Car Talk 2: Un-American Motor Company.

[Tar]

C5/6 with the glass top is pretty close.

LS3 C6 in a cool color with... an automatic... could well happen if we're rolling around metro Charlotte traffic for the foreseeable future. Affordable and has enough power to be about running the AC all the time plus enough space for DD/trips for the no kids/pets lyfe. The 3.42 rear end from a Z06 is a direct swap for the auto 2.73 or whatever and gives you speed without any engine mods.

The fantasy land options are McLaren 720S, 6-speed NSX-T, maybe 348 Targa but ain't nobody got cash fo' dat shit.

What about a golf 2.5?

[ChrisoftheNorth]

C5/6 with the glass top is pretty close.

LS3 C6 in a cool color with... an automatic... could well happen if we're rolling around metro Charlotte traffic for the foreseeable future. Affordable and has enough power to be about running the AC all the time plus enough space for DD/trips for the no kids/pets lyfe. The 3.42 rear end from a Z06 is a direct swap for the auto 2.73 or whatever and gives you speed without any engine mods.

The fantasy land options are McLaren 720S, 6-speed NSX-T, maybe 348 Targa but ain't nobody got cash fo' dat shit.

I've never driven an auto C6, but I imagine with the power it's Shorter overhangs should reduce scraping too.

[Tar]

LS3 C6 in a cool color with... an automatic... could well happen if we're rolling around metro Charlotte traffic for the foreseeable future. Affordable and has enough power to be about running the AC all the time plus enough space for DD/trips for the no kids/pets lyfe. The 3.42 rear end from a Z06 is a direct swap for the auto 2.73 or whatever and gives you speed without any engine mods.

The fantasy land options are McLaren 720S, 6-speed NSX-T, maybe 348 Targa but ain't nobody got cash fo' dat shit.

I've never driven an auto C6, but I imagine with the power it's Shorter overhangs should reduce scraping too.

A little worried about snow and shit

[Desertbreh]

i actually was wrong. the new 124 abarth DOES share the same 1.4 turbro as teh 500 abarth.

I never even looked into it, but dang.

People seem to like it in the 124 doe.

What issues did you have?

1.4 liters is a kart engine.

[troyguitar]

LS3 C6 in a cool color with... an automatic... could well happen if we're rolling around metro Charlotte traffic for the foreseeable future. Affordable and has enough power to be about running the AC all the time plus enough space for DD/trips for the no kids/pets lyfe. The 3.42 rear end from a Z06 is a direct swap for the auto 2.73 or whatever and gives you speed without any engine mods.

The fantasy land options are McLaren 720S, 6-speed NSX-T, maybe 348 Targa but ain't nobody got cash fo' dat shit.

I've never driven an auto C6, but I imagine with the power it's Shorter overhangs should reduce scraping too.

We put a couple thousand miles on a rental silver automatic C6GS back in ~2013 and really enjoyed it for the most part. I think that with shorter gears, a narrow body with narrower tires, and a couple of mods like DRM shocks and non-leather seat covers it could be 5/7 for southern DINK'D lyfe. That's No Kids or

Scraping is indeed dramatically reduced on the C6, to the point of being almost a non-issue. I'd probably trim the air dams a bit to eliminate it entirely. The only really annoying thing about that car was the tramlining from yuuge tarz, but a narrow body car doesn't have that problem. Fun facts: a narrow body C6 is just over an inch a side narrower than the at like 72.x inches wide, plus it's something like 6" shorter (mostly in the front overhang) and has a smaller turning radius. Dat C5.5

[dubshow]

i actually was wrong. the new 124 abarth DOES share the same 1.4 turbro as teh 500 abarth.

I never even looked into it, but dang.

People seem to like it in the 124 doe.

What issues did you have?

I didnt want that motor again. I was hoping it was a tad larger. 124 Abarth gets the exact same engine too. im just watching the epic depreciation from the premium it has in MSRP over the ND.

[troyguitar]

I never even looked into it, but dang.

People seem to like it in the 124 doe.

What issues did you have?

I didnt want that motor again. I was hoping it was a tad larger. 124 Abarth gets the exact same engine too. im just watching the epic depreciation from the premium it has in MSRP over the ND.

I thought they are about the same MSRP as the ND?

Both of those cars have epic depreciation

124 for $15k could be a thing next year, if you want a tiny roadster with a turbro.

[dubshow]

I didnt want that motor again. I was hoping it was a tad larger. 124 Abarth gets the exact same engine too. im just watching the epic depreciation from the premium it has in MSRP over the ND.

I thought they are about the same MSRP as the ND?

Both of those cars have epic depreciation

124 for $15k could be a thing next year, if you want a tiny roadster with a turbro.

Yeah that's what im watching. Just planning on when to catch the falling knife of value.

[troyguitar]

The only thing potentially keeping the 124 value higher is rarity. I see (relatively) tons of ND's, but I've seen exactly one 124 in person.

[wap]

Oh wow.

I thought you'd enjoy that.

[wap]

everywhere.

i actually was wrong. the new 124 abarth DOES share the same 1.4 turbro as teh 500 abarth.

