OP ED-"Little Timmy Wants to Know Why Nobody Likes Airplanes Anymore?

[rob]

Weren't you the one making fun of Scott's porsche too?

I wasn't making fun of Scott's car, I was making fun of Scott. I used to own a Cayman S too, if you want something that moves, corners, and stops, that's a pretty decent benchmark. Especially the first generation.

I'm sure you can afford a lot more than your 328 cost, and even if not, you can do a lot better for the money in either performance or comfort metrics. That's my biggest complaint with the loaner I had, for the 51k sticker I felt the car was worth 35k tops.

[John Pleisse]

John,

 

You obviously have not understood a single point I've ever made. I'm done with you. Want to talk airplanes, boats or cars, I'm in. Foreign policy, not so much. It's over. Going to take little shits for an evening walk around the lake.

 

Andy

 

Default.

[AndyFromCB]

I wasn't making fun of Scott's car, I was making fun of Scott. I used to own a Cayman S too, if you want something that moves, corners, and stops, that's a pretty decent benchmark. Especially the first generation.

I owned a Ferrari F355, a Nissan GT-R, an Aston Martin Vantage V12, a Ford GT (new one, not the original GT40). How is that for high performance cars for you. My favorite car of all times is still and always will be my Honda S2000, which I sold a few years back. A true drivers car. Nothing I've ever driven before or since came close. And yet I still love my econobox. It does what I want it to do, which means making my milk runs fun...I also drive a Nissan Frontier that has not been washed once since I bought it in 2009. Where does that put me in your world?

 

Default.

 

You win ;-)

[John Pleisse]

I owned a Ferrari F355, a Nissan GT-R, an Aston Martin Vantage V12, a Ford GT (new one, not the original GT40). How is that for high performance cars for you. My favorite car of all times is still and always will be my Honda S2000, which I sold a few years back. A true drivers car. Nothing I've ever driven before or since came close. And yet I still love my econobox. It does what I want it to do, which means making my milk runs fun...I also drive a Nissan Frontier that has not been washed once since I bought it in 2009. Where does that put me in your world?

 

 

You win ;-)

 

You'll be full of piss and vinegar tomorrow.

[AndyFromCB]

You'll be full of piss and vinegar tomorrow.

 

You're the one who is full of piss and vinegar. I don't care. For me this is an academic exercise in understanding how you think. I told I don't vote...

[rob]

That doesn't put you anywhere in my world. I asked ya for a job and you didn't answer. You're dead to me.

The S2000 was a good car. I'm not a fan of the power delivery in that little motor but I can appreciate the car for what it was. If I were building a track car today there's a good chance it would be an S2000.

The F355 isn't a car I'd want. 360 please.

The Aston is classy but not really my thing.

Your "new" Ford GT is now one generation back. I just saw the new one at NAIAS. It's amazing. Like wow. It's good for the world when Ford gets pissed off and revisits these monsters.

I'm currently driving a Macan Turbo that's more fun to drive and way faster than your 328 AND has 90% of the utility of your truck while looking exceedingly better than both. Another reason you should have hired me, I can do more with less.

[rob]

Oh. And the GT-R has no soul. You shoulda gone with an R8 V10 there.

[John Pleisse]

You're the one who is full of piss and vinegar. I don't care. For me this is an academic exercise in understanding how you think. I told I don't vote...

 

Don't drink too much tonight...need you here tomorrow.

[John Pleisse]

That doesn't put you anywhere in my world. I asked ya for a job and you didn't answer. You're dead to me.

The S2000 was a good car. I'm not a fan of the power delivery in that little motor but I can appreciate the car for what it was. If I were building a track car today there's a good chance it would be an S2000.

The F355 isn't a car I'd want. 360 please.

The Aston is classy but not really my thing.

Your "new" Ford GT is now one generation back. I just saw the new one at NAIAS. It's amazing. Like wow. It's good for the world when Ford gets pissed off and revisits these monsters.

I'm currently driving a Macan Turbo that's more fun to drive and way faster than your 328 AND has 90% of the utility of your truck while looking exceedingly better than both. Another reason you should have hired me, I can do more with less.

 

I had one of the first 300 serial # S2000's. Special fiberglass and wheel package. I would head out on the interstate and I would mess with big V8 cars....Mostly Vettes and 5.0 Mustangs. I would bait them in to go side by side at about 85mph. As soon as they would start trying, I would drop it from 6th to 4th in a half second with the pedal on the floor. The valves would bust wide open and the engine would do about 8600rpm in a one second burst, up to about 117mph. It is a remarkable car and requires high RPM use to gain performance. I spun it a few times. It's almost as bad as Porsches...they'll spin. I sold it because I had two toddlers at the time and I literally, thought I was going to kill myself in the thing. An unbelievable car, especially for the money. I sold it two a local attorney for $24k when it was four years old.

