The Car Thread

[reddDesign]

Well as I've stated before I'm a car nut...I'm president of a car club, director of media for a charity road rally, and am a very active member of a Mazda club...plus I LOVE my car, and have taught myself everything there is about them.

So yeah...chat about car stuff in here

Me...well I ordered some goodies for the car today...new motor mounts, a/c compressor o-rings and my 'wink' mirror came in today (have to pick it up at the post office tomorrow). Will be working on Macy all weekend hopefully...including helping the cute guy from Autozone with his car on Sunday maybe...

How about you? What do you drive? What's your favorite car? Talk it up!

[Blueberry]

Paging Mr. S - you can finally talk about your zoom-zoom on TE

[Mr. Bloom]

I won't say I'm a "car nut", but I have some zoom zoom too!



I'm the second owner, and my mechanics, Hans and Jorn, love me because I believe in fixing things and fixing them well. I have every receipt and piece of paper work going back to the sticker from late '68!

However, I am still getting used to having a car classified for insurance purposes as an ANTIQUE - it's 6 years younger than me

But, I feel fortunate to own a car that I've admired since I was 10 years old!

And my Madone fits in the trunk (when I leave the spare tire at home)

[Tuckervill]

What's a "wink" mirror?

I have never been a big car freak, but I have owned 4 red Beetles in my life time and I do know a lot about them. I really appreciate the New Beetle people and the Honda Element people I've met through the clubs I've encountered online. Such fun.

I was way more into my New Beetle than the Element. The Element doesn't require any extra knowledge because it's a Honda, but the Beetle...you HAVE to know how to change your own headlights, or pay the dealer $100, and it's NOT easy!

Karen

[melissam]

My dream car has always been the Porsche 911. For me, it has everything -- good lucks, fantastic handling, a bit of oomph, and some quirkiness (air cooled rear engine, anyone? )

I promised myself I'd by a 911 when I graduated from college. So, upon getting my first "real" job after graduation, I went to the Porsche dealership and found out that the payments would take up most of my paycheck. That didn't even include insurance and maintenance.

I had to go with Plan B for a while -- non-Porsche sports/sporty cars. I bought a Pontiac Fiero GT (not as bad as its reputation, it was my Porsche in training), a Ford Probe GT, an MGB. All were nice enough cars, but they were no Porsche 911.

After over 10 years of "real" jobs, I could afford a 911 and its upkeep, and still make the mortgage payments. I bought a used '90 911 and have enjoyed it for the past 10 years. We've been to a few track days and autocrosses. For a while it was my daily driver, now it is in semi-retirement in the garage.

Here's my car doing what it does best at an autocross school, with me in the driver's seat:

[mayanorange]

VW Scirocco junkie here... I went through 3 of them and there's a new 2009 (the last one was 1992ish) coming out soon! I'm sooooo excited.



Currently driving a Pontiac Vibe, which is fun too, but nothing beat my old 16V zoom zoom

[ZenSojourner]

My dream car has always been the Porsche 911. For me, it has everything -- good lucks, fantastic handling, a bit of oomph, and some quirkiness (air cooled rear engine, anyone? )

Oh yeah, I had one of those in college. It was in a '69 VW Fastback.

I loved that car. It was my first car that RAN. We'll ignore the Mercury Comet that never ran, bought on the advice of a bf who of course never fixed it.

And I learned my lesson. I learned to fix things on that car MYSELF.

Ah, the happy memories, me on my back, scrunched up under the car with a half a hacksaw blade, sawing the hose clamps off the fuel lines so I could replace them . . . me on my back, scrunched up under the car with a socket wrench, removing the oil screen so I could change the oil . . . me on my back, scrunched up . . . well, you get the picture.

You know, I haven't owned a car since that I could get under without having it on a lift.

I bought a book, "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive". It was spiral bound, in black and white, and it told you EVERYTHING about your VW, up to and including step by step instructions for how to tear down and rebuild the engine. I was chasing the Snap-On man around town, looking for that one elusive specialty tool I needed that nobody else sold (it was some kind of specialty torque wrench) so I could accomplish the engine rebuild, when I opened the trunk one day (which was on the FRONT of the car) and found myself looking at the tire, and I don't mean the spare.

Turns out the only reason the car had held together as long as it had was because the extra heavy duty trunk liner was holding the chunks of rust together.

I loved that car. The owner's manual was in German. It had been bought by a service man or woman IN GERMANY and then shipped back stateside, in fact I found an old driver's license (long expired) when cleaning the car out one day with a picture of a pretty young black woman in uniform. The first thing I found after I bought the car was an ashtray full of illegal drugs - apparently one of the mechanics at the dealership where I bought it had thought it was a safe place to hide his stash. I was about to throw it all out when my older brother offered to do it for me. Well, I'm sure he disposed of them SOME way (I was young and naive and it never occurred to me what he intended or I'd have flushed them myself, but I was honestly afraid to touch them).

That car had a NAME. Oh, I've named cars on occasion since - the Tetanusmobile, the TestosteroneMobile - but not like this. This car had a PERSONAL name.

Lola. Because "whatever Lola wants, Lola gets".

