door to the first detente without touching their door. They parked pretty close to me and don't seem to have moved since they showed up.

To reduce wear on the seat bolsters I slide the seat all the way back then lift myself up and out. Might not work if you're taller but works great if you're short.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2015 16:17

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

DoLittle posted:

As long as the scheduled service has been carried out it should not matter where it was done.

You're talking about Ferrari people, work performed anywhere but a Ferrari dealership can and most likely will be used as a negotiation point. Same issue if you do the work yourself, I've seen that used as a negotiation point.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2015 18:05

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

kimbo305 posted:

Yeah, I'm not looking forward to some buyer asking me if I used OEM lid struts to replace the dead ones or if I used THE FORD FOCUS?! ones.

I know I'm going to run into it when I decide to sell any of the M cars and it's going to suck. Yes I used OEM BMW parts (GDCS :homebrew:

) but I did all the work myself and I'm not a certified by BMW mechanic so that will be used against me.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2015 15:00

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

1500quidporsche posted:

... back but something like an old BMW? I'd sooner just read up and do it myself.

There's an independent shop here I trust to do basic things. Anything specialized or associated with the engine the car will go to a guy in NJ who's been working on these cars since they rolled off the assembly line. Anything else I can handle just fine.

For anything special there's always a shop out there somewhere that's been working on them since new and knows what they're doing. It's just a matter of location and price. I've seen too many rebuilds eat themselves after a couple thousand miles to even think about chancing it if needed.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2015 14:20

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

Save the fun and/or difficult cars for third date or later IMO. Sports cars aren't appreciated by all even if it is a Ferrari.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2016 15:59

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

kimbo305 posted:

The main negative is that it was a bit too special for me to feel comfortable driving just anywhere...

As far as contemplating repeats go, between a $40k 348 and a $40k C6 Z06, I'd get the Z06. I like having a normal car -- just being able to say "yeah" if a friend needs a ride. Instead of being like "ok, what is the weather like? Is there any construction on the roads that way? Is it longer than 30min so the car's fully warmed up by the end?"

My M3 isn't anywhere as special or finicky as a Ferrari but after owning it for a few years I'm largely at the same point. I love driving it but spend the whole time nervous someone is going to hit me or something expensive is going to break. I hate street parking it and if I'm out driving and need to stop by walmart or something I'll usually go all the way home and get a different car. For the money I paid, or what it's worth now, I could have a much faster and easier replaced car that I could daily drive and not worry about.

That being said it'll stay in the garage for the occasional long day in the mountains and hopefully a track day next year.

# ¿ Dec 12, 2016 15:14

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

kimbo305 posted:

Being of the low end of "can afford a classic car" is definitely a huge part of my nerves for driving the car hard. If something seriously goes wrong, I'm out dozens of thousands of dollars getting parts to fix the car. I've been asking myself if I should take it to a track day before or after (or at all) the timing belt change. Before -- most risk, but sorta like cheating death on the lifespan of the belt. After -- new buyer will probably be a bit less thrilled about it being run after the major service has been done.

How is Ferrarri for supporting older cars? That's one thing that's pissed me off about BMW and even Porsche on non-911 models. I'd love to take my fleet to the track and really beat on them for a weekend but when a rebuild starts at ~7.5k and some parts are NLA it worries me. That said I really want to run the M3's back to back once the project is finished to see how they compare and I'll bring the beast (e28) along for fun.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2016 16:14

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

kimbo305 posted:

I'm not really sure how common actual NOS is. For the 355, I'm fairly sure all the really brittle stuff has good (expensive) aftermarket replacements in stock.

To give you a taste of the costs for engine stuff for the 348, here's some prices from Ricambi America (the only company I've been buying parts from):
- block: $5500
- if they run out of those earlier run blocks: $11,400
- main bearing caps: ominously listed as Call
- crankshaft: $2000
- pistons and conrods: $2100
- right cylinder head: $9400
- left cylinder head: $2400
- left cylinder head if you have Motronic 2.7: $7000
- major service kit (plugs, filters, gaskets, belts, aftermarket tensioner bearings): $1250

That last price honestly doesn't feel that bad.
But clearly, if I blow the motor up, it's gonna take a huge fraction of the value of the car to get it back together. I can't imagine a whole running motor is much cheaper that NOS parts.

