The Official Automotive Thread

[Packrat]

Hear you go, almost 15 minutes long, but definitely worth the watch:

I have got to get me one of these.   And ...er .. a can of Wd40.

Great video.  I enjoy Top Gear when I get the chance to view it.

PR

 

[DGSB0708]

 
This didn't come out too clear, cell phone camera in the dark... but wanted to share.  happy Friday.

 

[Heisenberg / HNB]

This didn't come out too clear, cell phone camera in the dark... but wanted to share. happy Friday.

546995_4419235031515_1365891090_n2.jpg

Where's the 3rd pedal?

 

[DGSB0708]

Where's the 3rd pedal? /default_wink.png

LOL... that's my Challenger... just the paddle type shift mode on the gear shift.  The only thing about the damn car I don't like.  S-

 

[Smokeyjoe]

Where's the 3rd pedal? /default_wink.png

Heisenberg, youre in the younger car set and I'm surprised to hear you mention a clutch peddle. It seems most younger people cant even drive a manual shifting car these days since they are so rare any more.
Though it is fun to do manual shifts with the clutch and shifter in the center of the car with an "H" type pattern and not one of those center quick shifts like a motorcycle shifts up or down and not paddle shifters on the steering wheel, the higher performance automatic transmissions with the paddles and no clutch can out shift even the best drivers using a clutch.

I never use the manual shift option in our car or other cars I have driven that have both options, I'm just lazy /default_smile.png.

I do really like manually shifting the little notchback I just got, and while its not very fast it feels like im driving a little zippy go cart.

 

[DGSB0708]

H-... OK, I know you can't actually see the 3rd pedal in this pic, but I swear it's there.  /default_cool.png S-

 

[DGSB0708]

Any guesses?  /default_ph34r.png

 

[DGSB0708]

Good guess but is a 1967 Intermeccanica Italia Coupe.

]

 

[Smokeyjoe]

That's just what I was going to say!!  /default_biggrin.png

Actually I was going to guess an older Ferrari

 

[Beranda]

Heisenberg, youre in the younger car set and I'm surprised to hear you mention a clutch peddle. It seems most younger people cant even drive a manual shifting car these days since they are so rare any more.

Though it is fun to do manual shifts with the clutch and shifter in the center of the car with an "H" type pattern and not one of those center quick shifts like a motorcycle shifts up or down and not paddle shifters on the steering wheel, the higher performance automatic transmissions with the paddles and no clutch can out shift even the best drivers using a clutch.

I never use the manual shift option in our car or other cars I have driven that have both options, I'm just lazy /default_smile.png.

I do really like manually shifting the little notchback I just got, and while its not very fast it feels like im driving a little zippy go cart.

I'm with you SJ (S.B.), driving a standard is much more enjoyable.  More control and just more like you are driving a car instead of letting it drive you. While I'll say I do appreciate an automatic in rush hour traffic; and my ankles thank me.

In addition to the John Deer and other vehicles I owned; I also spent a good deal of time in two VW Rabbits; which were a little on the rough and loud side, but again kept me engaged and more versatile. 

To add to the forum (not the post) I also will say that I enjoyed driving an automatic 1969 Chevelle, was a nice 'cruising slow down the strip' type of ride.

Yep, I think all young people should at least learn to drive an automatic; you just never know when you'll need the skill.

 

[Packrat]

I'm with you SJ (S.B.), driving a standard is much more enjoyable.  More control and just more like you are driving a car instead of letting it drive you. While I'll say I do appreciate an automatic in rush hour traffic; and my ankles thank me.

In addition to the John Deer and other vehicles I owned; I also spent a good deal of time in two VW Rabbits; which were a little on the rough and loud side, but again kept me engaged and more versatile. 

To add to the forum (not the post) I also will say that I enjoyed driving an automatic 1969 Chevelle, was a nice 'cruising slow down the strip' type of ride.

Yep, I think all young people should at least learn to drive an automatic; you just never know when you'll need the skill.

