What are you driving?

[enmoco]

As I have been fortunate enough to have been in the car biz for the last 37 years,I have owned and driven pretty much all thats out there. I must say I love them all. Every car make has its loyalists,even the lowly Yugo.Cars of particular interest have always been my favorite.I had a Corvette and special interest lot starting in 1970.The Corvettes are a favorite of mine and always will be.As I have grown older I have come to appreciate and enjoy the truly amazing performance achieved from the many different makes. In my day there was "no substitute for cubic inches".Nothing could be further from the truth.The technology today is outstanding and will only improve.Sadly,as always,money is the key. Throw enough money at the imports of today and they will run and hide from the big block muscle cars of the sixties and early seventies.I still love the oldies,but man, I get a kick out of these 8k to 10k rpm machines today.An earlier poster said he didn't like the sound of the high revving Honda.EXCUSE ME.I am a fan. I must admit though,there is no sound as sweet as a Ferrari at full song.They should come with a dash plate warning......"Call your doctor if erections last longer than 4 hours".I never listen to the radio.No band can compete with the sounds of the gearbox and engine.Of course at my age now, the trips aren't long, and, I would be listening to talk radio anyway........

[DSNY FN]

Originally Posted by enmoco

As I have been fortunate enough to have been in the car biz for the last 37 years,I have owned and driven pretty much all thats out there. I must say I love them all. Every car make has its loyalists,even the lowly Yugo.Cars of particular interest have always been my favorite.I had a Corvette and special interest lot starting in 1970.The Corvettes are a favorite of mine and always will be.As I have grown older I have come to appreciate and enjoy the truly amazing performance achieved from the many different makes. In my day there was "no substitute for cubic inches".Nothing could be further from the truth.The technology today is outstanding and will only improve.Sadly,as always,money is the key. Throw enough money at the imports of today and they will run and hide from the big block muscle cars of the sixties and early seventies.I still love the oldies,but man, I get a kick out of these 8k to 10k rpm machines today.An earlier poster said he didn't like the sound of the high revving Honda.EXCUSE ME.I am a fan. I must admit though,there is no sound as sweet as a Ferrari at full song.They should come with a dash plate warning......"Call your doctor if erections last longer than 4 hours".I never listen to the radio.No band can compete with the sounds of the gearbox and engine.Of course at my age now, the trips aren't long, and, I would be listening to talk radio anyway........

I so agree about the Ferrari I have driven a 360 Modena and a Testerossa (my alltime favourite Ferrari) next would be the Ferrari GTO. I absolutley love the sound of the exotics I loved the 930 slope I drove also with the groupC RUFF racing engine in it that was a damn fast car.

[junehhan]

Originally Posted by F91

Wife 1999 Nissan Altima GSE Champagne
Me 1995 Mazda se5 Ext Cab (Ford Ranger) Black
Son 1995 Ford Explorer XLT 4x4 for going up to the mountain Green

Son graduates next year, dad may get new Mustang GT!
My wifes next care will be a hybrid (hurry up Infiniti!)

Those new Mustang GT's are a real treat. Just listening to that sweet ass sounding 24 valve 4.6 litre V8 is worth the price of admission. I honestly believe that it's the sweetest sounding factory vehicle on the market. If it's in your budget, you should also check out the limited production Shelby Mustang GT. It features an aggressively tuend version of the 4.6 v8 to make around 320hp. I really had a hard decision as I was deciding to get a loaded MGT, or my current trailblazer SS. I ultimately picked the SUV since it had AWD and I got roughly $10k off of sticker price which resulted in me being able to purchase this SUV for cheaper than a loaded MGT.

[smdp1]

I drive an old 1977 chevy pickup that looks like, well crap but, it has cold air, power steering, power brakes and a heavy duty package that beats most all you see on the market today....but best of all it has a 454 V8 with a 400 Turbo transmission and a positive traction rear end for those who like liters that would be about a 7.4 liter engine...with a zero to 60 of about 5 seconds (better if you could get the tires to hook up) it will really set you back in the seat. The only problems I have with the darned thing is keeping tires on the rear and breaking the dinky stock speedometers that only go to 100mph, I am going to get an after-marker version that will go to 160mph soon. BTW its all stock, someone ordered it this way and I got lucky enough to find it.

