Fancy cars and NTs

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Why are all the good-looking cars not sold in the U.S.?

Tim

I love nice cars and really appreciate them. If I had a real lot of money, I would own as many Porches and the like as I could fit in my garage. However I don't have a real lot of money so when it came time for me to actually buy a car myself, I bought a Hyundai Elantra.

i personnlay would buy a extrememly expensive car If i ever got that kind of money, my car of choice a GT cobra Before or after shelby got the license. Why i personally find it to be an awsome car. The curves pf the design, the profile, the engine power, it just look awsome to me.

Buying a car for the pleasure of having a high performance machine on tap is nice. What I don't get, however, are all the abominations done to cars, and how the trends have influenced design. By this, I mean the "bling bling spinning rims", the non-functional rice-burner wings, the oversized exhaust pipes (which don't offer that much performance for their size, but rather serve as decorative pieces to complement their driver's lack of a bulge).

If it's something like Z-rated tires, a mandrel-bent large exhaust SYSTEM (not just a tail pipe, or a pair of headers, but a WHOLE SYSTEM), oil or transmission coolers, rollbars, or something that not only forms an image of performance but also ADDS to the performance of the car, then I can admire it. But decorative nonsense, or trashing a car by drifting or doing all that flashy driving, thinking it's high-performance racing... that's just a waste of money. It's also an insult for people who love to drive.

When I'm behind the wheel of a machine, it doesn't matter how sloppy the steering is, how bulky the aerodynamics are, or what the rated torque is. If you drive it right, take the apex of the curve, and treat it like you are dancing with a beautiful woman, the vehicle will perform beautifully on the road up to the speed limit. The perfect example would be the Isuzu NPR box truck with the hydraulic lift gate I drove one day at work. That was the most entertaining drive I've had in a long time, not because it was slow, not because it was noisy, but because it handled beautifully if you treated it right. You would be surprised how many tight spaces I could get that thing into (we're talking less than 1 foot clearance on both sides), just because I was gentle.

The point is, even if you have a musclecar that screams performance, don't burn the tires up or manhandle the thing. True performance is all about firm, yet smooth inputs, and trying to keep the abuse to a minimum. That is where any vehicle will perform at it's peak.

Indeed... what's the point really of squealing the rubber off your tires only to have to buy new ones--- just to look "cool" ( and it doesn't)? Just because you CAN go 120 doesn't mean you should--- you're only buying doughnuts for the police force... it's not safe for anyone else on the road, either. Some people, it seems, have money flowing out of their ears--- they don't mind abusing their cars and then spending all sorts of cash to fix the cars.

All I care about is a car that doesn't cost more than my house, and gets me to the place I need to go.

I never understood this whole "my car is bigger than yours, cost more, and puts me into financial ruin every time I go to the gas station" phenomena. It's just a car, and it will take you to the same exact place as any other car.

I do admit I enjoy looking at old muscle cars- they're certainly shiny and pretty, but I would never buy one. What would be the point? I would be afraid to drive it anywhere, and it would just sit in my garage. So what? My computer sits on my desk all day too, but at least it gets used.

...And I REALLY don't understand about "burning rubber". As if the power of their shrieking tires and stinky rubber is impressing. Not to mention it isn't good for the car.

To reply to the last two posts, drifting is an exhibition event. It was born sheerly because it is fun (go look up what tsuchiya has to say about it on wikipedia) Many rally drivers use the technique though, as traction may not be the best on some rally stages. Anyway, you can exhibit an amazing amount of control over the vehicle, shifting its position within the apex of the turn, rotating it a specific degree and switching orientation through the next turn all without actually rolling THRU the turn. Done well, it is simply amazing to watch. However, many of the amateur ricers out there ruin it for everyone. When you go to a real D1/Us Drift match (my friend is US Drift and another teaches drifting school ...) it is simply a wonderful spectacle to see and very beautiful. It almost reminds me of automotive ballet.

As for burning tires (burnouts), it has its place in automotive racing with the heating and burning of slicks for drag racing. If you've got a car running 12 seconds or quicker, it is almost MANDATORY that you run slicks. Sure you can do it on radial tires, but the amount of wheelspin you get coming out of the hole is wasteful for your tires and your power. Due to its racing roots, it has also become somewhat a crowd pleasing indicator of torque and hp. Most idiots do it on the street where it has no place, but it can be fun to do. Back in 2004, I used one of my cars to great effect and wowed everyone at a local sanctioned burnout contest, placing second overall. Even got in a few magazines. However, I was sponsored by a local Firestone so my tires were free....

That being said, they both have their uses and roots in professional motorsports. I eventually want to get into drifting, but right now, it is too hard on a car and murderously expensive. Drag racing and SCCA is just right on the pocket book, though the costs of brakes and pads after a few sessions can add up.

So my next question to anybody/everybody here, is who actually DRIVES their car competitively and who has modifications done to it. If yes on either question list what type of motor sport you compete in and what type of mods you have done to your primary racing vehicle.

can you tell my asp-session is cars and racing yet?

