What do you drive?

[JMCx4]

"What do you drive?" Nothing in the way of a vehicle, lately. But I am driving my wife nuts @ home.

 

[member 157595]

The Warlock is the classic body style, which i like much better. Not a fan of the re-design, although the interior is super nice.

Yeah I like the external look of the Ford F-Series the best but the Ram's interior is superior.

"What do you drive?" Nothing in the way of a vehicle, lately. But I am driving my wife nuts @ home.

My car calls for 91+ octane gas (I always give it 93) and that is currently affordable where I live...but I can't take much advantage of it. Bummer.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

"What do you drive?" Nothing in the way of a vehicle, lately. But I am driving my wife nuts @ home.

I'm my wife's chauffeur now. I've been off work for 5 weeks now, they've cut transit service to her work (which is an essential service) and she doesn't drive.

 

[JMCx4]

I'm my wife's chauffeur now. I've been off work for 5 weeks now, they've cut transit service to her work (which is an essential service) and she doesn't drive.

Well, at least you're rackin' up service points with the missus. I'm working from a deep deficit.

 

[Ryuji Yamazaki]

delete

 

[TaLoN]

Here's a picture of both cars in my garage...



The one on the left is for fair weather only. Ordered it straight from the factory in January of 2011, took delivery in March of 2011 - it's a 2012 Shelby GT500
The one on the right I got a very lightly used in June of 2016 - it's a 2015 Audi S4. I wanted a new one, but they stopped offering the manual transmission in the middle of the model year, so I had to find one lightly used instead (only had 15k miles on it at the time). Not bad for a beater.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Two weeks ago, I'm heading home after dropping my wife off at her work. Going down Highway One, over the bridge, through the tunnel, and WHAM. I drive over the twisted wreckage of a ladder that had fallen off some idiot's truck. Car drives okay to get to my usual exit, but I pull into a gas station to check for damage. Good thing I did, because coolant's pouring out of the engine. Turns out the ladder mashed in the struts for the rad. A week and a half later, the car's a complete write-off. Good-bye to my 2002 Acura RSX.

Tough to give up a car like that. Those things were such good deals for so long.

And it was. Loved that car. Best car I ever owned. Even at 18 years old, it was still rock-solid. Had it for about 5, 6 years, and it never gave me any trouble. Still, it was getting on and I had been toying with the idea of trading it in for a little while before all this covid nonsense hit, but the accident forced my hand. So yesterday I bought my new baby:

2013 Honda Civic si. Not wild about it being white, but was the exact model and year range I was looking for. Basically the new version of my old car except newer, nicer, faster, and better in every way. Spent yesterday tearing all over town in it. Love this thing. Took it for a test drive and when I found a bit of open road to open the taps a bit, I dropped the clutch, put my foot down on the gas, and I knew barring any weird mechanical issues I would buy it.

 

[TaLoN]

I dropped the clutch, put my foot down on the gas, and I knew barring any weird mechanical issues I would buy it.

Reminds me of when I bought my first stick shift car!

I didn't even know how to drive stick at the time (I knew the theory, but hadn't actually done it yet). In August of '97, I test drove a '94 Ford Probe GT. It had 48k miles on it, they were asking $10k bottom line pricing at a zero negotiation dealer.

I jerked the car out of the lot, stalled it taking off at a stop light, but once I got it going and got into 2nd and felt the acceleration as I rowed through the gears...I was sold!

I drove it home 2 hours later, was driving it completely smooth within 2 weeks, have never owned nor wanted a car with an automatic transmission since!

In fact, my Audi S4 is the first 4 door car I've had since that very same day. I traded in the '91 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme I had at the time.

It was weird having a 4 for car after so long, but I wasn't going to give up the manual transmission too. For a 4 door car though, that S4 is a sleeper! The power and handling etc, if you're not familiar with the Audi lineup, you'd be shocked that this car is such a performance car!

That said, nothing brings out the joy of driving like the pure power and very raw driving experience the Shelby brings to the table.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Reminds me of when I bought my first stick shift car!

I didn't even know how to drive stick at the time (I knew the theory, but hadn't actually done it yet). In August of '97, I test drove a '94 Ford Probe GT. It had 48k miles on it, they were asking $10k bottom line pricing at a zero negotiation dealer.

