How do you decide what your "ride" is?

[GeorgiaVol]

My "ride" is a bit of nostalgia. It was my 1st car that was actually fun to drive, and now has gotten super rare. 87 Cavalier Z24 with a 5 speed.
It is under the carport right now, and my summer project will be doing an engine swap.
Yanking the tired old 2.8, and stuffing a 200hp 3500 in it. Another 70-80 hp ought to wake this little 2000lb car right up.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Last night dreamed about working on my old 1993 Lincoln Mark VIII that I drove from 2001-2003. Stripping it down and making it fast. Big exhaust out the back sort of like a supercar. Had to dig it out of a train graveyard that had that weird burning electric motor and diesel fuel smell that trains and railroad ties have.

Tonight my little brother an I are going to start putting the bigger turbo (HX hybrid) on my truck. A 4" intake, new turbo drain, and an eternal waste gate and an atmospheric dump. Hoping to satisfy my desire to have something faster, better. Probably will still leak and will still be slow....

 

[FlyingDutchman]

So put on the big turbo and the wastegate ($1700) Sounds cool, still slow

New Wrangler Duratrac Tires ($800) Helped ride. Not bald.

New front end except ball joints on one side and alignment and rear brake drums ($600) Made it not bounce while braking but drive terrible (stiff, won't center.)

New serpentine belt after the vacuum pump pulley broke off ($40)

Still drives like crap and I'm getting sick of it.

 

[CentaurG2]

You will probably need to keep your ride going for a while longer. With the chip shortage, even if you had the money for something new, there is nothing to buy. Some dealers around here wont even talk to you unless you have a trade they want.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

You will probably need to keep your ride going for a while longer. With the chip shortage, even if you had the money for something new, there is nothing to buy. Some dealers around here wont even talk to you unless you have a trade they want.

There is inventory locally but the market is still very high for used and new. No deals to be had unless you want to fix junk. At least my junk is rolling at the moment...

 

[Blue Oaks]

You will probably need to keep your ride going for a while longer. With the chip shortage, even if you had the money for something new, there is nothing to buy. Some dealers around here wont even talk to you unless you have a trade they want.

My Mach-E is being "produced" this week. But the chip shortage will impact the completion of one or two modules. My dealer said to expect it in November. I'm going to be pissed if it slips into 2022 since I'm planning on getting the tax credits for this tax year.

 

[CentaurG2]

Good luck. The chip shortage has got the auto industry by the short hairs. They are talking going back to analogue gauges to get things rolling again. At a bare minimum, cars might be sold without features like auto braking and lane assist until chips become available. I am not sure what they are going to do but I was at my local Honda dealer last week (they had nothing on the lot) and you could not walk through the door without a salesperson asking if I wanted to sell my car. Cant fault them, they got nothing else to do.

 

[Blue Oaks]

Thanks. The only bright sides are Ford is focused on producing the new cars like the Mach-E and Bronco over the existing models, and I should get a nice trade in value on my Focus EV.

Well, another bright side is that the company I work for (Lam Research) is in the business of engineering and manufacturing the machines that are part of the chip making process. Business as you can imagine is quite brisk.

 

[Mike Gudgeon]

Interesting topic.
Almost all the vehicles I've had have just been covenient (inexpensive too) buys. But I have been know to seek out and collect numerous old Yam 650 twins. Had every model they made but never a Special - 'cos they just don't appeal to me.

Also sought out an XS750 triple 'cos I wanted a 120 degree cranked triple but couldn't afford a Triumph Trident 150, 160 or BSA Rocket 3. Put 2 cranks through that thing before moving on to a spell in hospital from crashing it.

While in hospital I read about the VMax release. Man, I had to have one! But my legs were a bit crook from the crash and I had to settle for a tin-top for a while. So I set about finding the biggest V8 I could find on Parramatta Road in Sydney. Bought a Chrysler by Chrysler thing with a 360 cubic inch mill. Loads of fun to drive but didn't really go round corners well and everytime I closed the door and walked away something or other would fall off the thing.

Years later while living in Japan, I finally got a VMax. What a rush! Had loads of fun restoring it and a lot of fun riding it too.

