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The Test Drive That Shattered Your Dream

55 messages,  Last post on Sep 11, 2008 at 3:58 AM

You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires

What is this discussion about? Car Buying, Automotive News, Coupe, Truck, Sedan


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#17 of 55
Re: The Test Drive That Shattered Your Dream [wesleyg] by lemmer
Aug 19, 2008 (5:09 am)
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Replying to: wesleyg (Aug 19, 2008 5:06 am)

I bet it was really fun to go straight in that old beast. Probably sounded pretty good too.
#18 of 55
Re: The Test Drive That Shattered Your Dream [lemmer] by wesleyg
Aug 19, 2008 (5:28 am)
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Replying to: lemmer (Aug 19, 2008 5:09 am)

You could only go straight, no options to turn, but boy would it go straight. Also jump out of the drivers seat after driving it, if you hit the side pipes with your ankles, you could smell flesh burning.
 
To this day, who in their right mind would order this without power steering, it was probably only a $65.00 option in that time.
#19 of 55
Re: The Test Drive That Shattered Your Dream [wesleyg] by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Aug 19, 2008 (6:44 am)
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Replying to: wesleyg (Aug 19, 2008 5:28 am)

If we presumed that in today's money the 69 would have cost 10X, or around $47,000, then the $105 p/s option would be about a $1,000 option today.
#20 of 55
Re: The Test Drive That Shattered Your Dream [Mr_Shiftright] by wesleyg
Aug 19, 2008 (6:56 am)
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 19, 2008 6:44 am)

Well, putting it in that context, I can at least see the thought in someone's mind, but it would have been easier to drive with 3 tires rather than without the p/s option.
#21 of 55
Re: The Test Drive That Shattered Your Dream [wesleyg] by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Aug 19, 2008 (7:22 am)
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Replying to: wesleyg (Aug 19, 2008 6:56 am)

Many cars in the 60s were bought specifically to street race, so maybe that's what the owner had in mind.
 
Road testing the "classic cars of our dreams" is often a shock, although occasionally one is pleasantly surprised. "It depends". But let's face it, 60s American muscle cars were crude things.
#22 of 55
Re: The Test Drive That Shattered Your Dream [Mr_Shiftright] by jakeinswitz
Aug 19, 2008 (8:43 am)
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 19, 2008 7:22 am)

What I loved about those old cars was that fast actually felt fast. My last American car was a 1970 Mustang Mach 1 with a 351 Cleveland engine. I loved working on it and spent every penny I made as a Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps back in the late 80's to keep it faster than the new breed of muscle. That's about $175 a week
 
As long as you didn't try to turn it would do a 13.5 second 1/4 mile. The front wheels would lift off the ground, the G force would drain the blood out of your head, and it was loud enough to drown out the screams of your passengers.
 
Now that I make just a little more money I have gone in search of that same feeling. Test drives with today's cars that deliver that kind of performance just don't cut it. On a recent test drive of a Lexus IS 350, a car capable of that 13.5 second quarter mile, I noticed my wife was playing with the knobs on the stereo as I gave it all it got. Did time slow down over the years?
#23 of 55
Sensation of Speed by lokki
Aug 19, 2008 (9:11 am)
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I sort of had that problem back in 1974 when I bought an Alfa Spider.
I had been running around in a VW Beetle, and then a Honda Civic.
I came into some money, and bought a Spider.
 
It was a great car and it handled beautifully. However, it was sort of boring to drive in that, at speeds that were "Prepare to meet Jesus" in the VW, the Alfa was as smooth as a living room sofa.
 
So, logically, in order to recreate the sensation I'd had in the Beetle and the Civic, I had to drive much, much, MUCH, faster.
 
I'm sure you all understand.
 
Gosh, I miss that car.
#24 of 55
interesting topic by qbrozen
Aug 19, 2008 (9:30 am)
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Like others, I also went to try out the Crossfire when it first came out. Unfortunately, I didn't even get to the actual test drive because I couldn't fit in the car well enough to drive it.
 
That's a similar story to many vehicles for me. Boxster, S2000, TT, RX8. All ruled out for their lack of tall-person accomodations. The only one I actually drove of that group was the TT. In coupe form, I was close to fitting, so I gave it a spin. Wasn't until 10-15 minutes that I realized I couldn't live with it.
 
TT wasn't really a "dream." But the others were.
 
Lesseee... ummm... well, the only car that really comes to mind (at the moment) outside of the "fitting" problem is the A6 2.7T. I always drooled over this car. When I finally drove a used one, I was kind of disappointed. I liked it, but I didn't love it. It didn't live up to the "dream."
#25 of 55
Re: The Test Drive That Shattered Your Dream [Mr_Shiftright] by jipster
Aug 19, 2008 (11:50 am)
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 08, 2008 6:14 pm)

I get all excited over the hype, reviews, magazine articles, Internet "buzz" that I'm hearing about a new or near-new car.
 
First time I drove the Honda Ody back in '04 the "All thing Honda is Great" media blitz went down in flames. This turned out to be a plain looking minivan that did not stand out in any way above any of the other minivans. Ended up with a Mazda MPV which is a lot better van.
 
Who or what do you blame for this dis-connect?
 
I blame Edmunds.
They built Honda Ody up to god like status like all the other web sties/mag rags.
#26 of 55
Re: The Test Drive That Shattered Your Dream [jipster] by lemmer
Aug 19, 2008 (11:53 am)
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Replying to: jipster (Aug 19, 2008 11:50 am)

That'll teach you not to dream about minivans, I hope.

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