I jerked the car out of the lot, stalled it taking off at a stop light, but once I got it going and got into 2nd and felt the acceleration as I rowed through the gears...I was sold!

I drove it home 2 hours later, was driving it completely smooth within 2 weeks, have never owned nor wanted a car with an automatic transmission since!

In fact, my Audi S4 is the first 4 door car I've had since that very same day. I traded in the '91 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme I had at the time.

It was weird having a 4 for car after so long, but I wasn't going to give up the manual transmission too. For a 4 door car though, that S4 is a sleeper! The power and handling etc, if you're not familiar with the Audi lineup, you'd be shocked that this car is such a performance car!

That said, nothing brings out the joy of driving like the pure power and very raw driving experience the Shelby brings to the table.

Right beside the Civic in on the car lot I bought it from there was an Audi A4 for about a grand less. Cherry red, absolutely gorgeous. If it had been a manual, I'd have probably bought that one instead.

And I can understand going with an automatic in a minivan or cargo vehicle where you're just loading it to go from a to b and you just need it to do that and you're not really looking for a driving experience per se, but in a car like mine? Forget it. Better on gas, better reliability, and just plain more fun. I had a rental for the week and a half between cars; 2019 Sentra. Hated it. Going back to an auto is just so annoying once you're used to a manual. I mean, starting on hills was easier and everything, but they just *never* shift when you want them to. I was constantly seeing the tach flying up and down at weird moments and feeling the mistimed jerks of shifting that was inappropriate for the situation and it just bugged the hell out of me.

 

[member 157595]

Right beside the Civic in on the car lot I bought it from there was an Audi A4 for about a grand less. Cherry red, absolutely gorgeous. If it had been a manual, I'd have probably bought that one instead.

And I can understand going with an automatic in a minivan or cargo vehicle where you're just loading it to go from a to b and you just need it to do that and you're not really looking for a driving experience per se, but in a car like mine? Forget it. Better on gas, better reliability, and just plain more fun. I had a rental for the week and a half between cars; 2019 Sentra. Hated it. Going back to an auto is just so annoying once you're used to a manual. I mean, starting on hills was easier and everything, but they just *never* shift when you want them to. I was constantly seeing the tach flying up and down at weird moments and feeling the mistimed jerks of shifting that was inappropriate for the situation and it just bugged the hell out of me.

If you think regular automatics never shift you have no idea of the horror that awaits you with a CVT automatic.

I also drive a manual car (Subaru WRX, the first manual car I've ever driven or owned and I'm in my late 30's) and every once in a while I have had to driven my wife's cars, which recently have been Foresters and now an Ascent. CVT automatics are geared specifically to save fuel and the delay before shifting down when accelerating can be outrageous. Great for fuel economy (better than a manual hands-down) but not for fun.

Honestly, I'm still not an expert at driving manual even after months of owning. The clutch on my car is surprisingly light (STI versions have a stiffer clutch and cost 3x as much to insure lol) and it doesn't vibrate all that much at the bite point. However, I don't think I'd ever want to go back to an automatic, I enjoy this too damn much. I HATED driving before the WRX but the first time I nearly redlined that sucker merging onto a highway in 3rd I knew I was hooked.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

If you think regular automatics never shift you have no idea of the horror that awaits you with a CVT automatic.

I also drive a manual car (Subaru WRX, the first manual car I've ever driven or owned and I'm in my late 30's) and every once in a while I have had to driven my wife's cars, which recently have been Foresters and now an Ascent. CVT automatics are geared specifically to save fuel and the delay before shifting down when accelerating can be outrageous. Great for fuel economy (better than a manual hands-down) but not for fun.

Honestly, I'm still not an expert at driving manual even after months of owning. The clutch on my car is surprisingly light (STI versions have a stiffer clutch and cost 3x as much to insure lol) and it doesn't vibrate all that much at the bite point. However, I don't think I'd ever want to go back to an automatic, I enjoy this too damn much. I HATED driving before the WRX but the first time I nearly redlined that sucker merging onto a highway in 3rd I knew I was hooked.

I've actually never driven a CVT. I only really know about them from their use in hybrids or electric cars. Don't sound like something I'd enjoy, honestly.

I didn't know how to drive manual for the first few years of driving but in the 90's I worked for an RV rental company and part of their lineup were the Volkswagen Westfalias and later, the Winnebago conversion. Some of those were manual and I learned on those. You get lots of practice shifting as the engine's so gutless you're in 4th by about 50 clicks.

