| Author | Message | ||
     Fresnobuell |
I am at a stage where I would rather use a scalpel to dissect a mountain road then bludgeon it. There's no doubt in my mind a smaller displacement roadster offers a purer driving experience. Just like on my bike, the fun is corner-speed and the small roadsters will still have the advantage there over a 'Vette. Besides, nothing screams mid-life crisis when a 40-something shows up in a gaudy thing like a 'Vette (IMO of course.) I am hoping to avoid that look and maybe your friend is/was too. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Tan/green has always been a sweet look! | ||
| Fresnobuell |
good question. In my research, appears the first 4 (00-03) MY had a smaller displacement 2.0L engine with a redline of 9,000RPM (enabled in large part to one of the coolest feature of the S2k--VTEK) For those not familiar with VTEK, its a system that uses oil pressure to move the cams in order to achieve a higher profile for increased valve lift at 5,900RPM thru redline. This give a good boost of power at the upper RPM range as it's designed to kick in at the time the power of standard cam profile would be tapering off. Anyhow, the US market apparently wanted more midrange so in 2004 the S2k was fit with a 2.2L engine with a lower 8,000 RPM redline. I believe the same peak power was achieved and at the same time midrange grunt was improved--power curve was "shifted 500 RPM to the left." Personally, I am leading towards a 2005 because this has the gruntier motor without drive-by-wire throttle (introduced in 2006.) From reports, there is a slight lag in throttle response with DBW in comparison to the wired throttle of previous years. It's also the first AP2 version (with improved chassis and aesthetics.) That being said I could deal with an 02-03 because the "screamer version" would be ok with the type of driving I plan...and I like the cluster better (that changed in '04). I found this invaluable for figuring out exactly what changed from year to year: http://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/755380-s2000-model -year-differences/ (Message edited by fresnobuell on October 15, 2015) | ||
| Etennuly |
}I am at a stage where I would rather use a scalpel to dissect a mountain road then bludgeon it. There's no doubt in my mind a smaller displacement roadster offers a purer driving experience. Just like on my bike, the fun is corner-speed and the small roadsters will still have the advantage there over a 'Vette. Besides, nothing screams mid-life crisis when a 40-something shows up in a gaudy thing like a 'Vette (IMO of course.) I am hoping to avoid that look and maybe your friend is/was too. In this thread some of this statement seems kind of pointed.....at me!  I'd bet you knew I would respond. So to carve a mountain road on a bike you would rather ride a 250 ninja than something so overcompensating as a 1200 cc Buell? It is the same "tool box" analogy. Have you driven.....nah.....not going there. Heard the same kind of stuff about buying a Buell ten years ago.  In some cases it is quite true though, that arrogant forty something asshats will buy anything. I will keep poking into this thread because I like and enjoy sports cars, almost all sports cars(but if I cannot fit in them they don't count). I love the picture of the XKE, my brother-in-law had a white '68 model, friggen coolest car I have ever ridden in. I have had small displacement motorcycles that generally handled with more ease because they were lighter, smaller, and less powerful. Sports cars the same. Hell, I even have had modified '60/'70's Beetles, and a '71 Fiat 850 Spider, and an MG, and an early RX7, and a Mitsubishi sedan racer sport car kind of thing. This weekend is Vette Fest in the Smoky Mountains. They are having the Guinness World Record people there to set the record for the most Corvettes on the Dragon at one time. So if you are in town for Buelltoberfest and want to avoid things as gaudy as a shit load of Corvettes stay away from The Dragon Friday afternoon.  This group is as obnoxious as the HOG riders when they come to town. Be careful of the newest Vettes, most are piloted by '70+ year old couples around here. I would like to state this about my American  sports car.....I drove it to March(Glitch)Badness this spring. I started out driving in the early evening, alone on the mountain roads until I arrived at Twos well after dark. I was not going fast or driving stupid, just corner carving and running smoothly. I did the Foothills Parkway, the Dragon, rt 28, Richard B.Russel Parkway, and all of the fantastic roads in between on the way in. There are few things that sound as sweet(IMHO)as a V8 singing it's tones through mellow side pipes while surgically carving the corners. I'm about to do it again. Sifo, if you ever get to the Smoky Mountains with your Miata I'd be happy to cruise around with you. | ||
| Aesquire |
