-
This is a Safe Place
I've been riffing on this; y'all know what to do. There are only two rules: no flaming, and don't talk about fight club. Remember, this is a safe place.
Off we go:
Rotaries are dumb.
Alfa is over rated.
Diesel (still) isn't fun to drive.
Sedans and coupes look better than hatchbacks and wagons.
The Imprezza WRX (STi) is goofy.
I would prefer the new trifecta (P1, LaFerrari, 918) if they were all naturally aspirated non-hybrids.
End.
Edit: Nuke: the Miuras front end, and specifically its headlights, is fairly ugly.
-
which version of the Miura front lights do you have in mind?
Edit: What is the purpose of this thread? Going back to the 15-17 year old fan-boy style posts that we fortunately do not have here anymore?
-
Rotaries are dumb in cars expected to be workhorses. Rotaries are awesome to drive hard :) At single revs Rotaries are winners. :debate:
Skoda sedan VRs diesels will smoke (pun intended) many performance cars :)
I'm with Pieter, have we regressed 10 years in the year I've been away ?
-
[quote=henk4;1008505]which version of the Miura front lights do you have in mind?
Edit: What is the purpose of this thread? Going back to the 15-17 year old fan-boy style posts that we fortunately do not have here anymore?[/quote]
Lashes or not.
[quote=Matra et Alpine;1008509]Rotaries are dumb in cars expected to be workhorses. Rotaries are awesome to drive hard :) At single revs Rotaries are winners. :debate:
Skoda sedan VRs diesels will smoke (pun intended) many performance cars :)
I'm with Pieter, have we regressed 10 years in the year I've been away ?[/quote]
This was meant to be a thread where people can voice their counter-opinions which go against the Orthodox Car Enthusiast Handbook (TM), and to be a bit of fun. See: everyone must love diesel wagons, or the Miata is the best thing evar, or Pre-War cars are all irreplaceable works of art. There seems to me to be a lot of group think in mainstream car enthusiast culture and the press, and exposing controversial and unorthodox opinions can be freeing.
This ain't meant to be super serious, as car culture can sometimes seem to be.
"How can you not agree that Alfas are the best ever?!"
-
[quote=Kitdy;1008520]
"How can you not agree that Alfas are the best ever?!"[/quote]
because there was the Arna.
and yes diesel estates are the best you can buy especially in combination with a comfy suspension and two turbos.
-
K, you just typed "evar" :(
Please tell me it was a typo
-
Oh come on chaps, don't be grumpy. Could be fun. Else, we'll close the thread.
I'll play.
Certain flappy paddle gearboxes in certain cars, actually do not detract from the driving experience.
There I said it.
-
[quote=Ferrer;1008530]Oh come on chaps, don't be grumpy. Could be fun. Else, we'll close the thread.
I'll play.
Certain flappy paddle gearboxes in certain cars, actually do not detract from the driving experience.
There I said it.[/quote]
This man understands.
-
[quote=Matra et Alpine;1008525]K, you just typed "evar" :(
Please tell me it was a typo[/quote]
It's taking the piss.
-
I like it.
Front wheel drive is for doing the shopping
Diesels are for towing car transporters full of proper cars
You're not safer in your 4 tonne 1970 Yank Tank than in a Camry
All European cars are not "prestige" (for Australian readers)
French cars are an abomination (for Henk)
Everyone else should drive hybrids so there is enough petrol left for me and my V8s.
Its been great knowing you all. :p
-
Boom. Unpopular self held truths dropped.
-
[quote=Kitdy;1008504]
Rotaries are dumb.
Alfa is over rated.
Diesel (still) isn't fun to drive.
Sedans and coupes look better than hatchbacks and wagons.
The Imprezza WRX (STi) is goofy.
I would prefer the new trifecta (P1, LaFerrari, 918) if they were all naturally aspirated non-hybrids.
End.
Edit: Nuke: the Miuras front end, and specifically its headlights, is fairly ugly.[/quote]
Rotaries are epic.
We won't get Alfa here in the US for another 10 yrs it seems, so no opinion.
Tell that to Marcel Fassler and the Audi boys
Apples to oranges
Agreed
Agreed, except i'll add to it and say they all need 12 cylinder engines
The eyelashes are dumb but the car is beautiful overall
-
it looks like it is only allowed to post here after having taken considerable amounts of alcohol or some mind expanding drug...
-
[quote=Cobrafan427;1008562]We won't get Alfa here in the US for another 10 yrs it seems, so no opinion.[/quote]
It's Alfa Romeo we are talking about.
The US return could still be 50 or 60 years and several industrial plans away...
[quote=Cobrafan427;1008562]Tell that to Marcel Fassler and the Audi boys[/quote]
Speed is not necessarily the same as fun.
My new car is much faster than the old one, nowhere near as enjoyable.
-
[quote=Ferrer;1008530]
Certain flappy paddle gearboxes in certain cars, actually do not detract from the driving experience.