And manual vs auto is all about the vehicle. Big, lumbering things? Sure. Auto's fine. A manual drives like a Mack truck. If you enjoy actually driving in a car that gives you some performance, manual's the only way to go.

 

[member 157595]

I've actually never driven a CVT. I only really know about them from their use in hybrids or electric cars. Don't sound like something I'd enjoy, honestly.

CVT Pros: Great on gas and suburb driving. Quiet.
CVT Cons: Every single bit of driving enjoyment will be choked out MMA-style.

I didn't know how to drive manual for the first few years of driving but in the 90's I worked for an RV rental company and part of their lineup were the Volkswagen Westfalias and later, the Winnebago conversion. Some of those were manual and I learned on those. You get lots of practice shifting as the engine's so gutless you're in 4th by about 50 clicks.

I saw a video where this kid was learning manual on a Dodge Viper. That freaking thing has so much damn torque you could probably start in 4th with no problem.

And manual vs auto is all about the vehicle. Big, lumbering things? Sure. Auto's fine. A manual drives like a Mack truck.

What's interesting is that heavy haulers all have the non-synchro gearboxes with which you either have to double-clutch or float gears to operate. I had a co-worker with a 15-year old Toyota Tacoma that refuses to fix his broken 2nd-3rd syncro so he has to double-clutch in order to make that gear transition.

If you enjoy actually driving in a car that gives you some performance, manual's the only way to go.

I kind of agree. It's kind of a shame that the exotics have all moved to dual-clutch semiautos. I know the paddle shifting is technically superior, I know it's faster, but it still kind of stinks to not have at least an option for a traditional manual. That said, I'll make sure to give my in-depth review of my upcoming Ferrari 812 Superfast purchase after I secure the financing from this Nigerian prince I've been chatting up through email.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

CVT Pros: Great on gas and suburb driving. Quiet.
CVT Cons: Every single bit of driving enjoyment will be choked out MMA-style.

Yech. Pass.

I saw a video where this kid was learning manual on a Dodge Viper. That freaking thing has so much damn torque you could probably start in 4th with no problem.

I'm sure he'll be telling his therapist about it in the years to come.

What's interesting is that heavy haulers all have the non-synchro gearboxes with which you either have to double-clutch or float gears to operate. I had a co-worker with a 15-year old Toyota Tacoma that refuses to fix his broken 2nd-3rd syncro so he has to double-clutch in order to make that gear transition.

Oh I know the big rigs and things like that all have their own weirdness going on, I was more referring to the basic consumer-level stuff like SUVs, vans and the like. Off-road stuff is of course its own ballgame.

I kind of agree. It's kind of a shame that the exotics have all moved to dual-clutch semiautos. I know the paddle shifting is technically superior, I know it's faster, but it still kind of stinks to not have at least an option for a traditional manual. That said, I'll make sure to give my in-depth review of my upcoming Ferrari 812 Superfast purchase after I secure the financing from this Nigerian prince I've been chatting up through email.

lol again, I was speaking about stuff I could hope and dream of affording myself. I know the flappy-paddle gearbox has become the standard in the high high end stuff. I've watched enough Top Gear over the years to know.

And I'll drag race you in my Koenigsegg Agera RS1 just as soon as I'm done mining this Bitcoin...

 

[TaLoN]

I saw a video where this kid was learning manual on a Dodge Viper. That freaking thing has so much damn torque you could probably start in 4th with no problem.

Easier to learn on such a torque heavy car. Timing is more forgiving considering you don't even need to step on the gas for the car to move just by releasing the clutch.

My Shelby has 510 lbs of torque, both 1st and 2nd, the car moves just by releasing the clutch. 3rd, you definitely need the gas pedal involved.

 

[member 157595]

lol again, I was speaking about stuff I could hope and dream of affording myself. I know the flappy-paddle gearbox has become the standard in the high high end stuff. I've watched enough Top Gear over the years to know.

It seems like manuals are disappearing at all vehicle classes in North America, it sucks. I am thinking about a Volkwagen Golf R next, if they still offer the 6-speed. I would think about a Civic Type R because they are such a joy to drive but I think they're hideous.

And I'll drag race you in my Koenigsegg Agera RS1 just as soon as I'm done mining this Bitcoin...