Believe it or not there is a Ford truck around here that makes me look slow though...Lightening edition I believe...has a blower on it and all...wish I could afford that one. I can hold with him till about 110 mph then he runs off and leaves me.

[rbinck]

Originally Posted by F91

Rbink- Sweet! 6 or V8?

The '64 has a '95 Mustang 5.0L with the AOD transmission. The Ranchero has a '87 Mustang 5.0L with the AOD transmission.

[enmoco]

Originally Posted by junehhan

I ultimately picked the SUV since it had AWD and I got roughly $10k off of sticker price which resulted in me being able to purchase this SUV for cheaper than a loaded MGT.

You made a great deal on your TB SS. I am assuming it to be 2006 model.If its a 2007 model,really exceptional deal...I can provide some auction results that will show your SS will bring what you paid for it,at auction, today.Alas,the GT would be worth quite a bit less than you would have paid for it.You made the right decision! Reply here if you would like to see the actual auction results.......

[enmoco]

Originally Posted by rbinck

The '64 has a '95 Mustang 5.0L with the AOD transmission. The Ranchero has a '87 Mustang 5.0L with the AOD transmission.

Reading about your Ranchero makes me remember my old Corvair loadside(rampside) pickup. I raced bikes back in '65 and '66.The rear engine and posi-trac made it perfect for getting to some of the remote locales.It was real easy to load and unload,had plenty of horsepower(more than twice the VW) and drove great. These were very rare and (of course hind sight is twenty twenty) I surely wish I had it now....Remember when you could buy a used Hemi Cuda for $500O to $6000 with hardly any miles on it. Today they bring $300,000 to a million restored.........Go figure...peace

[junehhan]

Originally Posted by enmoco

You made a great deal on your TB SS. I am assuming it to be 2006 model.If its a 2007 model,really exceptional deal...I can provide some auction results that will show your SS will bring what you paid for it,at auction, today.Alas,the GT would be worth quite a bit less than you would have paid for it.You made the right decision! Reply here if you would like to see the actual auction results.......

It's a 2006 model that I purchased late last year. Those $3.29 gas prices were still fresh in people's heads, which is why this puppy sat on the dealer lot for a while waiting for me to scoop it up. The dealer was willing to deal to get it off the lot. It's a funny story because I initially walked into the dealership to trade in my 04 SVT Focus and buy an 07 Impala SS. They didn't have any in stock, but did have an 06 demo model that their GM drove around. I asked to test drive it before placing an order for a new 07 as demo's are just as good as used cars to me. Especially with performance cars, I am weary of demos with lots of mileage as you really don't know who has been beating the crap out of the car. Since the demo was on another lot, they pulled the keys to their TBSS that was sitting out front to drive me. From the minute he hit the gas onto the road, I was hooked. I still had no intention of buying an SUV(gas prices) at that time, until we returned back to the sales office where they offered me a price that was too hard to resist. Basically, they had deliberately pulled the TBSS to take me to their other lot to see if I would buy it. Their plan worked, and the fact that they gave me roughly $10k off sticker without even negotiating was the best part. While $5000 of that was due to a GM rebate, it's not everyday that you get to purchase a hot $40k SUV for nearly $30k. My trade in SVT Focus had a couple hundred dollars of negative equity, so it wasn't a big deal either. When they offered me the TBSS at that price, I no longer had any interest in the yellow MGT that I had just been looking at. Not only did I have my cake, but I could eat it too as the AWD paid for itself this nasty winter we just had. Since I had several thousand dollars to put down at the time, I was able to get payments that were even more inline with my budget than if I had gone with the MGT. That frees up more money for my HD-DVD hobby as well as gas money. I guess I don't need to see any auction prices since I wouldn't be selling this gem anytime soon anyway. Even if gas prices hit $4+ a gallon, I wouldn't sell it since I do have an old Focus that I use to save fuel anyway.

[enmoco]

You are a shrewd business man! Well done and enjoy.Buy low,sell high,and do it often!

[godson]

Originally Posted by rbinck

The '64 has a '95 Mustang 5.0L with the AOD transmission. The Ranchero has a '87 Mustang 5.0L with the AOD transmission.

Somebody loves their ponies

[Type A]

Two vehicles...