[AndyFromCB]

I had one of the first 300 serial # S2000's. Special fiberglass and wheel package. I would head out on the interstate and I would mess with big V8 cars....Mostly Vettes and 5.0 Mustangs. I would bait them in to go side by side at about 85mph. As soon as they would start trying, I would drop it from 6th to 4th in a half second with the pedal on the floor. The valves would bust wide open and the engine would do about 8600rpm in a one second burst, up to about 117mph. It is a remarkable car and requires high RPM use to gain performance. I spun it a few times. It's almost as bad as Porsches...they'll spin. I sold it because I had two toddlers at the time and I literally, thought I was going to kill myself in the thing. An unbelievable car, especially for the money. I sold it two a local attorney for $24k when it was four years old.

 

Mine was later year, 2007 if I recall, so it had the stroked engine, lower redline and slightly adjusted rear suspension and the throttle by wire system that made is considerably less likely to spin out. Awesome, awesome car. Best 6 speed ever created. I miss that transmission. I bough at the height of great depression for cash, when I traded it few years later for the Nissan, I got all my monies back and then some.

 

You see. Let's talk cars, airplanes, boats and even guns. Then we can agree.

 

Ford GT was the most apeshit insane thing I ever owned. Sold it for $40K more than I paid for it after 3 months of driving it around untitled with no plates. But that transmission was sad vs S2000.

 

GT-R might have no soul, but it's something that has to be driven to be appreciated. I do not see how anyone can say a Lambo in Audi clothing can have any soul either.

[AndyFromCB]

Don't drink too much tonight...need you here tomorrow.

 

Still on the wagon. 5 more days to go before drynuary is over

[ryoder]

I hate locked threads but this one is crying out for some moderation.

I got locked in the Corvette Forum for saying I mistook a Camaro for the new C7 due to the tail light similarity.

[rob]

I've driven the GTR on a track, it's sickly fast and on paper a tremendous performance bargain but it just didnt do it for me. The R8 v10 is nuts, I've driven it too.

The most apeshit insane thing I've driven was the McLaren MP4-12c. I'm almost certain that you could launch that thing to the moon if you had a long enough ramp pointed up. The problem is that you have to be a race car driver to drive it correctly. I imagine the GT is much the same. You can't accelerate and turn the McLaren at the same time, all the power just plows through.

I owned two Lotus Evoras that were more fun to drive than anything else I've owned. You want a drivers car, that's it. The best steering feel I've ever experienced. Really amazing.

[BorealOne]

Aha! Timmy - people don't fly airplanes anymore because they all have cool cars, too!

[AndyFromCB]

I've driven the GTR on a track, it's sickly fast and on paper a tremendous performance bargain but it just didnt do it for me. The R8 v10 is nuts, I've driven it too.

The most apeshit insane thing I've driven was the McLaren MP4-12c. I'm almost certain that you could launch that thing to the moon if you had a long enough ramp pointed up. The problem is that you have to be a race car driver to drive it correctly. I imagine the GT is much the same. You can't accelerate and turn the McLaren at the same time, all the power just plows through.

I owned two Lotus Evoras that were more fun to drive than anything else I've owned. You want a drivers car, that's it. The best steering feel I've ever experienced. Really amazing.

 

That's my problem with most of the new high performance cars. You have to be on a racetrack to even remotely enjoy them or really risk getting your license yanked, or worse. I'm the first to admit hitting high triple digit speeds on public roads in both cars and on motorcycles, but that was when I was younger and dumber. This is why I like "sporty" little sedans with tiny engines. I could have bought a 335 or an M3, but I really liked the econobox. And I like the all wheel drive system too. The shitty run flat non grippy tires make it more of a drivers car to me too, as it looses traction easier and I like the little turbo engine and the 8 speed auto. Keep it in the band and it has gobs of power, more than anyone needs. Steering kind of sucks vs prior 3 series. And all and all, I'm $36K into this car, brand new. 

 

How is that Macan? That's a lot of money for a Tiguan ;-)

[rob]

The Macan is awesome, but it's no Tiguan. It's the Q5 chassis, but that's the end of the sharing on the Macan. The motor is strong as hell with virtually no turbo lag, and the car, at least equipped the way mine is, defies physics in the corners. It's taking some time to realize just how capable it is, as most exit ramps leave me thinking I'll be upside down in the weeds on fire if I don't slow down. Then they're completely uneventful. Your mind doesn't want to believe it...and the PDK is just so much fun, even when you let it shift for itself.

I guess that's how they got an 8 minute run out of it on the 'ring. I'll take it to the track this summer and see what I can come up with.