There I said it.[/quote]
Oh Snap!!! Who hacked into your account? :)
[quote]The Imprezza WRX (STi) is goofy.[/quote]
I don't know... I've seen a few of the new ones around and regardless of what people say about them I think they look pretty awesome. I would rock one of them.
-
[quote=Niko_Fx;1008664]Oh Snap!!! Who hacked into your account? :)[/quote]
To be honest, it only happened once... ;)
-
I like the idea of electric cars (though I'd have an electric motorbike/scooter first). I feel that Mazda should do an electric MX-5 with a little rotary range extender.
-
Every time I overtake a German premium car in my Alfa Romeo I smile a bit on the inside.
Does this make me a bad person?
-
No. Other aspects of your personality do.
Hiyo!
-
If you are at all serious about cars and driving, there are only three brands (excepting sportscar manufacturers and super expensive car makers) which count:
[LIST][*]Alfa Romeo[*]BMW[*]Jaguar[/LIST]
The end.
-
However, driving one would mean that you are one serious:
[LIST][*]poser[*]asshole[*]tax dodger[/LIST]
-
Damn it! I knew I was missing something.
What if you've owned all three cars brands? Surely that's a nice combo!
-
You are a tax criminal too?!?
-
Ferrer, have you always had an Alfa? Or is that a new development? As for them being overrated, I would say the company is overrated. That's what happens when a marque has a few legendary decades (1930-1940 then again 1960-1970) then gets in a slump. But no one would expect as much from another company in their position; badge-engineered feather in the cap of Fiat.
As for diesels not being fun... I've been in a four wheel slide, going uphill, in a 4WD hopped up Dodge Cummins and that's fun. My current fleet support vehicle is a 1992 2WD auto Cummins and that thing is pretty fun in a little big rig kind of a way.
My own unpopular auto opinions:
LS and SBC swaps are appropriate for GM projects and some racecars, pretty much everything else is just an easy cop-out for people who can't actually build engines.
Most auto 'enthusiasts' are just in it for the status symbol or statement to the world. They're only into it because a cool car is a universal symbol of status and their friends are into it. They'll grow out of it, drive grocery getters, and spend their middling years talking wistfully about the cool car they had back when they were young.
-
[quote=Revo;1009410]You are a tax criminal too?!?[/quote]
Not myself (yet), but the family.
Spent the last weekend at the wheel of V8 XF.
[quote=xander18;1009414]Ferrer, have you always had an Alfa? Or is that a new development?[/quote]
Bought a Giulietta almost two months ago.
[quote=xander18;1009414]Most auto 'enthusiasts' are just in it for the status symbol or statement to the world. They're only into it because a cool car is a universal symbol of status and their friends are into it. They'll grow out of it, drive grocery getters, and spend their middling years talking wistfully about the cool car they had back when they were young.[/quote]
These are not car enthusiasts.
They are imbeciles in Audis.
-
I know this is a rather odd thing, but I'm sitting here waiting to go look at new, possible daily drivers, so here goes:
I hate fake or oddly shaped exhaust tips. What's wrong with good old-fashioned round tailpipes?
[LIST][*] Fake: [URL="http://www.supertightstuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/is-f-exhausts.jpg"]Lexus IS-F[/URL][*] Odd: [URL="http://paultan.org/media2.paultan.org/w/suzuki-kizashi-2-500px.jpg"]Suzuki Kizashi[/URL][*] Strange: [URL="http://dfklk0jrz9g9k.cloudfront.net/images/productnews/109.original.jpg"]Focus ST[/URL] (and [URL="http://www.pumaspeed.co.uk/saved/Pumaspeed_Ford_Focus_ST_Mk3_Milltek_Exhaust_By_Pumaspeed_1.jpg"]one pic[/URL] illustrating how much better round looks)[/LIST]
Fake, bumper embedded tips with the actual tailpipe lurking behind it [I]can [/I]work, but for the most part... no. Just, no.
-
I'm on your side Rasmus; but I'm more of a purist. I hate styled exhaust. Give me beautiful cylindrical exhausts, pushed to the edge and bottom of the rear fascia.
-
I don't mind a styled exhaust tip, just as long as it's not faking something, like the IS-F ones do. Also like on the Civic I think that have the styled hole in the bumper with silver around it, but you look in and there's the circular exhaust tip. Do it properly or not at all.
When it comes to the Focus there it's a bit more subjective. I prefer the twin-round ones, but that's less because of a preference for the rounds and more because the standard one looks a bit droopy and sad.
-
Yo man, this is a safe place.
I feel like adding that after driving a bunch of Mercedes' for work, I would be quite happy owning one, if I had the means. Does that make me not an enthusiast? Do I care? The E-Class is so nice to be in.
-
I don't believe so; the E-class especially is quite nice.
With the other cars in the garages, I don't really care much about a fast or sporty daily driver. I prioritize practicality and a comfortable ride higher than that. Within reason, of course.
Now if I could only have 1 car, it would be a bit different.
-
Another vote here against fake/styled tailpipes.
As for Mercs, I haven't got direct experience with the E-Class but I have driven the old C-Class. This was a very good car; comfortable and a good handler, you could even call it moderately fun.
