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The MW Automotive Thread


areaseven

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I agree. Both cars were trying too hard to be a Ferrari for 15k.

I really don't see any Ferrari-styling on either of those two cars, but if you want to talk about a poor man's Ferrari, look no further than at the current-generation Tiburon, which, I'm told, was supposedly designed by Pininfarina.

That was one of the ones I was talking about, that and the new Celica.

u gotta admit, for the price range, i guess it isnt a bad deal,,,id never own one,,, closest thing I would get to those would be a subaru for the wife (wagon), my cousin has the ferrarri, i had a vette, if it looks sporty it better be sporty for me to own one,, not just handle decent, my F350 handles decent <_<

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I can think of a few older cars that can be had for $15k that could beat a lot of new vehicles

Older cars equal more unreliability, more maitenance costs, etc. For a daily driver economy ad reliability are really key.

Anyone seen Dust to Glory yet? Just got back from seeing it, and I'd really really recommend it. Beuatifully shot and really well produced, probably one of my favorite movies of the year. Reaffirmed my belief that rally drivers are the best race car drivers in the world.

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Anyone seen Dust to Glory yet? Just got back from seeing it, and I'd really really recommend it. Beuatifully shot and really well produced, probably one of my favorite movies of the year. Reaffirmed my belief that rally drivers are the best race car drivers in the world.

I always wanted to see that film. Even though Robby Gordon is a total jackass in NASCAR, I've been told that he's actually a great off-road racer.

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Anyone seen Dust to Glory yet? Just got back from seeing it, and I'd really really recommend it. Beuatifully shot and really well produced, probably one of my favorite movies of the year. Reaffirmed my belief that rally drivers are the best race car drivers in the world.

I always wanted to see that film. Even though Robby Gordon is a total jackass in NASCAR, I've been told that he's actually a great off-road racer.

Got embaressed by his teammate in this year's Paris-Dakar, he didn't seem too happy about being out-driven by a French woman. Go fig. :lol:

EDIT: They don't even focus that much on Gordon. Much more time was spent on people like Mike McCoy who drove the entire 1000 on motorcycle, deservedly so I'd say.

Edited by yellowlightman
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Man, those Bosozoku pictures are really getting around, aren't they?

Boso-what? What's that? If it's referring to the hacking up of vehicles like what's in that pic, then I think the spelling's a little off. Should be more like "Bozo-suko". :wacko:

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Well, this probably ought to go in its own thread, but since it's auto related...anybody checked out the previews/info on Forza Motorsport for the X-Box yet? After reading some reviews, I thought "maybe someone will finally dethrone the Gran Turismo series as the 'ruler' of racing games." But then I checked out this video: http://xfersf05.ign.com/^566489752/movies/...?position=front

Well, I can say the Audi R8doesn't sound a damn thing like that. And who in the f--k designed the handling physics on this one? :huh: I'm a layman when it comes to games/programming and such, but jeez, did they even bother to watch an ALMS race? The amount of lateral grip these cars--and prototype sports cars in general--generate is nothing short of phenomenal. Anyone who's seen them in action will know what I mean. And what's with all the skid marks and screeching and s--t? Just making it flashy for the average game junkie I guess. If you hear the tires screeching on a car like the R8, it pretty much means only one thing: something bad is about to happen, i.e. you are imminently about to crash, have a shunt, etc...

Judging from some of the screen shots I saw though; this game still has the potential to be more interesting than Gran Turismo turned out to be for me. I bought a Playstation back in the day, just to play GT. Then after the rushed-to-market-incomplete-feeling-bug-ridden disappointment that was GT2, I decided I'd be damned if Sony would ever get a penny of my money again. Don't get me wrong; I got many an hour of play out of both GT1 and GT2. But the replay value always sucked in my opinion (how many times can you race against the same 5 or 6 cars in a given class over and over and over before it gets ho hum? And do we really need 8-10 versions of the same damn Lancer Evo's, Skylines, and RX-7's. Quit wasting memory space, and give us more play features/tracks!) The list of cars in this X-Box game is much shorter at only about 230 or so cars, but the overall selection at first glance looks like it'll drive circles around Polyphony's recycled and re-used 10-variants-of-the-same-damn-car approach; and really! who the f--k wants to race a damn Daihatsu?! I've seen screen shots of a Lingenfelter Vette; classic Pontiac GTO, Camaro and Stingray Vette; and a nice selection of LeMans prototypes. On the plus side, they've even got Nurburgring Nordschleife. That track kicks ass! I still doubt I'll fork over my hard earned cash for any console game/system ever again, but it'll be interesting to see how this one stacks up against the "industry standard" that is the GT series...

