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The Test Drive That Shattered Your Dream - READ ONLY

55 messages,  Last post on Sep 11, 2008 at 4:58 AM

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

Messages Page 5 of 6

#36 of 55 Re: New mustang [Mr_Shiftright] by graphicguy

Aug 23, 2008 (10:56 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 23, 2008 8:00 am)
Just a bit of a "time warp" thing for me. My older sister had long lusted after the Mustang of her dreams.....not a new one, mind you....but a '67 Fastback with a 390 big block. For a female (especially one in her 50s) you'd never consider her a "motorhead". But, there's always been something (someone?) in her past that made her lust after this particular car.
 
Well, after years of searching she found one. Just as important, she found one that was meticulously restored.
 
Calling her baby brother to give it a once over before she laid down the cash, I gave it a thorough inspection. Numbers matched. Researched the net. It had 3 owners (including the current one who did the restoration). As best as my untrained eye could tell, aside from the paint job (arrest me red) and some interior/exterior replacement trim pieces, it was original. I suspect at one point, the seats were reupholstered. But, even they were true to the original. Carpet and headliner were replacements.
 
It would be an understatement to say the car is a "looker".
 
Time to jump in and drive it. Not sure what I was expecting, but it was imminently clear from the get go how much automotive engineering has advanced in the last 40+ years.
 
It makes great muscle sounds.
 
Yes, it was fast.....in a straight line. All that torque will break the tires with little provocation, too. You have to plan your stops.......well in advance. Hit the brakes.....and wait....and wait (scary wait). Or, mash them harder and lock every thing up. It didn't seem like there was any in-between.
 
To get it to turn a corner, it was more of a fight with the car to set a line around the bend.
 
I'm not stranger to muscle cars, and given a bit more time with it, would probably smooth out the way I was driving it. But, it would have taken more than the 30 minutes I had behind the wheel.
 
She bought it. For the most part, she doesn't drive it all that much. And, in truth, is better at getting the beast to do her bidding than I am. Great for parades and homecomings, though. She does enjoy looking at it as it sits in her garage, though.
 
moo/Mr Shiftright....I owned a recent example of a Mustang GT ('05). They are what they are. V8 in a coupe (or 'vert) with a solid rear axle. Nothing real sophisticated or exotic about them. For roughly $22K-$23K (with rebates), you can get a car with V8 rumble. 0-60 in a tick over 5 seconds. And arguably, it looks good. No fancy intereriors, though. As long as you understand that, they're a lot of fun for the money.
 
Then again, I've always like Mustangs (just can't drive a 40 year old one very well).

#37 of 55 Re: New mustang [graphicguy] by texases

Aug 23, 2008 (12:32 pm)

Replying to: graphicguy (Aug 23, 2008 10:56 am)
To me, the current Mustang is the ideal replacement for buying that '65-'72. I know it's not the same thing, but in every way it's better. My on-and-off interest in getting an old one always ends up "Sure, it'll be fun to look at and tinker with, but for the same money I can get a new GT that's fun, period." And they come in 'arrest me red'.

#38 of 55 Re: New mustang [texases] by fezo

Aug 23, 2008 (1:16 pm)

Replying to: texases (Aug 23, 2008 12:32 pm)
I know that color! I had always called it speeding ticket red....

#39 of 55 Re: New mustang [fezo] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Aug 25, 2008 (7:18 am)

Replying to: fezo (Aug 23, 2008 1:16 pm)
Also known as:
 
Resale Red
Mid-Life Crisis Red
Steal Me Red
 
Not sure why Red gets such a bad rap

#40 of 55 Re: New mustang [Mr_Shiftright] by graphicguy

Aug 25, 2008 (1:34 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 25, 2008 7:18 am)
Seems to me that any car that has even a pretense of being sporty has to be either red, black, maybe bright blue (none of that robbin's egg blue, either).
 
Another car that I had high expectations of (maybe too high) was driven a few years ago. This time, it was Lingenfelter Corvette. Without a doubt the very fastest car I've ever driven. But, the quality of the conversion seemed haphazard. This 'vette only had 20K something miles on it. Perhaps they were the hardest 20K miles anyone could have imagined. Maybe it was because this car was made and converted in the early 90s. Maybe Corvettes of that vintage really weren't made all that well.
 
No matter. The car did what it was supposed to do. That is go fast....very, very fast. The mere fact that it also felt like every bolt holding it together felt loose may very well be a by-product of the conversion. Or, typical Corvette build quality of the time.

#41 of 55 test drive / shattered dreams by rpfingsten

Aug 26, 2008 (1:48 am)

My huge dissappointment took place back in the mid 90's. My wife and I stopped at a local Chrysler lot and test drove a "top of the line" Imperial. Interior was so plush I referred to it as the passion pit, car was ( to us ) stunning.. then came the test drive, the second that I pulled out of the parking lot, the rear view mirror literally fell from the windshield and was just hanging there from the electronic cord. Needless to say the salesmas was quite embarassed. I think that was the year I bought a caddy. Not sure, but I know it wasn't the Chrysler.
 
Roland

#42 of 55 Re: test drive / shattered dreams [rpfingsten] by lemko

Aug 26, 2008 (5:49 am)

Replying to: rpfingsten (Aug 26, 2008 1:48 am)
OMG!!! Was it a really hot day by any chance? The adhesive that holds the mirror to the windshield might've melted allowing the mirror to let go. The look on the salesman's face must've been priceless.

#43 of 55 For me, the Hyundai Tiburon GT by jlflemmons

Aug 26, 2008 (11:00 am)

I have always liked the look of the current generation Tiburon. The interior, while a bit tight, is well laid out for my tastes. Got the chance to drive one of the "hot rod" versions with the 6spd stick. What a disapointment. The car drove like a sedan. Nice ride, no drama, no nothing. The most 'average' car I have driven in a long time.
My '05 Elantra GT had more personality.

#44 of 55 Subaru WRX by ronsteve

Aug 26, 2008 (4:15 pm)

My Subaru lust had had a couple years to grow, and when they came up with the Limited version of the WRX, I was quite keen to get one. But when I drove it, there just wasn't enough seat under my lower thighs, and it brought back memories of a Saturn with the same issue, which caused my booty to fall asleep on long trips! So no Rex for me. :/

#45 of 55 2 Words... Isuzu Impulse by wjtinatl

Aug 26, 2008 (7:40 pm)

Back in the mid-'80s, all the buzz was about the upcoming Isuzu Impulse, Italian styling, Lotus tuned chassis, blah, blah, blah. Thought it may be the logical replacement for my (also underwhelming) 280ZX. One finally appeared at the local Isuzu, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Nissan dealer (guess where he is today). Jeez... the 280ZX felt like a Ferrari 308 by comparison. It may have been noisy, but at least it was slow! Also, a dashboard only Bill Gates could love. No wonder Isuzu is no longer for this country!
 
Additional disappointments from the era included the Chevy Beretta, Olds Quad 4, 3rd generation "Cross-Fire Injection" Z-28 and my dad's Cadillac Seville with the pathetic 4.1 litre V8. GM really was on a roll in the 80's. Thank god fuel injection and OBD II electronics came along, I'd still be looking for a nice '77 VW Scirocco again (rusty but fun)!

Messages Page 5 of 6

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