OT - Car Thread

[DRK]

I've driven my mate's 370GT, which is essentially the G70 in Nissan clothes. I didn't have an opportunity to chuck it into any corners or anything but the straightline power was there.

That V6 engine is very good.

Not sure why its cousin the 370Z is not very popular in Australia.

You can get those G35 and G37's here in Australia. Badged under Nissan, theyre named a 350GT and 370GT from memory.

Those 350GT's drive well, not sure how I feel about the bug-eyed front lights though.

[DRK]

BTW who watched the new Top Gear?

No Clarkson = No point. From all accounts, Ive heard its a terrible show now, and that new Chris Evans guy is a massive try-hard hack.

I will wait anxiously for The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime.

[bwgood77]

I've driven my mate's 370GT, which is essentially the G70 in Nissan clothes. I didn't have an opportunity to chuck it into any corners or anything but the straightline power was there.

That V6 engine is very good.

Not sure why its cousin the 370Z is not very popular in Australia.

You can get those G35 and G37's here in Australia. Badged under Nissan, theyre named a 350GT and 370GT from memory.

Those 350GT's drive well, not sure how I feel about the bug-eyed front lights though.

Yeah, I don't know if I like the G35 as much. Though I still might go with that or a low mileage G37 next. Infiniti ranks as the most reliable car here now.

[lilfishi22]

BTW who watched the new Top Gear?

No Clarkson = No point. From all accounts, Ive heard its a terrible show now, and that new Chris Evans guy is a massive try-hard hack.

I will wait anxiously for The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime.

I watched it out of curiosity. I have to say, I was sorely disappointed not just at the lack of creativity and chemistry between the Brit and American host (Chris Evans/Matt LeBlanc) but the best part of the show wasn't even the show. The best part of the reboot for me was Extra Gear. I'm a huge Chris Harris fan and I was super excited to hear he was cast but disappointed when I found out he was relegated to the smaller show. I wish he replaced Evans as the primary host. Evans was just terrible, he had no on-screen chemistry whatsoever with either Schmit or LeBlanc.

I can't wait for the Grand Tour. Should be epic

[lilfishi22]

Agree 100%. Still the all around best car I've ever owned. Super reliable too with the exception of the cooling system.

Lots of car guys say the e39 was the best car ever made. Easily the best BMW ever made.

What's the cooling system set you back to fix? Always been wary about older euro cars. I've been lucky with my 05 A3. My friend's '12 Golf Tsi have been to the shop something like 4 times in the past 3 months. She had to have her clutch replaced or fixed. Would've set her back a fair bit if it wasn't for the warranty she still had on it.

Euro cars are still my thing though. Granted I haven't been in any of the newer luxury offerings from the JDM yet.

VW's.. Let me guess. DSG gearbox? Those things are a trap in the Tsi golf's.
Went to test drive a Golf Tsi the other week with my Old Man as Mum was looking for a new car. Me and my Dad are both massive car fans, and car nuts. Having drove a brand new Golf Tsi with the 7-speed box, we could immediately feel something weird about the gearbox. Maybe it was just that car in particular, but it felt as it the clutch was slipping as it took off from standstill... I dont trust those VW DSG boxes at all..... Unless theyre the 6-speed DSG from the GTi, which is a different box completely and have problems whatsoever

Yeah she has the 1.8 Tsi. Not sure which one you test drove but I've heard the DSG on the underpowered Golf's (1.4) and Polo's (1.2) wasn't very good. Without enough power, the DSG's gear changes are more erratic and it oftens slips because of it.

I have the DSG in my A3 and it runs just fine and has for the 4 years, I've had it so I'm pretty luck in that respect

[lilfishi22]

That V6 engine is very good.

Not sure why its cousin the 370Z is not very popular in Australia.

You can get those G35 and G37's here in Australia. Badged under Nissan, theyre named a 350GT and 370GT from memory.

Those 350GT's drive well, not sure how I feel about the bug-eyed front lights though.

Yeah, I don't know if I like the G35 as much. Though I still might go with that or a low mileage G37 next. Infiniti ranks as the most reliable car here now.