img_2539512.html

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So today was a big event at Mitsubishi's North American R&D headquarters in Souther Cali. (where they design the cars) It was called MOD'05, which stands for Mitsubishi Owner's Day

Basically it was a "get together" for Mitsubishi enthusiasts, geared towards performance cars. It was huge. So many turbo equuipped 4G63 engines.. heh.. They had a raffle, and showed off a few of their concept cars, as well as the production version of the '05 Eclipse, which we all got to see before the media, which is kinda cool too. The president of Mitsubishi North America as well as the Japanese guy that's in charge of designing the next Evolution (he flew in from Japan) were both there to say a few words and seemed pleased with the turnout (this was the first time they've done this in the U.S.) Anyways, since I own a turbo Eclipse, I went and took loads of pics. Check 'em out.

http://community.webshots.com/album/329297598hbMAmk

Edited by bhop
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Man, those Bosozoku pictures are really getting around, aren't they?

Boso-what? What's that? If it's referring to the hacking up of vehicles like what's in that pic, then I think the spelling's a little off. Should be more like "Bozo-suko". :wacko:

No, Bosozoku. Street tribe. Well known as motorcycle gangs in Japan, Onizuka of GTO fame was a former Boso. They also build cars, as seen here, although this is a very extreme example. The majority of Boso cars exhibit less radical features. They're primarily older cars, pre-1990. They often have:

-Bumper-mounted oil cooler

-subway handhold on the rear towhook

-one headlight covered

-very low

-small diameter, wide lip, old-school wheels, often with excessive tire stretch and negative camber

-outrageous exhausts, coming out and up from the car as much as several feet

-fender flares

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Man, those Bosozoku pictures are really getting around, aren't they?

Boso-what? What's that? If it's referring to the hacking up of vehicles like what's in that pic, then I think the spelling's a little off. Should be more like "Bozo-suko". :wacko:

No, Bosozoku. Street tribe. Well known as motorcycle gangs in Japan, Onizuka of GTO fame was a former Boso. They also build cars, as seen here, although this is a very extreme example. The majority of Boso cars exhibit less radical features. They're primarily older cars, pre-1990. They often have:

-Bumper-mounted oil cooler

-subway handhold on the rear towhook

-one headlight covered

-very low

-small diameter, wide lip, old-school wheels, often with excessive tire stretch and negative camber

-outrageous exhausts, coming out and up from the car as much as several feet

-fender flares

Like butterfly collars, bellbottom pants, fat shoe laces, gold tooth implants, and so much more: some trends just shouldn't ever catch on...to each his own, I guess.

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Well, things are looking pretty sparse for the ALMS; only 24 entries so far for Mid-Ohio. The European series and FIA-GT seem to have much more healthy grids, though. Here's hoping that GT racing won't hit a dry spell here in the states. Gawd, how depressing it'd be if all there was to look forward to was NASCAR. :( We already get force-fed that stuff 12-18hrs out of every day of the week on SPEED Channel--which is primarily the ONLY outlet for any kind of road racing on TV... *sigh*

post-26-1114383216_thumb.jpg

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Gawd, how depressing it'd be if all there was to look forward to was NASCAR. :( We already get force-fed that stuff 12-18hrs out of every day of the week on SPEED Channel--which is primarily the ONLY outlet for any kind of road racing on TV... *sigh*

I hear you on that, it seems like Americans have a hard time accepting any racing that isn't NASCAR or NCRA drag racing, and both of those are just about the two most broing and uninteresting forms of motorsports I can think of.