European cars (ones actually sold in Europe) are more physically appealing than their American counterparts.

Tim

I love cars. Anything thats boosted is fun to me. I'm able to justify it because i'm not trying to impress anyone else. I like fast cars because it gives me a rush to be pinned in the seat. My cars right now are a 1995 lexus sc300(in my avatar) and a 2000 beetle 1.8 turbo. By the way... if anyone wants to buy the lexus pm me.

I understand it but not except it, it is more then a vehicle, it is a status syble. Status is evolusionary progress. In the human world, money is status. Money also insure security of a woman bringing up children. Guess that why many woman like money men.

here is me pulling through the last turn before a long straightaway in an gravel stage of a legal rally. My co-driver had time to rest, since I didn't need any directionals for a while so she snapped an in-car pic.



and here is the aforementioned straight


here is my 9.3273 pass in the 1/8th mile track (yeah I know it's not impressive, but cars are meant for turning straights are where V8s pass me, curves are where I make up the time.

I don't technically compete because I have a funny idea about cars. To me cars are meant to be driven on the road. I am completly uninterested in cars that have no tags. If it was built to race, and not to drive, it is akin to a space ship to me. 100s of thousands of dollars for something I will never own, and has not much in common with me. a 10 second street mustang is vastly more interesting and impressive to me than a 4.5 second top fuel dragster. A 19 year old's Sil-eighty, that he can whip around a street corner at 45 degrees is infinitly superior in my opinion to a 3 million dollar formula D Viper shell with 1200 horsepower and 300mm tires.

I am a fan of the garage, and a fan of odd cars with unconventional work-arounds. So I am not really a fan of competitive racing because it follows specific formulas and there are really only a few that work (go to any SCCA event and you will find 1000 mustangs with the same 3 mods and you will understand what I am talking about). I like my car, I like that I still get 30mpg and can take a corner at 1.2G, but I could not compete in any real events because I have the wrong type of boost controller

I prefer to have a daily driver that can do amazing things, vs a weekend toy that can do only 1 thing.

This has turned out to be quite the interesting thread ! !

We ASpies love cars for very different reasons than the average NT.
We ENJOY our cars, and for NT's its just something else to fill the void within their soul.

I went to a charity rally once. It was for the local art museum, and all the drivers were millionaires who had made huge contributions. They were rallying their exotic/sports/antique cars to bring attention to the museum. There was a lovely pre-war Bentley, and I went straight for it. I was looking it over, and realized it was a competition car ! !! Blimey ! ! I started asking questions of the bloke polishing it up. He looked at me with a sad look, and said "I'm just the driver, mate. The owner bought this car because he liked the way it looks. He couldn't tell you which's the brake and which's the clutch."
A beautiful car thats nothing more than a possession. A work of art with four wheels. THAT'S what an NT thinks ! !!

Incidentally, I drive a Ford Focus, which is pretty much the same in the U.S. and Europe. And I *love* driving it.

Tim

We have opted out on purchasing a vehicle all together. Sure we could afford one, probably get us where we need to go alot quicker, but it is not something we are even willing to entertain at the moment.

We have access to very reliable, speedy public transport at our doorstep and we are close enough to all the major routes anywhere in the city. We enjoy the excitement of our day trips. We enjoy local shops and supporting the community we live in. We are close enough to walk many places and if we are desperate for time, we grab a cab or rent a vehicle.

People simply do not get this. We are constantly challenged about this decision, but are otherwise very lax about it.

Why would I want to buy an expensive vehicle, pay monthly payments (for the car or insurance), pay for parking, pay the outrageous gas prices, etc? to do what? Impress my neighbour? Please my mother? *pshhht*

And best of all, we are richer for it

We have opted out on purchasing a vehicle all together. Sure we could afford one, probably get us where we need to go alot quicker, but it is not something we are even willing to entertain at the moment.

We have access to very reliable, speedy public transport at our doorstep and we are close enough to all the major routes anywhere in the city. We enjoy the excitement of our day trips. We enjoy local shops and supporting the community we live in. We are close enough to walk many places and if we are desperate for time, we grab a cab or rent a vehicle.

People simply do not get this. We are constantly challenged about this decision, but are otherwise very lax about it.

Why would I want to buy an expensive vehicle, pay monthly payments (for the car or insurance), pay for parking, pay the outrageous gas prices, etc? to do what? Impress my neighbour? Please my mother? *pshhht*

And best of all, we are richer for it

That's exactly what I meant. You can still compete and keep it all legal. Most SCCA toys are street legal, and you've got quite a few turbo miatas that whip up on mustangs. Many drag cars are also legal, as I prefer the street driven stuff over the pure competition stuff. I"m referirng ot hte people who take their car to the track to beat on it. Most people don't do that, nor would they even consider the notion. I'm happy to meet a kindred spirit here who competes in rally stages. Heck, even in many rally races, the vehicles must be street legal because they may have to traverse public roads between sanctioned stages.

That being said, I've got a modded volvo. Its got a bit done to it, and *should* be in the 12s if i can ever get the transmission to hold itself together.