I agree with both of you, but nowadays most people don't want a stick or even know what's good about it.  Beein' a bit of a geezer myself when I got my '36 Cord LeBaron from the showroom, it only came in a stick.  Okay, I'm just kidding about that, but when I got my first two cars I never even thought of getting automatic.   Given they were such little cars they came with the minimum in every area.  If there was one thing that I would say saved my butt more than anything it would have to be the stick.   I went months when I couldn't afford a new battery just by push starting and poppin' the clutch.  More than that, though, is the control aspect and secure feel of a car with a stick.  It took me a long time to get used to my first automatic's idle and almost bumped someone when I first got it.  Even a small, economy car feels pretty good accelerating through a turn with a stick and when you need just a little kick on the highway but just have a 1.5L engine you just clutch, rev and accelerate.  A stick saves gas to boot.

I remember I had run my car to the ground and needed something else, so I have a cousin in the business and he took me to the Auto Auction.  They had a few cars a liked including some VW's.   I had looked at the one I liked in the lot before they parade them through for bidding so I was ready when they rolled my car through for bidding.  It was a shiny '74 and looked so nice and new, the interior upholstery just the right color black and fire-engine red outside.  I was going to get that car.   As my cousin raised his hand to bid the passenger door fell off the upper hinge.  My heart was broken.   Not for long though!  On my way home I saw a for sale sign on a gold Scirocco.   I had to borrow some money from my cousin but I had some great memories in that car, a lifetime ago.

 

[Smokeyjoe]

Hey Packrat,

Having a stick shift to compensate for a dead battery is great.

In Highschool a battery was expensive, and being able to bump start your car anytime is great. With a VW you can even bump start (had to go a bit faster) it without a battery in it and drive it with no battery if you had an older engine with a generator.

I purchased my first ever new car in 1985, a bare bones Nissan pickup. This was when you could still specify features individually, none of this current day package crap, and I said no radio, no ash tray, no lighter, no power windows/doors/seats and especially that is was a stick shift because a stick shift was much less expensive then the same truck in an automatic.

But driving that little truck in rush hour stop and go traffic made me go to an automatic for my next car. I felt

like I was going to burn through clutch plates from having to use it so often to go just a few miles.

Manual shifting cars are a lot of fun though.

 

[Smokeyjoe]

I went to the local auto license place last week and registered the 60's VW I just got.

It was already registered as a classic car (no tabs to renew ever and no yearly fee ever), and by chance the previous owner and I share the same name and he wrote gift on the title. It was a gift, I gave him a gift of $ and he gave me a gift /default_smile.png.

Several years ago I went to the same place to register a 1979 KZ650 I had since I was a teen. Not only did they want me to pay a $300 tax on the bike itself because I didn't pay tax when I bought it in another state, they also wanted about $150 in license plate and other registration fees. So they wanted more then the bike was worth to register it.

Even for a VW in an unrestored state that was practically a parts car they wanted me to pay a tax on a value of about 3k based on the low price in the value guides

For the latest VW i just registered, due to the gift and classic plates it cost me $37 total and there will never be another fee to pay for any sort of license on the VW. Sweet. I finally got to pay a fair and decent registration fee.

 

[Packrat]

Hey Packrat,

Having a stick shift to compensate for a dead battery is great.

In Highschool a battery was expensive, and being able to bump start your car anytime is great. With a VW you can even bump start (had to go a bit faster) it without a battery in it and drive it with no battery if you had an older engine with a generator.

I purchased my first ever new car in 1985, a bare bones Nissan pickup. This was when you could still specify features individually, none of this current day package crap, and I said no radio, no ash tray, no lighter, no power windows/doors/seats and especially that is was a stick shift because a stick shift was much less expensive then the same truck in an automatic.

But driving that little truck in rush hour stop and go traffic made me go to an automatic for my next car. I felt

like I was going to burn through clutch plates from having to use it so often to go just a few miles.

Manual shifting cars are a lot of fun though.

Hi SJ,

Was the VW with a generator the 6 volt car?  Remember the headlights that looked like candles in a window?   I didn't have one, but knew someone who did.   I guess I can see starting the car without a battery (Y'know, get it to turn over for a few seconds), but can the generator create enough of a spark in the cylinder to run the pistons without any electrical source other than a generator?   I can't figure that one out.