I don't have a desire for a 'Vette, since, 1. I didn't fit comfortably in the last one I tried, ( tall torso ) and 2. the "sorry about your Pe..s" line young women think when an older fart is driving a 'Vette. Doesn't mean you shouldn't. Nice cars. The following is just opinion. Some brands, the owners have a reputation. A Mercedes, it is generally thought, is owned by a richer guy, since it's almost certain it's going to take more, and more expensive maintenance and repairs than a Yugo. You can bet that no matter how lovely the panel gaps are, the engine will need expensive attention if you drive it with enthusiasm. Or at all. Or leave it parked. BMW's OTOH, are fairly nicely built, and can take some abuse. Expensive as heck to fix, but you can bet on driving one pretty hard before you break it. The owners.... they have a rep. Not always deserved. But sometimes........ http://jalopnik.com/ultimate-level-bmw-douche-doub le-parks-takes-bat-to-pi-1713911021 | ||
| Pwnzor |
I've had a Z06, E55 and 545i. If I had them again i would keep the Vette | ||
| Greatlaker |
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| Greatlaker |
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| Tankhead |
WOW. Can you call it a day? Enough already. Why isn't this guy banned? This is silly. | ||
| Sifo |
This is nothing compared to the physical threats from him in the past. Not doubt he's got some serious issues.  | ||
| Sifo |
I wonder if Goatlicker has any clue that the above quote wasn't aimed at Miatas? I know he has no affinity to the truth, but he also displays an amazing level of pure ignorance regularly. Anyone want to take their best guesses? Maybe Goatlicker will be good enough to let us in on whether this was his dishonesty, or his ignorance on display. | ||
| Hootowl |
See my thoughts on his obsession with you in the dem candidate threat. | ||
| Sifo |
There is likely some sort of represses sexual issues involved. His obsession just isn't normal. | ||
| Tankhead |
BTW I saw my first '16 miata on the road. Looked like a f type jag convertible. Very strong possibility I might make the purchase next year when my 16 year old gets her license and takes my Honda FIT. Very awesome car. Mileage, weight, styling, and brembo brake option are all good | ||
| Etennuly |
Aesquire, That old line about the young girls and the old man in a Vette has been around for many years. It simply means those material girls are too young! In my case I can't help getting old! But I'm going to have as much fun as I can on my way out! One of the cars that I had, I have heard many people say that they really liked or wanted one of, was a '79 Nissan 280 Z. I bought that one based on all of the hype about how great they were. I was sorely disappointed. It had a manual transmission with that straight six cylinder. I thought it should be fun to drive, but it was slow, it did not live up to any of the handling hype. Next I had had an '82 Z28 that out performed it in every way. I will say that I noticed that I have been defending owning a Vette. No more so than owning a Buell though. This current C4 is my fifth one. At this point in my life I defend it because of the Corvette Club I joined. It is similar to the good folks here in the BadWeB world. They are mostly retired folks who have found a common ground to not only have fun, but to have a way to give back for a not so bad life. I have seen couples in this club spend their time setting up and working a lot of hours to help the club make money for their charities. Some of these folks could just stroke a check and sit at home. They volunteer their time to make sure everyone else is having a good time. It was amazing to watch them doing "make a wish" day during a Veterans Day parade. It also really cool to see a 68 year old guy giggle like a little girl, doing lap after lap in his brand new Z06 on the Autocross course. I just generally like sporty cars, always have. If they suck chances are I would not have a second one. Tom, Goatmilker.....  | ||
| 86129squids |
Hey Vern- in '79, the Datsun's changed from Z to ZX, and got sucky. '78 and earlier were the best, and the older the lighter they got, going back to carbureted intakes. I owned two '78 Z cars, one a 2+2, and loved them dearly- my favorite cars EVAAAR. Once upon a time, Nissan even had a program that allowed owners to send them back to the factory for a full refurb, then back to the owners with a new, 2nd warranty! THAT is my dream car... | ||
| Fresnobuell |
At times, yes. There are some tight roads around here I was able to navigate significantly quicker on my XB9SX than my 1125R....and you can bet on most of the mountain roads a Miata or S2k could hang with a Vette. Of course anything with significant straights will be an issue, but who cares unless you are cool with doing double the speed limit or more. Like I have always said, any moron (not calling you a moron unless you fit in this category) can push an accelerator or twist a throttle--its how fast they can handle the curvy parts of the road that's impressive...or not. The absolutely best handing car I have driven was an RX-8....and it only had a 1.3L motor. I believe it's outstanding handling was due in large part to the near perfect 50/50 weight distribution, which was possible (in terms of weight and engine bay placement) by having a small motor. I know some of the 4-cylinder sportsters we are referring to in this thread are close to that optimum weight distribution. I have never confirmed, but I would think it to be a difficult, if not impossible, to achieve this with a v-8 without having an excessively porky overall weight. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