I thought so but didn't say anything because I'd just be

[Desertbreh]

I've never driven an auto C6, but I imagine with the power it's Shorter overhangs should reduce scraping too.

We put a couple thousand miles on a rental silver automatic C6GS back in ~2013 and really enjoyed it for the most part. I think that with shorter gears, a narrow body with narrower tires, and a couple of mods like DRM shocks and non-leather seat covers it could be 5/7 for southern DINK'D lyfe. That's No Kids or

Scraping is indeed dramatically reduced on the C6, to the point of being almost a non-issue. I'd probably trim the air dams a bit to eliminate it entirely. The only really annoying thing about that car was the tramlining from yuuge tarz, but a narrow body car doesn't have that problem. Fun facts: a narrow body C6 is just over an inch a side narrower than the at like 72.x inches wide, plus it's something like 6" shorter (mostly in the front overhang) and has a smaller turning radius. Dat C5.5

Yeah I wouldn't say it's a non issue. Trimming is a idea.

[troyguitar]

If you roll around at 4x4 height with no splitter the ground clearance is really pretty OK, especially if you trim half an inch or so off the air dams. You might lose some stability at 150 mph, but



I just went out and measured the RX8 for and the lowest hard parts are 3.75" off the ground, with the small air dams in front of the tires going as low as 3.25" off the ground. My on the other hand only had 2" to the air dams... I feel like a reasonable height base C6 would be totally fine.

[Desertbreh]

If you roll around at 4x4 height with no splitter the ground clearance is really pretty OK, especially if you trim half an inch or so off the air dams. You might lose some stability at 150 mph, but



I just went out and measured the RX8 for and the lowest hard parts are 3.75" off the ground, with the small air dams in front of the tires going as low as 3.25" off the ground. My on the other hand only had 2" to the air dams... I feel like a reasonable height base C6 would be totally fine.

Also they are a screaming deal. Widebody=for looks in all city driving. I admit I like the looks, but you're not going to use all the rubber unless you're driving at the track/parking lot, driving like an asshat, or driving like Detroit.

[Slowbro9001]

The only thing potentially keeping the 124 value higher is rarity. I see (relatively) tons of ND's, but I've seen exactly one 124 in person.

God bless every current ND owner for providing me the opportunity of a used ND drift missile in 10 years


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[troyguitar]

If you roll around at 4x4 height with no splitter the ground clearance is really pretty OK, especially if you trim half an inch or so off the air dams. You might lose some stability at 150 mph, but



I just went out and measured the RX8 for and the lowest hard parts are 3.75" off the ground, with the small air dams in front of the tires going as low as 3.25" off the ground. My on the other hand only had 2" to the air dams... I feel like a reasonable height base C6 would be totally fine.

Also they are a screaming deal. Widebody=for looks in all city driving. I admit I like the looks, but you're not going to use all the rubber unless you're driving at the track/parking lot, driving like an asshat, or driving like Detroit.

In many ways I prefer the cleaner look of the base cars with no scoops/flares/aero and simple 5-spoke

You can easily run an 18x11 with a 305 or 315 on the back of those anyway, do you really need the 18x13 and 345s? Amusingly, it's the wider front fenders+wheels that really make the wide body cars better for autox. That 335 front tire capability is

[Desertbreh]

Also they are a screaming deal. Widebody=for looks in all city driving. I admit I like the looks, but you're not going to use all the rubber unless you're driving at the track/parking lot, driving like an asshat, or driving like Detroit.

In many ways I prefer the cleaner look of the base cars with no scoops/flares/aero and simple 5-spoke

You can easily run an 18x11 with a 305 or 315 on the back of those anyway, do you really need the 18x13 and 345s? Amusingly, it's the wider front fenders+wheels that really make the wide body cars better for autox. That 335 front tire capability is

Lotta tramlining on the daily commute with the 335s up front.

[troyguitar]

In many ways I prefer the cleaner look of the base cars with no scoops/flares/aero and simple 5-spoke

You can easily run an 18x11 with a 305 or 315 on the back of those anyway, do you really need the 18x13 and 345s? Amusingly, it's the wider front fenders+wheels that really make the wide body cars better for autox. That 335 front tire capability is

Lotta tramlining on the daily commute with the 335s up front.

When I showed up to my first national autox event in the and was lined up next to a (gutted with big wing, no ac, etc) C6Z with 335/345 Hoosiers front/rear, I knew that I was competing in the wrong class.

For a DD, I'd roll on 245 or 255s in the front and maybe even in the rear to be able to rotate them.

[Desertbreh]

Lotta tramlining on the daily commute with the 335s up front.

When I showed up to my first national autox event in the and was lined up next to a (gutted with big wing, no ac, etc) C6Z with 335/345 Hoosiers front/rear, I knew that I was competing in the wrong class.

For a DD, I'd roll on 245 or 255s in the front and maybe even in the rear to be able to rotate them.

Stock C6Gs is 275/325. Some guy has a C7GS at the gym at it's up a scosh both front and back, 285/335

[troyguitar]

Lotta tramlining on the daily commute with the 335s up front.

Funny, all the Miata guys were up in arms over tramlining with 245s on this car. I don't know what they're talking about.