If you can afford a G37, you might as well go for it. I haven't driven or owned an Infiniti but the interiors look nice but man after Infiniti brought out the QX80, I'm not sure I ever want to be associated with them

[bwgood77]

You can get those G35 and G37's here in Australia. Badged under Nissan, theyre named a 350GT and 370GT from memory.

Those 350GT's drive well, not sure how I feel about the bug-eyed front lights though.

Yeah, I don't know if I like the G35 as much. Though I still might go with that or a low mileage G37 next. Infiniti ranks as the most reliable car here now.

If you can afford a G37, you might as well go for it. I haven't driven or owned an Infiniti but the interiors look nice but man after Infiniti brought out the QX80, I'm not sure I ever want to be associated with them

It's next, but I have downgraded cars on my last two because I just wanted to spend less, but I want that speed back, so I will probably get that in a couple of years when I can get a used one at a reasonable price. I kind of like the way my current car drives even though it's a Mazda 6. It's smooth and has decent pick up for what it is. My last two were lower level Lexus IS (drove that for 13 years though...got it RIGHT when it came out and put 170,000 miles on it and had almost zero problems all that time) and then once it seemed to be near it's end, I just got a low level used Mercedes for a year. It was older, and I never really had problems with it either but I was worried it would and parts would be expensive.

[thamadkant]

I've driven my mate's 370GT, which is essentially the G70 in Nissan clothes. I didn't have an opportunity to chuck it into any corners or anything but the straightline power was there.

That V6 engine is very good.

Not sure why its cousin the 370Z is not very popular in Australia.

You can get those G35 and G37's here in Australia. Badged under Nissan, theyre named a 350GT and 370GT from memory.

Those 350GT's drive well, not sure how I feel about the bug-eyed front lights though.

Yeah, I know a couple of people with a heavily modified 350Z and a Skyline V35 350GT, same or similar chassis, both can accommodate 10 inch wide wheels at the rear with low offsets to give that heavy concave look, hence one reason I liked them... fat wheels = my fetish.

The V37 looks better for sure, a black one with machined face wheels look class.... used to be 40K AUD, now you can get one for half of that. The 4 door V37s/G37s are even cheaper.... these cars are benchmarked against Lexus IS350s and about 1/4 of the price in Australia... ridiculously under rated.

[lilfishi22]

I'm not big on JDM so I haven't driven many myself. How do the V37 compare to the IS350s?

[lilfishi22]

That V6 engine is very good.

Not sure why its cousin the 370Z is not very popular in Australia.

It is odd since the sports coupe market isn't exactly saturated and most alternatives are in the upper end of the market (S5, 135i, Cayman). I personally never been in a 370z but my other mate drove me around in the 350z and that was a ton of fun. I probably wouldn't own one though, not a big fan of the style.

Being a JDM guy and owner of a GT86, what's your take on the new MX5? Haven't driven it myself so I can't speak on it's driving dynamics but I think it looks fantastic and the interior is excellent. Pretty solid package overall

Im a fan of the new MX-5's, but its such a shame about the stigmata that goes with owning/driving a Miata here in the states.

I was a JDM guy for a while, had a nice 96 Del Sol that i LOVED. Sold it to my cousin about 5 months ago and picked up a Mazda Protege5. Just dumped a little over a grand completely redoing the suspension. Its a sporty F'n wagon!

It's a real shame because Miata's are great little cars. Fun to drive, super agile and revvy engine. You get the same kind of stigma with the Audi TT's as well.

[DRK]

Im a fan of the new MX-5's, but its such a shame about the stigmata that goes with owning/driving a Miata here in the states.

I was a JDM guy for a while, had a nice 96 Del Sol that i LOVED. Sold it to my cousin about 5 months ago and picked up a Mazda Protege5. Just dumped a little over a grand completely redoing the suspension. Its a sporty F'n wagon!

It's a real shame because Miata's are great little cars. Fun to drive, super agile and revvy engine. You get the same kind of stigma with the Audi TT's as well.