And I also like riding a more powerful motorcycle for the safety factor. Whereas a 250 can't get out its own way if presented a sticky situation, a bigger bike can escape if necessary. I don't feel this translates the same to a sports car--maybe on a 2-lane road when passing, but for the most part I don't feel a smaller displacement sports car is a hazard unto itself. | ||
| Sifo |
The absolutely best handing car I have driven was an RX-8....and it only had a 1.3L motor. Not throwing cold water on the handling aspect, but displacement of a rotary engine shouldn't be directly compared to a piston engine. I'll be out with a friend Sunday on a Camaro run. My Miatas not invited. It's all good though. Enjoy what you enjoy. From what I see here, most of us can do that. | ||
| Greatlaker |
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| Fresnobuell |
My point was the handling aspect was outstanding in large part to the smaller engine which allowed for better overall weight distribution. The smaller 4 banger motors arent a whole lot bigger than the rotary engine in the 8. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Umm... why is that idiot still here? | ||
| Sifo |
The smaller 4 banger motors arent a whole lot bigger than the rotary engine in the 8. My point being that the smaller rotary puts out more power than the bigger piston engines. It's a lot like comparing a 2 stroke to a 4 stroke of equal displacement. The rules for the club I race with has a catch all class for up to 2 liter engines, except for rotary. Rotary engines have to run in the over 2 liter catch all class. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Yes, they have a fantastic power/displacement ratio, but I don't think I mentioned the power of the RX-8 engine anywhere. I was only trying to make the point the smaller engine has advantageous characteristics when it comes to a vehicle's handling. The 8 spun to 9,000 RPM and made about 240HP with that 1.3L engine, but it drank (premium) gas like a truck....but did it ever handle like it was on rails. I never did find the limit on that thing...then the Buell came along and bye bye RX-8. Wiki excerpt: "The RX-8 was designed as a front mid-engine, rear-wheel drive four-door, four-seater quad coupe. The car has near 50:50 front-rear weight distribution and a low polar moment of inertia, achieved by mounting the engine behind the front axle and the fuel tank ahead of the rear axle." | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Can someone take out douchebag's stupid pics of Tom's miata? It's polluting a pretty good thread here. I obviously missed it, but why does douchebag have such a hard on for Tom? Just curious. | ||
| Macbuell |
Greatlaker must have balls the size of peanuts. I can see no other reason for such ridiculous posts other than over compensating for something that makes him feel inferior. | ||
| Sifo |
I obviously missed it, but why does douchebag have such a hard on for Tom? Just curious. My brother has a dog that barks at rocks. Eventually the dog and the rock have to be separated. | ||
| Aesquire |
Etennuly, I am NOT dissing Corvettes. Yes, I think that you can point to years where all the American cars were far less than stellar. For example the pollution control choked mid 70's. But they still looked good, and the potential was there for the hot rodder, I know at the time a '75 Volare was not a super desirable car, but I've seen one that is a great sleeper, with a well built engine and modern suspension and brakes. ( seriously, A Volare??? ) And the mid 1980's with the seeming universal squared off 3 box generic cars you couldn't tell a Ford from a Chevy.... and not that inspiring. But the 'Vettes, even the "euro-look" wedge models ( which I actually liked ) made an effort to stay true to the idea. And they just keep getting better. Absolutely a world class sports car, now, no matter what Top Gear says. And, to be fair I haven't sat in one for years, they might fit now. Fit is a personal thing and it varied by year. The last Mini is tried on was a nice car, but felt claustrophobic and cramped. The S2000 my buddy's brother has is a joke for the 2 of us, I mean seriously compressed shoulders, but he says he fits fine, solo. The last Miata I tried on fit great, except the cupholder molded into the door out of hard plastic hit the nerve cluster on my left knee. I'd be crippled in a week. Maybe this year it's awesome. Oddly, the VW GTI fits fine, if not roomy, and I think it's a great little twisty road car. My VW Sportwagen ( which has the same chassis ) is a great car to toss into corners, and I occasionally take an extra lap on a local middle of nowhere small traffic circle..... when there's no traffic. ( I also do that on my Cyclone ) Alas, I'm just not in the market for another fun little car at this time. And I'm aware that the Unicorn I want, just because, is unlikely to end up in my garage, but I still think a Caddy CTS V Wagon would be fun. ( the regular CTS wagon OTOH has no appeal at all. 550 hp. and better tuned suspension make a big difference. ) Slow cars fun to drive fast. | ||
| Aesquire |
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| Greatlaker |
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