91 grand marque as a daily driver

and a baby blue 55 apache stepside truck with white on the grill, headlight rings and chevrolet lettering on the tailgate. baby moons (ford five lug) mounted with goodyear 205 75 15 weatherhandelers (includeing the one on the spare mounted directly behind the cab), slammed in the front to about 7" of ground clearance, soft black vinyl tonue cover over the bed, stainless stock-looking taillights, no rear bumper because of a reciever in the rear for light towing . 350 matted to a 350 turbo 3 speed automatic on the floor. mustang II front clip, with the power steering and disk brakes, ford 9" rear end. engine will be replaced in the next month or so (350 crate). Paint is the toxic aircraft paint that is illegal to use in most states. Its a older paintjob that has lasted years without fading, but is starting to crack and rust is starting to develope. Its far from perfect, but looks awsome from beyond 10'....family heirloom since the mid 80's, my nine year old son will own it when hes 25.

[junehhan]

Originally Posted by enmoco

You are a shrewd business man! Well done and enjoy.Buy low,sell high,and do it often!

I wouldn't say that i'm a buisness man, but more of a rational economic agent. I like to maximize my utility given my budget. Some of my friends really wonder because they can't figure out how I seem to enjoy nicer things in life than them with a lower income. I just optimize my budget for maximum utility and forego some goods that I feel I can do without. While I might be able to enjoy nicer material goods than them even on a smaller income, they don't realize that I gave up Bier and smokes, expensive restaurant meals all the time, and occasional trips to movie theatres for what I currently enjoy. Like I just got through telling my sister, "if you didn't blow all your money on fancy restaurant meals all the time as well as always going out to expensive bars, you could afford to buy a car and perhaps a DVD player that costs more than $30."

[DSNY FN]

Originally Posted by junehhan

I wouldn't say that i'm a buisness man, but more of a rational economic agent. I like to maximize my utility given my budget. Some of my friends really wonder because they can't figure out how I seem to enjoy nicer things in life than them with a lower income. I just optimize my budget for maximum utility and forego some goods that I feel I can do without. While I might be able to enjoy nicer material goods than them even on a smaller income, they don't realize that I gave up Bier and smokes, expensive restaurant meals all the time, and occasional trips to movie theatres for what I currently enjoy. Like I just got through telling my sister, "if you didn't blow all your money on fancy restaurant meals all the time as well as always going out to expensive bars, you could afford to buy a car and perhaps a DVD player that costs more than $30."

LOL that sounds like my wife and I we give up many things to afford our material lifestyle. We love Disney and take teh kids every year and are DVC members (Disney Vacation Club) we live in a smaller house with an almost paid off mortgage and love our life many of our friends and family don't understand how we can still live in the house with 3 kids. We have no problems with it and it affords us the nice things we have such as our DVC and our HT setups etc.

[junehhan]

Originally Posted by DSNY FN

LOL that sounds like my wife and I we give up many things to afford our material lifestyle. We love Disney and take teh kids every year and are DVC members (Disney Vacation Club) we live in a smaller house with an almost paid off mortgage and love our life many of our friends and family don't understand how we can still live in the house with 3 kids. We have no problems with it and it affords us the nice things we have such as our DVC and our HT setups etc.

That's exactly it! Every person here is their own personal rational economic agent. What each individual prefers and derives utility from in their life is going to be specific to every individual. I derive greater utility from driving a fast gas guzzler and watching HD-DVD movies, therefore I forego other goods in other to make things work given my budget constraint. Would I like to drive a fast gas guzzler, watch HD-DVD's, go to nice expensive bars and 3-4 star restaurants? Sure, but it's currently unobtainable to I juggle my things to make things work based on what I derive the most utility from.

A friend of mine who is critical of me driving such a gas guzzler has a fetish for cell phones, yet I don't judge him because high tech cell phones give him the most utility.

Another friend of mine is critical of me for stocking up on so many HD-DVD movies, yet he has a boner for expensive label clothing. I don't judge him because he obviously derives greater utility from prestigious clothing labels.

What makes me very irrate is when politicians and other types of activists start trying to dictate to me what I should and shouldn't be enjoying. It burns me up when people like Jacky Thompson try to launch a crusade against violent video games because I derive GREAT utility from playing these very violent games.

[godson]

Right on...if i wanted to burn clean gas I'll buy a Prius..I personnally want to burn rubber and if poor MPG is the trad-off,its mine to make.