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Most of the 2005 NEXTEL Cup season has been pretty boring, but last night's race in Phoenix was pretty exciting. Here were some highlights:

- Although Kurt Busch won the race, Michael Waltrip was the driver of the night, finishing second place, despite hitting the wall twice while chasing Busch. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also landed a top-10 finish, proving to everyone that Dale Earnhardt, Inc. is more of a force to be reckoned with than ever.

- Jeff Burton scored his first top-5 finish in over two years.

- Bobby Labonte's streak of bad luck ended last night with a top-10 finish.

- Carl Edwards spun out halfway in the race and went two laps down, but in the end, he went back on the lead lap and finished in the top-10.

Next week: Talladega.

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NASCAR's getting boring, how bout them open road races being held in Nevada this year?

You mean the Silver State Classic?

I've heard CBS is going to (or already has begun) to show F1 again, which is nice. Maybe put it on at a decent hour and make an attempt to introduce Americans to proper racing...

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Yeah, I bet those open road races are some serious fun. I think some of the hazards include migrating crickets, among others. Can you imagine dashing along, balls out at a good buck-fifty or so, then hitting a patch of black in the road, only to have it turn into gooey liquid "ice," turning you and your car into a 3000+ lb projectile? Yowzers!

post-26-1114459131_thumb.jpg

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If I could make the trek out to Nevada, I would try to run in the 90mph class, since it doesnt require a 'cage and all (I know one is a good idea, but I do 90 daily on the interstate to and from school)

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If you hate the Scion xB, you may want to grab your pitchforks if Toyota decides to build this one.

0324200521262230.jpg

(When directly replying to this quote, make sure to remove the IMG tags before posting your reply.)

From Car and Driver magazine:

Scion t2B

Riding high on the success of its boxy xB small car, Scion unveiled an all-new box in New York. Called t2B, which stands for “Tall Two-Box,” the concept hints at what the next xB might look like. Developed by Toyota’s Calty Design Studio in Newport Beach, Calif., and built by Five Axis of Huntington Beach, the t2B rides on an all-new platform, and features the same powertrain—a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a four-speed automatic—that’s used in the tC sport coupe and the Toyota Camry. While its silhouette is inarguably boxy, the t2B does feature a unique asymmetric shape created through the use of a "demado" design theme, which is Japanese for "bay window." Just as bay windows provide a sense of added space, Calty designers took this idea and applied it to the t2B's overall body style, resulting in its reverse trapezoidal shape. In back, the reverse trapezoidal shape is further emphasized with a "wide screen" rear window. Two of the first things you notice about the t2B are the absence of door handles and B-pillars, omissions that, teamed with a high beltline and contoured edges, convey an uninterrupted view of the profile. The passenger side features a large, single remote-controlled power sliding door, allowing easy access to both rows of seats through a single door, while the driver side incorporates two remote-controlled suicide doors, which unlatch via remote control and manually swing open a full 180 degrees, revealing a spacious, lounge-like interior. Since it’s an outlandish concept, Scion went ahead and fitted the t2B with huge 14-inch brake discs and 20-inch custom-machined, polished billet aluminum wheels. The exterior also sports HID headlamps, an HID LED fog lamp housed in the lower radiator grille, wide vertical intake scoops, and large fender flares. "The t2B combines the attitude of the xB with the comfort and sophistication of the tC to further reflect the dynamic nature of our buyers, and their desire to be distinctive," said Jim Farley, Scion vice president. "The t2B designers were given the direction to create a concept which would represent the love of owning your first car, and the mindset that your car is more than just a mode of transportation, it's a lifestyle."

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Scions are good cars, for what they're made for. They're really cheap, lots of options, reliable (Toyota... best car manufacturer in the world) and aren't boring or cheap looking like it's competitors from Kia, Chevy, or Ford.

Ironically, when I was selling them last year they were usually purchased by older individuals looking for a cheap commuter vehicle, which they're great for. Toyota missed the mark trying to market them as cool kid's cars, largely because the xB and xA were four-doors and underpowered. I think the tC remedied part of that.

If I was looking for a new, cheap daily driver I'd probably get one. There's really nothing under $16k that can beat them.

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Its a mini in name only. Its easily twice the size of a real mini. Other than that they handle pretty well and have excellent performance. The only drawback is that for the price you can get a car that handles just as well for alot less.

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