335s doe.

245 at 2400 lbs is like 325 at 3200 lbs

Some of it also depends on the tire, the Rivals were the worst non-slick I've driven in terms of road manners. RE71R and the Conti Sport are both much much better.

[troyguitar]

245 at 2400 lbs is like 325 at 3200 lbs

Some of it also depends on the tire, the Rivals were the worst non-slick I've driven in terms of road manners. RE71R and the Conti Sport are both much much better.

I'm really fuckin' impressed with the Conti ECS. Quiet, grippy, and an overall fantastic tire for the street.

They were perfect on my MR2. I'd buy them again for a fun DD for sure. They're really quiet when pushed too, almost no squealing.

[troyguitar]

IIRC they're the fastest rain tire short of a Hoosier H2O, it feels almost like cheating. I demolished the one rain autox I did on them, finished like 2nd in raw time to a quick Focus RS.

[fledonfoot]

Spent the afternoon with [user not found] pulling the hipster heep apart to install the tow hitch.

Hitch retrofit kit I bought was 5/7 legit... just had to pull the back of the truck apart. A lot.

That color is fantastic. How you guys liking the trucklet so far?

I really like the way it looks. Its definitely got a ton of character. She loves it too.

Tons of interior space and headroom. Feels roomy even though it’s so small. Even in the back seats. Trunk space is good. Rear seats don’t fold down completely flat though.

Engine is a touch loud and coarse sounding, but no worse than a 1.8L 2011-up Toyota Corolla with an auto trans. Also it is hilariously slow 0-60 (9 seconds or so) but it’s not meant to be quick.

I see why people hate the transmission in the early models. It’s a 9AT that shifts a little lazily. It doesn’t hunt much, and would rather not shift down unless you really lay into it.
On my drive up to [user not found]’s yesterday I was doing 90mph. It would occasionally hit 8th but never 9th unless I put it there Manually. I think it’s geared to be a 6spd with 3 ODs.

Steering is super quick and responsive, good feel. Super tight turning circle that is as tight as the mini. Rides on pavement well, doesn’t feel choppy or like it wants to roll over. Can’t wait to do a little off roading and see how it is out there.

Interior is decent, although we got a loaded model with Nav, leather, heated everything and climate control. Dash is well laid out and infotainment is fairly responsive. Visibility all around is really good and minimal blind spots.

Overall, I’m liking it more than I thought I would.

She loves it. She can see the road so much better and other people can see her thanks to the awesome color. A week into having it, someone tried to beat her across THAT intersection that the accident happened at (she drives through it every day still) with the same kind of traffic. She saw it starting to happen and was able to react... the other driver saw her... all good. She came home and had a complete meltdown from relief.

I’ve been driving the mini for a month now. I have never had people pull out in front of me so much in my life. It’s like I’m not even there... no wonder she hated it.

I just hate it for so many other reasons... it’s just not a good car to drive 100 miles a day and I miss the GTI already.

[wap]

That color is fantastic. How you guys liking the trucklet so far?

I really like the way it looks. Its definitely got a ton of character. She loves it too.

Tons of interior space and headroom. Feels roomy even though it’s so small. Even in the back seats. Trunk space is good. Rear seats don’t fold down completely flat though.

Engine is a touch loud and coarse sounding, but no worse than a 1.8L 2011-up Toyota Corolla with an auto trans. Also it is hilariously slow 0-60 (9 seconds or so) but it’s not meant to be quick.

I see why people hate the transmission in the early models. It’s a 9AT that shifts a little lazily. It doesn’t hunt much, and would rather not shift down unless you really lay into it.
On my drive up to [user not found]’s yesterday I was doing 90mph. It would occasionally hit 8th but never 9th unless I put it there Manually. I think it’s geared to be a 6spd with 3 ODs.

Steering is super quick and responsive, good feel. Super tight turning circle that is as tight as the mini. Rides on pavement well, doesn’t feel choppy or like it wants to roll over. Can’t wait to do a little off roading and see how it is out there.

Interior is decent, although we got a loaded model with Nav, leather, heated everything and climate control. Dash is well laid out and infotainment is fairly responsive. Visibility all around is really good and minimal blind spots.

Overall, I’m liking it more than I thought I would.

She loves it. She can see the road so much better and other people can see her thanks to the awesome color. A week into having it, someone tried to beat her across THAT intersection that the accident happened at (she drives through it every day still) with the same kind of traffic. She saw it starting to happen and was able to react... the other driver saw her... all good. She came home and had a complete meltdown from relief.

I’ve been driving the mini for a month now. I have never had people pull out in front of me so much in my life. It’s like I’m not even there... no wonder she hated it.

I just hate it for so many other reasons... it’s just not a good car to drive 100 miles a day and I miss the GTI already.

Wait, did I miss something? Do you no longer have your GTI?

[troyguitar]

Damn, Cayman prices are starting to get reasonable:

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... de1=CAYMAN

If you're willing to risk the IMS failure, that's an epic ride for $17k. They're finally in STR for autox this year too, which is

Add some knockoff GT3 seats, coilovers, and tarz to have a badass $20k car.