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Scott_in_nh
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 05, 2015 - 03:55 pm: | 
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I'm a little late to this party - the roadster party - not the gay Miata party, lol.
I own the automotive equivalent of the Buell, i.e. another misunderstood redheaded stepchild with mass centralization, air-cooled engine, 5-speed and FI.
Some will tell you it is not a real Porsche which is ok with me.
FWIW I like Miata's but am not sure I would own one myself.
Now if my girlfriend bought one and I needed to use it or show her how to auto-cross it that would be different  |
Pwnzor
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 05, 2015 - 06:31 pm: |
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914 is the Porsche for me. Always loved it.
I think Greatflaker has some skeletons in the closet... gay skeletons. |
Sifo
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 05, 2015 - 07:51 pm: |
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Aren't Greatloser and Spidey just across the river from each other?
Just sayin'...  |
Sifo
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 05, 2015 - 07:55 pm: |
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BTW, I found out the Chicago Miata club runs autocross every other weekend about 15 minutes from my house. I may have to set up a budget for tires! |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 05, 2015 - 09:06 pm: |
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Is that the 4 or the 6 914?
The 6's are getting so stinking valuable it's taking all the fun out of them. Still lots of affordable and streetable 4's out there though.
Very neat cars. I ***almost*** bought one in very bad shape for $4k. |
86129squids
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 05, 2015 - 10:09 pm: |
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I'd LOVE a 914/6- I'd still be quite happy with a regular VW motored 914 though. My first car was a SuperBeetle, seen quite a few giant-killer motored Bugs in my time.
A 'vert Ghia is another dream car.
Still jonesing for a worthwhile drop-top... |
Scott_in_nh
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 05, 2015 - 11:13 pm: |
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It is a 2.0 four.
They are still very affordable, but values are going up as we speak!
Find one now if you have always wanted one! |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 07:46 am: |
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I got a mini cooper S instead. Same principal, better performance, easier to live with, and 10x more expensive repairs.  |
Wolfridgerider
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 07:56 am: |
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My first "sports" car. My stepfather at the time bought it for my Mom.
We had if for a few years and then he thought he would "customize" it.
Needless to say... after a year or so sitting in the garage dead as a door nail.
He told me I could have it if I could get it running and out of the garage.
$25 bucks later and he was signing the title over to me.
I loved that car! It had the wonderful Lucas Electrics aka the Prince of Darkness.
Without fail, Every time I drove it at night, the lights would crap out on me.
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Uncle
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 09:37 am: |
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Scott in NH..........My neighbor up the street used to have one of those. Really tricked out. Wide tires, fender flares, etc. I used to hear him going through the gears before he hit the corner in front of my house. Cornered like it was on rails. I wasn't a big "foreign" car guy back then, but that car was COOL! |
Scott_in_nh
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 10:16 am: |
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Uncle, yeah the 914 community is a lot like this one and I have become friends with some guys with crazy fast 914's!
http://www.914world.com
They really are fun cars that give you so much feedback and character.
Every bit as reliable as an old Beetle too!
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Reepicheep
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 10:21 am: |
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Hey, who let the 911 in that line? That's a line of cars that work for a living, send the 911 over to the spa where it belongs. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 10:30 am: |
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Lovin' the Porche action!
Sifo, since you got the Miata.....have you ridden your Buell much? I have noticed as I get older and fatter that hopping into the Vette to run to town is quicker, easier, and less painful than gearing up to ride the Buell. Not sure if it is the latest sign of lazy coming through, or that air conditioning is just that much better than a hot sweaty riding suit?.! |
Scott_in_nh
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 10:31 am: |
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Ha-ha - good catch.
We have a least one sneak in every year!
He claims to have "won" the road rally because he got more correct answers to the rally point questions, but this is what the driveway looked like when we finished!
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Scott_in_nh
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 10:38 am: |
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Etennuly, I have the same problem - gearing up for the 914 is shorts, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.
I love my S3, but it definitely gets less use since I bought this car 4 years and 27k ago!
(Message edited by scott_in_nh on May 06, 2015) |
Sifo
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 12:13 pm: |
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Sifo, since you got the Miata.....have you ridden your Buell much?
I hate to say it, but I haven't seen much weather worth taking either out. I don't commute by bike any more. If it's nice enough to bike, I can walk instead. Hardly worth gearing up. Add to that, I've had my daily driver vehicle hit three times at work in the last year. I just don't want to park a bike there to find they hit that. Seem odd given that everyone parking there are "professional drivers". 
The Buell did take a back seat to my Triumph this spring though, the few times I got a bike out. I finally dragged the Buell from it's corner last Saturday. Fire's up like a champ every spring! |
Arcticktm
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 02:17 pm: |
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I'm secure enough as a man to admit I bought a '09 Cooper S (a man's sized Miata, as I am just too tall for the Mazda, and wanted at least a sort-of rear seat for my son).
It's true I now commute in that, not the Buell or KTM. Just don't want to hassle with gear and cage drivers for an unexciting 30 minute trip.
It also allows me to take all 3 of the family out at once.
+1 on Reepi statement about cost of repairs, though. Fortunately, it hasn't needed too many, but they can really hurt for things you wouldn't expect.
Example: driver side high beam won't shut off when lights are on. Problem - stepper motor failure. What? who puts a damn stepper motor in a headlight. Answer - Germans designing a car to look English. result? Entire headlight module must be replaced to pass state inspection, including the very expensive (and perfect functioning) Xenon low beam. $750. thank you very much.