You're on. Don't tell my wife.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Easier to learn on such a torque heavy car. Timing is more forgiving considering you don't even need to step on the gas for the car to move just by releasing the clutch.

My Shelby has 510 lbs of torque, both 1st and 2nd, the car moves just by releasing the clutch. 3rd, you definitely need the gas pedal involved.

I would just be terrified of the kid losing control of it. He must have a *very* trusting driving instructor.

It seems like manuals are disappearing at all vehicle classes in North America, it sucks. I am thinking about a Volkwagen Golf R next, if they still offer the 6-speed. I would think about a Civic Type R because they are such a joy to drive but I think they're hideous.

Aren't they though? As soon as that generation came out I was like...WTF. And I'm a huge fan of the Honda sport models. The back end's made up of so many weird, sharp angles and that wing is so big it looks like two Simpsons characters having sex under a park bench. I have no idea what they were going for with that. That entire generation is a no-go just for how amazingly fugly they are.

And yeah, manuals are a dying breed in NA. Still the best anti-theft device you can get in Canada or the US.

You're on. Don't tell my wife.

Done.

 

[member 157595]

I would just be terrified of the kid losing control of it. He must have a *very* trusting driving instructor.

I'm pretty sure that Chevrolet offered a driving course for drivers of the 2019 ZR1 (755 HP) so that newbies could learn to handle that level of power. I think I'd shit my pants with ZR1/Viper levels of torque just off idle...and then I'd want more. You can always buy more pants!

God damn I want that car. 755 HP and a manual? CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Aren't they though? As soon as that generation came out I was like...WTF. And I'm a huge fan of the Honda sport models. The back end's made up of so many weird, sharp angles and that wing is so big it looks like two Simpsons characters having sex under a park bench. I have no idea what they were going for with that. That entire generation is a no-go just for how amazingly fugly they are.

I just spit out my water. One of the best analogies I've ever read.

The Type R just drives so nicely. Shifter is fantastic, car is powerful, handles well...but it really looks like shit. I want to love it but I just can't.

And yeah, manuals are a dying breed in NA. Still the best anti-theft device you can get in Canada or the US.

That's another good reason why I want to keep getting them, actually.

 

[TaLoN]

I would just be terrified of the kid losing control of it. He must have a *very* trusting driving instructor.

Yeah, wouldn't trust many kids with such a car.

Hell, looking back, I'm glad I couldn't afford such a car when I was younger. I'd have totaled it out of lack of respect for how quickly things can get out of control.

 

[Dakota Sioux]

Just purchased a week ago. Absolutely love it

 

[HansonBro]

If you think regular automatics never shift you have no idea of the horror that awaits you with a CVT automatic.

I also drive a manual car (Subaru WRX, the first manual car I've ever driven or owned and I'm in my late 30's) and every once in a while I have had to driven my wife's cars, which recently have been Foresters and now an Ascent. CVT automatics are geared specifically to save fuel and the delay before shifting down when accelerating can be outrageous. Great for fuel economy (better than a manual hands-down) but not for fun.

Honestly, I'm still not an expert at driving manual even after months of owning. The clutch on my car is surprisingly light (STI versions have a stiffer clutch and cost 3x as much to insure lol) and it doesn't vibrate all that much at the bite point. However, I don't think I'd ever want to go back to an automatic, I enjoy this too damn much. I HATED driving before the WRX but the first time I nearly redlined that sucker merging onto a highway in 3rd I knew I was hooked.

3rd gear redlined in a WRX? wouldn't you be doing like 90mph? Nice merge!

 

[member 157595]

3rd gear redlined in a WRX? wouldn't you be doing like 90mph? Nice merge!

I specifically left out the speed at which I stopped accelerating for a reason.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Autopsist is calling to a motorcycle dealer:

- Heya, mate, how's your business doing?
- It's ok, thanks, sold 5 bikes today.

Autopsist (to himself): So there are two more left...

 

[member 157595]

Just purchased a week ago. Absolutely love it View attachment 349147

dude that's a thing of beauty.

 

[Dakota Sioux]

dude that's a thing of beauty.

Thanks bud. I’ve had white vehicles the last 20 years so it was time to change it up

 

[HansonBro]

Thanks bud. I’ve had white vehicles the last 20 years so it was time to change it up

Be bold! Lol now watch the water marks bug ya