After coming back to Australia a few years ago I was working with a few other drivers who were all into restoring old bikes, and I got the bike bug again. Way back in the eighties, while working at a bike shop, I had bought an XZ Yam that nobody else would buy. That turned out to be a gem of a bike. Had five people, two boxes of beer and a pizza on it one night! Can't remember why I sold it. Anyway, for decades I pined for another XZ. A couple of years ago a spotted a couple for sale up in Brisbane so I went up and bought 'em. They were in very bad condition, but I managed to make one pretty good bike from the two, which I still have.

The XZ is too old to be used as a regular rider so I went looking for a 'utility bike'. There was a GS550 for sale at a good price not too far away. Jumped into the car and on the way stopped at a bike shop to see what they might have buried up the back. Well, blow me down, they had a 954 Fireblade looking terribly unloved right up the back. Asked the shop bloke about it and he just kept mumbling what I thuink were swear words. To cut a long story short, I bought it for absolute peanuts AND it's in great condition.

But the Fireblade isn't really my idea of a regular rider either - much as I love the tech. So I went looking again.

Now I have three bikes; the XZ550, Fireblade 954, and a Suzuki XF 650 Freewind (basically a roadified DR650 with a twin carb head on it). I use the Suzi XF very much as a hack and it does the job pretty well.

I have my toys now so it's time to think about updating the old Ford tin-top. Almost all pretty modern cars do what they are supposed to do really well but none of them grab me. Might be time for a truck! A proper big one!

 

[PasoRoblesJimmy]

Nice overland rig seen a few days ago in our local Lowe's parking lot. Looks like solar panels are on top of the roof. I like the “Do not tread on me” logos on it.

 

[Marine5068]

You don't have to read or respond to what's below. How did you settle or find your vehicle? What made you choose one type over another? I love all sorts of cars, German, Japanese, Mopars, GM Fords....Am just maybe a bit lost.

Over the years, all the cars I've owned are almost pure consequences, and almost all had some great stories. Someone I knew had this sports car they couldn't sell. My parents didn't drive that old jeep, and my car blew up. My dad saw a truck he thought I should buy that he used to see every day driving in to work, I checked it out and bought it. As a younger, poorer me, I only bought one car from a dealership, and it was the worst decision I'd ever made and set me back years, even though it was a huge pile that broke constantly, I still loved it (and a kid down the road bought it and has v8 swapped it). Now, I'm a pretty accomplished mechanic and all the things that used to stop me and make me sell something (due to issues) won't.

Now I have an absolute appliance of a car I got from a dealership (which is super weird for me) and every summer it drives me insane. I look and look and look and dream and scheme for that perfect ride. The car I have now is because of logic, not consequence, passion, serendipity, hardship or any of the other things that make a great car story. I seem to have burned through and wasted all the opportunities to restore something remarkable that belonged to people who mattered to me. So now I have to settle with something purchased outside. I go to car shows, and appreciate them somewhat but am always just a little bit miffed because I can't participate.

Right now I "think" I want a Corvette. I helped a friend restore his 1963 Split window.

I do not fit in them because I'm very tall, except POSSIBLY a C5 Z06 and early/mid70's C3's before they routed the exhaust under the driver's seat in the later 70's. I drove a C4 with the drivers seat taken out and could drive sitting on the floor. I could hack about 2500-3000 max. So pickings are slim to none (which I am not surprised by.)

My first truck was an 80's squarebody Chevy, a friend is selling one sitting in a field. There's always a need for farm work vehicles. Big flat beds, towing capacity, mud tires, dump beds... So trucks always have an appeal as a dual use vehicle.

The 6.5 diesel truck is use for farm work is way off from a show vehicle, but with some effort might turn some heads.

I had criteria that I needed for towing capacity as I tow firewood and wood pellets for my use every year. I didn't need this all the time so I opted for an SUV rather than a pick up truck. This way I can use it for an everyday driver for my Family as well.
I have a 3600lb trailer (actually 2 of them) that I use.
I looked around and there were only a handful of SUVs in the large size that could tow 3000lbs, the top one being the Jeep Grand Cherokee at 7200lb tow capacity.
I did like the Nissan Murano but it had like 1300 lb max. Very low for its size. Toyota Pathfinder was much more money and felt a bit cheap actually.
So it was back to Jeep and I'm very happy with it.

 

[Marine5068]

I could never understand the suped up foreign car thing.

Its because they all saw a movie and thought they were racers too....lol.
Makes me laugh when I see an old guy in a tuner Honda.

 

[Marine5068]

You got to go with what fits your personality, lifestyle and budget. This is subject to change at any time.