However the newer junior Mercs are the exact opposite of that; stupidly uncomfortable, handle badly and the steering is odd. So beware of the Benz you choose...
Regarding daily drivers, the key is balance. You need comfortable suspension which smooths bumps out and doesn't break your back, but that controls body movement well too. I like to call this a car that flows, a car which feels natural. If we've got that we are on the money.
-
Ideally you have a multi-car garage, and a multi-residence life. A C-, E-, or S- class (if you can deal with the size), would make a great DD/bad weather driver. Then maybe a classic car, a modern sports car, and something else.
Concerning the real estate side of the dream, for a young Torontonian, that'd include a hip downtown penthouse, a nice suburban house with multi-car garage, and a cottage.
Sorry, I was asleep just now. I have re-awoken.
The CLA and B are pretty pooey. I'd like to try the GLA; it looks fairly attractive but I don't have high hopes given how much it shares with the CLA. As I recall you don't have much good to say about (your cousin's aunt's?) A-Class. What model C or C classes did you drive and were they pre- or post-facelift?
-
1 Attachment(s)
Back to old-fashioned tailpipes.
There is a modern car worth buying just for the exhaust pipes - Abarth 595 Competizione.
Isn't that a thing of beauty? A worthy homage to Carlo Abarth.
[IMG]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/ml69nx1mj9egyt7/090909_AB_MarmittaRecordMonza.jpg?dl=0[/IMG]
-
The Monza Special exhaust is quite special indeed - does anyone have direct experience with it? The standard Abarth exhaust is quite hopeless at sounding good; maybe the Monza Special spices things up a bit?
[quote=Kitdy;1009533]The CLA and B are pretty pooey. I'd like to try the GLA; it looks fairly attractive but I don't have high hopes given how much it shares with the CLA. As I recall you don't have much good to say about (your cousin's aunt's?) A-Class. What model C or C classes did you drive and were they pre- or post-facelift?[/quote]
I have driven all junior Mercs except for the GLA and they've all been equally hopeless, especially when it comes to handling. It's like the body wants to set off in a direction and the wheels in an other one and the suspension can't get them to agree.
Also, in anything but the softest suspension option the ride is just preposterous. How the hell could they get it so wrong?
I drove back in the day a late W204 with the 2.2 litre diesel engine and the seven speed automatic gearbox. I would've bought it, if I was in the market for such a car. In many ways it reminded me of the original 1 Series, only softer, more comfortable and more noble - and that's the best car I've ever driven.
-
[quote=Ferrer;1009506]Regarding daily drivers, the key is balance. You need comfortable suspension which smooths bumps out and doesn't break your back, but that controls body movement well too. I like to call this a car that flows, a car which feels natural. If we've got that we are on the money.[/quote]
[quote=Kitdy;1009533]Ideally you have a multi-car garage, and a multi-residence life. A C-, E-, or S- class (if you can deal with the size), would make a great DD/bad weather driver. Then maybe a classic car, a modern sports car, and something else.[/quote]
I agree wholeheartedly -- and that's the reason why we just got a 2005 Audi wagon today. Cheap, comfortable, and with enough interior space to do an IKEA run or two.
For the longest time I was opposed to the understeering wonders of Stuttgart, but I came to the conclusion that we have enough fun cars to go easy on the daily driver. Plus, having driven that oversized, 4500lbs American tank of an SUV for the better part of 3 years, anything is going to seem nimble.
[quote=Revo;1009538]Back to old-fashioned tailpipes.
There is a modern car worth buying just for the exhaust pipes - Abarth 595 Competizione.
Isn't that a thing of beauty? A worthy homage to Carlo Abarth.
[/quote]
Yes! Thank you! There is hope yet for modern car design.
-
That exhaust is a thing of beauty. To YouTube!
-
[quote=Rasmus;1009567]I agree wholeheartedly -- and that's the reason why we just got a 2005 Audi wagon today. Cheap, comfortable, and with enough interior space to do an IKEA run or two.[/quote]
Congrats! An Allroad?
In the end, how much of adult life revolves around IKEA?
-
[quote=Kitdy;1009569]Congrats! An Allroad?
In the end, how much of adult life revolves around IKEA?[/quote]
A4 1.8T quattro -- the beast of boost.
Evidently a lot. We've been on several trips, and we still have 6-8 rooms to furnish.
-
I wasn't sure they sold the wagons in North America. Quiggs would be so proud...
I think y'all know my general stance on VW Group and VW in specific, but I can more easily get behind a utilitarian older Audi wagon. My neighbour has a diesel Golf wagon and that is just so sensible.
It shall serve you well.
Obligatory: lower it.
-
You can take the European out of the wagon, but you can't take the wagon out of the European.
I'm looking forward to seeing how it will do this winter. While the snow doesn't stay for long, we do get some good ice storms, and the locals, well, they freak out.
This is what happened last year during the 6 hour gridlock:
[IMG]http://media2.newsobserver.com/smedia/2014/02/13/17/58/KTul9.AuSt.156.jpeg[/IMG]