My Dad has owned 3 Miatas (MX-5's). NA, NB, and NC. Great cars. Heard of a guy that was attempting to drop a Cosworth engine in his Miata.

Love those little cars. The only people that hate on other people's cars are 16 year old keyboard warriors who arent true car fans. True car fans wont hate on someone else's pride and joy....

Spoiler:

Unless theyre riced beyond belief... Then you deserve whatever is coming at you

[DRK]

What's the cooling system set you back to fix? Always been wary about older euro cars. I've been lucky with my 05 A3. My friend's '12 Golf Tsi have been to the shop something like 4 times in the past 3 months. She had to have her clutch replaced or fixed. Would've set her back a fair bit if it wasn't for the warranty she still had on it.

Euro cars are still my thing though. Granted I haven't been in any of the newer luxury offerings from the JDM yet.

VW's.. Let me guess. DSG gearbox? Those things are a trap in the Tsi golf's.
Went to test drive a Golf Tsi the other week with my Old Man as Mum was looking for a new car. Me and my Dad are both massive car fans, and car nuts. Having drove a brand new Golf Tsi with the 7-speed box, we could immediately feel something weird about the gearbox. Maybe it was just that car in particular, but it felt as it the clutch was slipping as it took off from standstill... I dont trust those VW DSG boxes at all..... Unless theyre the 6-speed DSG from the GTi, which is a different box completely and have problems whatsoever

Yeah she has the 1.8 Tsi. Not sure which one you test drove but I've heard the DSG on the underpowered Golf's (1.4) and Polo's (1.2) wasn't very good. Without enough power, the DSG's gear changes are more erratic and it oftens slips because of it.

I have the DSG in my A3 and it runs just fine and has for the 4 years, I've had it so I'm pretty luck in that respect

We drove the new 2016 103TSI, but the DSG's in the non-gti Golf's have been rubbish since 2009. Heard of a few deaths as well, there was an instance of a lady in her Golf, and got T-boned by a truck because her DSG wouldnt engage and couldnt get any drive.... Pretty much just sitting duck. Really sad.

Golf's are fantastic cars, just very weary of the DSG 7-speed gearbox.

[bwgood77]

Im a fan of the new MX-5's, but its such a shame about the stigmata that goes with owning/driving a Miata here in the states.

I was a JDM guy for a while, had a nice 96 Del Sol that i LOVED. Sold it to my cousin about 5 months ago and picked up a Mazda Protege5. Just dumped a little over a grand completely redoing the suspension. Its a sporty F'n wagon!

It's a real shame because Miata's are great little cars. Fun to drive, super agile and revvy engine. You get the same kind of stigma with the Audi TT's as well.

My Dad has owned 3 Miatas (MX-5's). NA, NB, and NC. Great cars. Heard of a guy that was attempting to drop a Cosworth engine in his Miata.

Love those little cars. The only people that hate on other people's cars are 16 year old keyboard warriors who arent true car fans. True car fans wont hate on someone else's pride and joy....

Spoiler:

Unless theyre riced beyond belief... Then you deserve whatever is coming at you

Yeah, Miata's are cool. I don't really care about stigma anymore. Whatever makes sense financially at the time to me makes sense. I think it's smarter to buy a used car (preferably 1 year old under warranty) but I wanted something reasonable and with my last purchase didn't want to sink much money in a car and really didn't want to get something out of warranty, and the new Mazda classes were so highly rated relatively speaking compared to their old ones. Wasn't originally even thinking of going with the one I finally did, but when I drove it, it felt right. Though there isn't a real reason for me not to go with a two door now either.

[bwgood77]

I'm not big on JDM so I haven't driven many myself. How do the V37 compare to the IS350s?

I had an IS300 for years and I loved it so never wanted to get rid of it. I kind of wanted an 1S350 with my last purchase and compared it to G37 and G37 beat it in a drag, though ti was close, so it was nice. I haven't driven a V37 but I'm sure it is superior to the IS350 since the G37 is.