I remember rejoicing when the odometer turned over 100k miles. I remember long drives in the winter - well they SEEMED like long drives - with me wrapped in 2 quilts, bundled up in a heavy parka and mittens, ice scraper in one hand and the window open because the air cooled engine didn't work up enough heat to defrost either the window OR the driver. So I would alternate scraping off the ice forming on the inside of the windshield with scraping off the ice forming on the OUTSIDE of the window. A running joke among my friends was me getting a speeding ticket in winter: "But officer, I'm telling the truth - I HAD to go 60 in that 35 mph zone because the heater won't work if I don't!" The only warm spot in the car in winter was the rear seat, right over the heat exchangers.

I was pissed because JC Whitney cashed the check I sent them for parts AFTER they had gone into bankruptcy (this was 'way back before the internet would warn you about things like that). They were my prime source for parts, I was waiting for some stuff that was supposed to turbo-charge my heat exchangers.

I once snapped off a stud when replacing the oil screen after an oil change and gave myself a huge goose-egg on my forehead, the morning of a family Xmas get together. Boy did my older sister pi ss and moan about how I ruined the family pictures (and that gives you some idea of HER personality, that all she cared about was "ruined" pictures, not that I might have given myself a concussion).

Oh Lola, Lola, Lola! Fond remembrances! It's a lost and lorn woman I am these 29 years since your passing. There'll always be that Lola-shaped hole in my heart where you rested easy while you were with me! Wherever you've gone must be car heaven, for in what universe could justice and mercy exist were it otherwise? You were my chariot of fire, who carried me forth boldly and brought me home safely. You saw me through lean times when selling my plasma for grocery money was the only way to keep from starving. It was in you I learned to drive, and to love driving stick. You were a forgiving teacher and easy on the pocketbook back when gas prices lurched from 35c to over FIFTY CENTS A GALLON (29 mpg, thank the lord!)

Wherever you are, may God hold you in the palm of his hand, but never clench his fist too tight!

[sundial]

I was way more into my New Beetle than the Element. The Element doesn't require any extra knowledge because it's a Honda, but the Beetle...you HAVE to know how to change your own headlights, or pay the dealer $100, and it's NOT easy!

I drove a 1984 Volkswagon Thing. The engine was in the rear and the front was the trunk so to speak. Our family piled into that car and drove 1000's of miles on a vacation. And dad always had his repair manual ready. Of the cars we owned in the 80's, the VW was the easiest to repair. I wanted to take auto mechanics in high school but my parents wouldn't have any of that!

[mayanorange]

I drove a 1984 Volkswagon Thing. The engine was in the rear and the front was the trunk so to speak. Our family piled into that car and drove 1000's of miles on a vacation. And dad always had his repair manual ready. Of the cars we owned in the 80's, the VW was the easiest to repair. I wanted to take auto mechanics in high school but my parents wouldn't have any of that!

So jealous you had a Thing! I had the opportunity to buy one a long time ago and it was too much for a HS student, but a steal because it had 12000 original miles.

[wannaduacentury]

I won't say I'm a "car nut", but I have some zoom zoom too!



I'm the second owner, and my mechanics, Hans and Jorn, love me because I believe in fixing things and fixing them well. I have every receipt and piece of paper work going back to the sticker from late '68!

However, I am still getting used to having a car classified for insurance purposes as an ANTIQUE - it's 6 years younger than me

But, I feel fortunate to own a car that I've admired since I was 10 years old!

And my Madone fits in the trunk (when I leave the spare tire at home)

A true gem. Jennifer

[reddDesign]

At least you love yours! If there's anything to love about mine, it's that


no wait, there's nothing lovable about my car

haha what kinda car?

[smilingcat]

My younger sister got her car first thanks to mom&dad. She got a CJ5 jeep. I decided to one up her so I bought a four wheel pkup chevy short bed. totally impractical so sold it after 80k miles??? And bought something more proper, a Tercel stationwagon. I loved that car. Sadly it fell apart after 190k miles.

Then came yet another pkup this time a toyota pkup. A come-on in the ad... I actually managed to snag it dirt cheap. no radio, stick shift, hand crank window... It didn't make it to old age as it was rear ended and totalled.

Seeing how badly it was damaged my next car was/is bit more substantial. I currently drive an Audi A6 station wagon. It also happens to be our dog mobile. dawgs love the ride. It has 220k miles and still going strong. yippeee... hope it goes another 100k miles.

[redrhodie]

haha what kinda car?

It's a Nissan. It's not fun to drive, but it's not not fun, either. It's the car equivalent of mashed potatoes.

I've never had a car I cared about. I don't want worry about scratches and dings, or the chain lube on the upholstery. All I ask of my car is that I not be left by the wayside. I'd prefer to be car-less, but that's not feasible in my current locale. I've got to have someway to transport the bikes!

[wannaduacentury]

Well as I've stated before I'm a car nut...I'm president of a car club, director of media for a charity road rally, and am a very active member of a Mazda club...plus I LOVE my car, and have taught myself everything there is about them.

So yeah...chat about car stuff in here

Me...well I ordered some goodies for the car today...new motor mounts, a/c compressor o-rings and my 'wink' mirror came in today (have to pick it up at the post office tomorrow). Will be working on Macy all weekend hopefully...including helping the cute guy from Autozone with his car on Sunday maybe...

How about you? What do you drive? What's your favorite car? Talk it up!

I like older cars. 80's european Volvo's and Saabs- all manual drive too. Just found a 240 wagon I've been wanting Hubby and I always have an eye out for a "project car" to buy and fix up. I'm also fond of Toyotas.

Jennifer