I drove AMC for many years. You could get them cheap and they were fairly reliable. I moved into Ford Taurus wagons when I started to commute. You could get one-year old lease cars for dirt cheap money. Great AC, 3L Yamaha engine, good on fuel and best cruise control ever. Everyone made fun of my wagons until they needed to move something. I even took them camping many times and slept in the back.

Ford moved to the uber ugly oval style and I switched to Camrys. They were pricy new but I had more money and with a manual transmission, they were rock solid reliable. Toyota decided to ditch the manual and I moved to Honda accords. Only sedans left with a manual transmission. I own 2 a 2017 with a 2.4L naturally aspirated and a 2018 with a 2L turbo. The newer car is a totally different animal than the 2017. It has a lot of tech and it goes like bat out of hell but it feels like you are driving a mud puddle.

Fun car is an mx5 Miata. I use it to go to the beach, out to eat or out for a cruise. With the top down, it will put a smile on anybody’s face and it is a very spirited little ride but they are not for everyone. They are very impractical (you cannot even put a large pizza in this thing), not exceptionally fast and they made millions of them. Next car will probably be a Honda Civic type R. It has a little too “boy racer” look to it but I would easily drive a Pacer or a Gremlin so it should not be a problem. Europe has a sport version that looks excellent but they don’t bring it into the states.

Give something a try. If you don’t like it or it does not fit, vehicles are easy to sell.

Here is a civic r vs a gorgeous Lexus lc 500. I can afford the Honda and it should make a great fun daily driver. The lexus is way out of my reach.








Here is a little mx5 strutting her stuff at Nurburg.

Good resale on Hondas too.
But most of those cars you mentioned are way too small for my frame.
I'm only 5'10" tall but stout and thick and weighing in at nearly 300lbs I outfit most small cars like Mazdas, or Honda civic.
Small SUVs are even too small across for my shoulders, but large to extra large ones fit me just fine.
Wish I could afford a newer model Escalade. That'd be my fav.

 

[CentaurG2]

Honda makes a great car. The Mazda mx-5 is truly a joy to drive. I get incessant email and letters from dealers looking to purchase them. Trouble is there is nothing on the dealers’ lots to replace them and I think it is going to be a LONG time before inventory’s are back.

 

[Marine5068]

Thanks. The only bright sides are Ford is focused on producing the new cars like the Mach-E and Bronco over the existing models, and I should get a nice trade in value on my Focus EV.

Well, another bright side is that the company I work for (Lam Research) is in the business of engineering and manufacturing the machines that are part of the chip making process. Business as you can imagine is quite brisk.

We're brisk here too. Our company makes toilet paper (also paper towel, napkins).
We're one of North Americas largest paper product producers.
Actually we've had historical record profits for each of the last 7 quarters.
Ya, my work life hasn't changed during this pandemic.

 

[Wat n Tarnation]

this is my ride. It's got nothing, perfect.

 

[PasoRoblesJimmy]

View attachment 935881this is my ride. It's got nothing, perfect.

You got a really nice ride. A real truck with a body-on-frame, not a stinking unibody. My son has a 1978 FJ-40.

The New 2022 Toyota Tundra Still Has a Feature That Is Now Disappearing From All of Truckdom! Ep.3​

 

[PasoRoblesJimmy]

My 2015 4Runner Limited has Full-Time 4WD. Found it in 2019 with 13,000 miles on it at half the price of a new one. 30K miles on it now.

 

[Wat n Tarnation]

You got a really nice ride. A real truck with a body-on-frame, not a stinking unibody. My son has a 1978 FJ-40.

The New 2022 Toyota Tundra Still Has a Feature That Is Now Disappearing From All of Truckdom! Ep.3​

I'm in Australia, it's a model you guys didn't get in the states, it's an 83 hj47, originally a 2h diesel 4 SPD, it's been converted to 5 SPD, I fitted a turbo, limited slip diff from an 80 series, power steering and a few more bits and pieces.

 

[PasoRoblesJimmy]

I'm in Australia, it's a model you guys didn't get in the states, it's an 83 hj47, originally a 2h diesel 4 SPD, it's been converted to 5 SPD, I fitted a turbo, limited slip diff from an 80 series, power steering and a few more bits and pieces.

Being in Oz, I figured your Land Cruiser had a diesel engine that is unavailable in the US. Never seen a Land Cruiser configured as a flat bed truck before. My son's FJ-40 is 6-cyl gas, and he loves it anyway.