[lilfishi22]

Yeah, Miata's are cool. I don't really care about stigma anymore. Whatever makes sense financially at the time to me makes sense. I think it's smarter to buy a used car (preferably 1 year old under warranty) but I wanted something reasonable and with my last purchase didn't want to sink much money in a car and really didn't want to get something out of warranty, and the new Mazda classes were so highly rated relatively speaking compared to their old ones. Wasn't originally even thinking of going with the one I finally did, but when I drove it, it felt right. Though there isn't a real reason for me not to go with a two door now either.

I think the closest I've ever gotten to purchasing new is the new Miata. It's relatively affordable but I don't feel it's a smart purchase because it's quite limited in what it can do. I don't mind it's a two door, I do mind that I can't really carry much. That's sort of why I like the Audi TT. Flip the back "seats" down and you have a fairly decent hatchback.

[DRK]

Yeah, Miata's are cool. I don't really care about stigma anymore. Whatever makes sense financially at the time to me makes sense. I think it's smarter to buy a used car (preferably 1 year old under warranty) but I wanted something reasonable and with my last purchase didn't want to sink much money in a car and really didn't want to get something out of warranty, and the new Mazda classes were so highly rated relatively speaking compared to their old ones. Wasn't originally even thinking of going with the one I finally did, but when I drove it, it felt right. Though there isn't a real reason for me not to go with a two door now either.

I think the closest I've ever gotten to purchasing new is the new Miata. It's relatively affordable but I don't feel it's a smart purchase because it's quite limited in what it can do. I don't mind it's a two door, I do mind that I can't really carry much. That's sort of why I like the Audi TT. Flip the back "seats" down and you have a fairly decent hatchback.

You can actually get a circa 2008 BMW 335i with the N54 engine for a decent price nowadays. Around 30 or even less. Great cars. Straight 6 turbo, one model down from the E92 M3. I would choose that over a MIata or a TT every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

[lilfishi22]

Yeah, Miata's are cool. I don't really care about stigma anymore. Whatever makes sense financially at the time to me makes sense. I think it's smarter to buy a used car (preferably 1 year old under warranty) but I wanted something reasonable and with my last purchase didn't want to sink much money in a car and really didn't want to get something out of warranty, and the new Mazda classes were so highly rated relatively speaking compared to their old ones. Wasn't originally even thinking of going with the one I finally did, but when I drove it, it felt right. Though there isn't a real reason for me not to go with a two door now either.

I think the closest I've ever gotten to purchasing new is the new Miata. It's relatively affordable but I don't feel it's a smart purchase because it's quite limited in what it can do. I don't mind it's a two door, I do mind that I can't really carry much. That's sort of why I like the Audi TT. Flip the back "seats" down and you have a fairly decent hatchback.

You can actually get a circa 2008 BMW 335i with the N54 engine for a decent price nowadays. Around 30 or even less. Great cars. Straight 6 turbo, one model down from the E92 M3. I would choose that over a MIata or a TT every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

I strongly considered that. I loved the look of the e92 series. The e92 M3 with that fat V8 is probably close to a realistic dream car as one could get. That said, the n54 engine in the 335 is more mod-able but it also had legit issues. I'm not really up for dealing with it.

[rsavaj]

BTW who watched the new Top Gear?

No Clarkson = No point. From all accounts, Ive heard its a terrible show now, and that new Chris Evans guy is a massive try-hard hack.

I will wait anxiously for The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime.

It was actually okay IMO. LeBlanc was excellent, but yeah, Chris Evans is just irritating. Not bad for a pilot though.

[OGBAH]

97 Ford Escort sport front end damage no ac

[lilfishi22]

BTW who watched the new Top Gear?

No Clarkson = No point. From all accounts, Ive heard its a terrible show now, and that new Chris Evans guy is a massive try-hard hack.

I will wait anxiously for The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime.

It took 3 weeks and 3 episodes but there's finally an episode of the new Top Gear which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's probably as good as some of the best Clarkson/Hammond/May Top Gear episodes I've seen. I would strongly recommend you giving it this episode a go.

Chris Harris, Sabine Schmitz and Rory Reid all got a section which were all excellent. As per normal, the production valued certainly felt like the millions of pounds they have put into this series.