If it ever gets unreliable, I'm dropping it for a domestic or Japanese for basic transportation. |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 02:38 pm: |
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quote:who puts a damn stepper motor in a headlight. Answer - Germans designing a car to look English.
LOL. But it is also Austrians designing a car to look Swedish. My Saab 9-3 Aero has them too.
(Message edited by reepicheep on May 06, 2015) |
Chauly
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 04:25 pm: |
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Back in 2004, it was a showdown between a Prius and a Cooper S. There was $300 difference, and each did what we liked/needed.
On one hand, you have a car designed by Germans, built by the English, and powered by a Brazilian engine.
On the other, you had a Toyota.
285K miles later, the Prius has been trouble-free, even after hitting two deer, a truck, and been backed into...
Never missed the Cooper after all. :-) |
Mr_grumpy
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 04:55 pm: |
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285K miles later, the Prius has been trouble-free, even after hitting two deer, a truck, and been backed into...
As reasoned decision I can see that, but what's it's grin factor?
I'm not criticising the purchase at all, just wondering if a Prius actually has one.
I tend to buy stuff I like rather than what's sensible, occasionally the criteria coincide but not that often.
Latest acquisition was a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with a 5.7 Hemi. |
No_rice
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 07:09 pm: |
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Tim- knowing how you ride/flog your bikes, I'd have LOVED to see your "experiments" with that Miata!
I bet that dang Morgan was hella kewl to try out, too! I love seeing shiznit like that.
the miata was a VERY good time. Jenn just kicked back in the passenger seat and enjoyed the show! not a peep out of her except some giggling and a grin. another bonus was that luckily the top was down so i fit in it fine.
the morgan does alot better then i would have expected.
I'd LOVE a 914/6- I'd still be quite happy with a regular VW motored 914 though. My first car was a SuperBeetle, seen quite a few giant-killer motored Bugs in my time.
A 'vert Ghia is another dream car.
Still jonesing for a worthwhile drop-top...
then you would like the "other car" thats slated to be in my garage someday... although i prefer hardtops
My 70 GMC, and moms 70 Ghia.
When we got it it was pretty used and faded blue... now, all new interior, bodywork and paint. could use some replacement trim and bumpers, but its not a show car, so the few dinks and such in them aren't that big of a deal. also has dual webers and quad tip monza exhaust still from back in the day...
pic is from sunday. we stopped by so i could check over some work i need to do to it. its having some wiring problems. flickering tail light and nonworking fuel gauge... |
Chauly
| | Posted on Thursday, May 07, 2015 - 09:06 am: |
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I drive the Prius pretty hard, and it handles, well, like a family car. But as a mature engineer, I appreciate the technology and the efficiency more than picking up the chicks (I have the Smart Cabrio for that!)
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Reepicheep
| | Posted on Thursday, May 07, 2015 - 09:53 am: |
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I drove a prius for a day. Interestingly, it was also pushing 300k miles. Driving wise, it was about as interesting as watching paint dry, but as a technology platform and in terms of the economy it could achieve, that part was quite entertaining.
I have a minivan too. Nothing wrong with that... Sometimes you just want to get somewhere, and a Prius is a great choice.
We all got hung up on "battery lifespan". Turns out they *are* lasting the life of the car.
And the thing we may have missed is that the gasoline motor in a hybrid drive car will last for-freaking-forever and a day. Perhaps partly because it is just such a small little unchallenged engine, but part because there is an electric drive system doing the things that kill gas motors. |
Court
| | Posted on Thursday, May 07, 2015 - 12:41 pm: |
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All I ever needed to know about the Prius is that Chauly .... I call him Chuck ..... Drives one and speaks highly. He's a Froggy/Blake/Reep level Engineer and an expert rider/driver. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Monday, May 11, 2015 - 09:59 am: |
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Well I for one have been having a real blast driving my C4 Vette around. It is so much more fun having one that is not new or "special" that can and gets treated like a Ulysses should.
I have been regularly getting 22+ mpg cruising on the back roads of East Tennessee and North Georgia, even on the highways.....until lately.
Now that we have "top off" weather and I have tweaked my side pipes a bit, the fuel mileage is down to around 18 just because it sounds so awesome. Good gawwd there is nothing so harmonious as the sound of eight cylinders of a V8 chevy blowing it's tune through headers, mini cats, glass packs, and side pipes......the way '70's hotrods sounded.
Back in the mid nineties I had a new '94 Vette and for a couple of years, at the same time, a beautiful red '79 Stingray. I spent all of my spare time cleaning/waxing/pampering/protecting these precious pieces of future history(for whom ever owns them now). It got to where I hated it. Drive it for an hour.....spend three hours cleaning.
Screw that!
This '86 low $ value, but so incredibly cool "turd" Vette that I have now, can be washed and dried in about ten minutes, then it is time for "top off, windows down, side pipe tunes". It can be smooth deep and mellow kind of quiet through town, or incredibly loud at WOT.
I have found that seeking out good used take off "Z" rated tires is the way to go for this thing. A new set of four can cost more $ than the car is worth. It feels good seeing how hard you can push a nearly new pair of $150 BFG barely used rear tires that would have been $1200 new, and the perfectly good Michelin fronts that came on a $300 set of newer style wheels. |
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