Anyway, yeah, shifting is fun, except on the the Santa Monica Freeway during rush hour, the FDR drive, driving through Washington DC on election day or the champs d'elysees  when Obama's around.    Otherwise, its a blast.

Regards,

PR

 

[Jewbacca]

I was going through and organizing some old family photos this morning, and ran across this. Only had it a few years, but absolutely loved this car. Champagne 1996 Jag XJ6 with tiptronic gearbox. Managed to keep the ex-Mrs. Jewy from brow beating me into trading it in for something more "practical" after my son was born the year I bought it, but once my daughter came along two years later, it got traded in on a Nissan Maxima and a Grand Cherokee.

Thankfully, I'm not subject to her ideas on practicality any longer! /default_biggrin.png

 

[Smokeyjoe]

Hi Packrat

Yea having to shift in stop and go rush hour traffic on a commute gets old fast and an automatic starts to look very appealing.

I'm a bit of a stock guy and all my VWs are still six volt.

I avoid nighttime driving because the lights are as you said like candles and they do dim and brighten depending on the RPMs. I have to rev the motor to 2k RPMs to get the horn to honk /default_smile.png.

The generators in an old VW will create enough spark with no battery but not until the car is rolling at about 25mph.

I took out a couple VWs yesterday and it was a good day. Both started up using the key! Usually I have to either push them down a hill for a bump start or I crawl under the rear passenger side wheel with a screw driver and ground the starter to start the car (bypasses old wires that have increased resistance due to age).

I can't imagine doing these things to a newer car without burning out the computer or other electronics.

 

[Smokeyjoe]

I was going through and organizing some old family photos this morning, and ran across this. Only had it a few years, but absolutely loved this car. Champagne 1996 Jag XJ6 with tiptronic gearbox. Managed to keep the ex-Mrs. Jewy from brow beating me into trading it in for something more "practical" after my son was born the year I bought it, but once my daughter came along two years later, it got traded in on a Nissan Maxima and a Grand Cherokee.

Thankfully, I'm not subject to her ideas on practicality any longer! /default_biggrin.png

Nice Jag. Looks pretty practical to me, it does have four doors.

Some of the older Jags, like late 90s to early 2000s, you can get great deals on and they are great cars. For some that sold for 100k plus new, you can pick up a used one now for 10-20k and they are still great cars because the owners usually drive them softly.

 

[Smokeyjoe]

I was going through and organizing some old family photos this morning, and ran across this. Only had it a few years, but absolutely loved this car. Champagne 1996 Jag XJ6 with tiptronic gearbox. Managed to keep the ex-Mrs. Jewy from brow beating me into trading it in for something more "practical" after my son was born the year I bought it, but once my daughter came along two years later, it got traded in on a Nissan Maxima and a Grand Cherokee.

Thankfully, I'm not subject to her ideas on practicality any longer! /default_biggrin.png

Hey Jewy,

I was flipping channels and came across a rerun earlier today of the Mecum Kansas City auction from 2012.

A 1995 XJ6 Vandenplas sedan that looked exactly like yours, same color, sold for only $6500!

Seems a low price for such a nice car but they did say something about high maintenance costs.

 

[Jewbacca]

Hey Jewy,

I was flipping channels and came across a rerun earlier today of the Mecum Kansas City auction from 2012.

A 1995 XJ6 Vandenplas sedan that looked exactly like yours, same color, sold for only $6500!

Seems a low price for such a nice car but they did say something about high maintenance costs.

Interesting, and I'd have no problem at all paying $6500 for one of those with reasonable mileage as a daily driver. They're right though, parts are ridiculous, and that comes from a Mercedes guy, LOL. I still remember paying something like $315 for a passenger side window control switch unit. Seriously. The only explanation I can come up with is the lack of aftermarket parts manufacturers for Jags perhaps? I did love that car though. Smooth as silk, and a great driving position. Made you feel one with the road.

 

[Smokeyjoe]

A nice VW.