I had, briefly, a Subaru BRZ when they first came out. Toyota/Subaru were smart enough to put it on Prius tires so you could toss it around with the throttle easily even with the underpowered motor and torque dip in the middle of the powerband. Awful for lap times, but so much fun on the streets. Just enough tail wiggle to make the car fun around town. So I feel ya there.

36k. That's hilarious. I'd pay that for one; scroll up and I said they were worth 35. When I saw the 51k sticker on the loaner I nearly crapped myself.

[AndyFromCB]

The Macan is awesome, but it's no Tiguan. It's the Q5 chassis, but that's the end of the sharing on the Macan. The motor is strong as hell with virtually no turbo lag, and the car, at least equipped the way mine is, defies physics in the corners. It's taking some time to realize just how capable it is, as most exit ramps leave me thinking I'll be upside down in the weeds on fire if I don't slow down. Then they're completely uneventful. Your mind doesn't want to believe it...and the PDK is just so much fun, even when you let it shift for itself.

I guess that's how they got an 8 minute run out of it on the 'ring. I'll take it to the track this summer and see what I can come up with.

I had, briefly, a Subaru BRZ when they first came out. Toyota/Subaru were smart enough to put it on Prius tires so you could toss it around with the throttle easily even with the underpowered motor and torque dip in the middle of the powerband. Awful for lap times, but so much fun on the streets. Just enough tail wiggle to make the car fun around town. So I feel ya there.

36k. That's hilarious. I'd pay that for one; scroll up and I said they were worth 35. When I saw the 51k sticker on the loaner I nearly crapped myself.

Yeah, at $51K they are a joke. I bought one of dealer's loaners with 3K miles for $36. I read the Macan reviews. Sound like an awesome car, I hate porsche for the same reason why i hate BMW. Nickel and dime you on the options. You can essentially double the base price of either Macan or the 3 series with options. To me, that's nuts.

[AndyFromCB]

Aha! Timmy - people don't fly airplanes anymore because they all have cool cars, too!

 

It's true. The recession never really hit in Omaha as far as I can tell. I am surrounded daily by $80K+ cars left and right. Flying was never a poor man's hobby and it is just simply too time consuming and from a point of view of on time travel, pretty much useless until a few years into having a PPL/IFR and the requisite experience and a TKSed machine. It's not just about money, people get their kicks in other places and when they fly, they want a twin jet.

 

But our airport here is busy as ever. We have a fleet of 10 rentals and 60 small hangars and 10 large ones. All are full, the pattern was so busy with students on Saturday I made two go arounds when practicing approaches. Every other hangar door was open due awesome weather. So things are nowhere near as bad as some claim, but yes, it is a shrinking hobby population wise. Not too many owners in their 30's at my airport, mostly 40+ crowd and a lot of 60+ folks.

[jetdriven]

Yeah, at $51K they are a joke. I bought one of dealer's loaners with 3K miles for $36. I read the Macan reviews. Sound like an awesome car, I hate porsche for the same reason why i hate BMW. Nickel and dime you on the options. You can essentially double the base price of either Macan or the 3 series with options. To me, that's nuts.

My 2005 325xi last of the E46, was 34K brand new and it doesn't have a single option near as I can tell. No power seat, no button to tell you the OAT or fuel range, and the leatherette vinyl seats. I couldn't imagine the cost of one with all the goodies. My accord EXV6MT was 31k this is loaded with navigation and all. No maintenance save for brakes and tires. But no soul. And only FWD.

But I hear the E46 benchmarked higher than the later 3 series.

[rob]

The E46 was really the end of an era.

Regarding Porsche pricing, I wound up over budget by a nice Cessna 152. I've learned to think of the ala carte thing a different way: add 10k to the MSRP, because that's what a "normally equipped" car from any other marque would contain, and then consider dropping things like heated seats, Nav, etc as a way to get a discount.

It helps me sleep at night. My car had 15k in options, many of which were conspicuous consumption. But somehow I feel it was worth it. Marketing is a b*tch.

[AndyFromCB]

The E46 was really the end of an era.

Regarding Porsche pricing, I wound up over budget by a nice Cessna 152. I've learned to think of the ala carte thing a different way: add 10k to the MSRP, because that's what a "normally equipped" car from any other marque would contain, and then consider dropping things like heated seats, Nav, etc as a way to get a discount.

It helps me sleep at night. My car had 15k in options, many of which were conspicuous consumption. But somehow I feel it was worth it. Marketing is a b*tch.

 

Cannot live without heated seats. Simply unable. Would die.

[John Pleisse]

Still on the wagon. 5 more days to go before drynuary is over

[AndyFromCB]

 

 

[John Pleisse]

 

 

OK, this explains everything.

[BorealOne]

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