Whats sad is parts for the S14 are pretty similar in price if they're available. Aftermarket there's a few sources, OEM has very limited availability and some parts are only available in Europe with a Euro VIN (Evo parts). I keep getting asked if it's really going to be cheaper S14 vs F20 with all the dry sump and special stuff I'm going to have to buy and yes...much cheaper. Last S14 I saw listed was $11k without harness, ecu or transmission. It also had around 85k miles on it and rebuilds start at around $7.5k

Good to see Ferrari supports their cars

# ¿ Dec 30, 2016 14:41

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

kimbo305 posted:

Lotus 7 clones:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/262849953648
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1999-Westfield-Lotus-Super-7-Series-3-/162268770684
I'm still pretty intrigued by these, but cars without federal VINs and without basic Mass state inspection items (wipers and sprayers) are gonna be that much trickier to register for normal street use.
Hilariously, the rotary up there has a manual wiper feature that I'm sure I could rig a spray bottle up to.

Have always wanted one of these, I'd love even the super basic one they get in the UK with the kei car engine. One thing that stopped me at the time was finding track day organizations that will let you run an open wheel car with traditional road cars.

Friend up north bought the equivalent of the Caterham R500 as a retirement present to himself. He comes from a 600 whp race Evo and says this is the most terrifying thing he's ever driven.

NitroSpazzz fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Feb 13, 2017

# ¿ Feb 13, 2017 22:43

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

Please bid on and win this so I don't. I have no space for it and no reason to have it but I've wanted one of these forever.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2017 12:14

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

kimbo305 posted:

I'm 100% in the same boat. I think I'd have to work fast to dump the Boxster (and the Charger?), even though my friend asked to have dibs on the Boxster when I sold it. Does anyone sell a rollbar-mounted bike rack, cuz that's what I wanted to keep the Charger for -- driving to the MTB trail.

Roll bar mounted rack should be pretty drat easy. Could cage clamps tied to a couple bike frame clamps and you're set.

mekilljoydammit posted:

RX-7 driveline, Miata suspension parts except for where we're using miscellaneous other stuff we have sitting around like MGB or Van Diemen Formula Continental bits. It's not quite done yet. My dad and I keep getting sidetracked by racing Miatas.

drat I got all the books and did all the planning and stuff, even bought the welder then decided to build up the E21 instead.

kimbo305 posted:

Nope, it'd be a completely new experimence. The closest thing I've been in might be a Formula Star Mazda, in terms of minimalism.

I was lucky enough that someone let me run a couple laps in theirs years ago at the BIR 40th anniversary celebration. One warm-up to feel out the car then one 'flying' lap where I instantly fell in love. Theirs was a locost build using a Miata engine or something similar and low hp but it was eye opening. Not sure if things are better now but at the time he had trouble finding groups that would let him run it with regular cars.

# ¿ Feb 24, 2017 05:56

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

poo poo title it to me, you wouldn't be the first person :ninja:

Where I am in TN they don't check or care about anything. If it has a vin and lights it's able to be registered...my race car will be street registered, don't even have to go collector plates if I don't feel like it.

# ¿ Feb 25, 2017 00:32

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

kimbo305 posted:

Birkin auction ends in under 4 hours. I'm gonna try to limit myself to one bid.
Each bid gets a 5% hold on your card, so rebidding a lot might flag something with my bank.

I've warned my bank before hand when I planned on getting on a bidding war. I'll be watching it closely but I won't be bidding, I've since talked a little sense into my head somehow. Good luck

# ¿ Feb 28, 2017 19:21

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

kimbo305 posted:

- 70mph means 84 in NC, and 71 in VA.

Both my recent fly-n-drives have been from the North East to south and the speed variances between states was just weird. One minute we're cruising along at 20+ over then cross a state line and everyone locks in at 5 over or less.

How is that thing for a long road trip? The M3 had me feeling like an old man with a broken back when I got home, M5 was fairly comfortable other than the last hour. 928 I would have done another 1k miles and been fine. Porsche in general makes pretty decent seats as long as you fit them.

# ¿ Mar 5, 2017 14:57

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

Wow...so is that an interference engine? Please tell me it isn't.

# ¿ Apr 12, 2017 19:13

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# ¿ May 5, 2024 11:33

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:

There's something I obviously don't get here, but... why do people spend so much money on what's obviously a driver-oriented car that's meant to be driven... and.. not drive it? ~21k miles over 25 years? Average mileage per year in the US is around 10-12k, right?

Most people buying these cars have several cars including a daily driver. Why put boring miles on the fun cars when you have a disposable daily that's cheaper to run/repair/insure? Save the fun cars for fun driving to keep them fun, when you start daily driving something special all the fun quirks turn into annoying issues.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2017 13:42

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > to run one, you have to afford two