greg1647545532

Iran! Cuba! Liberals! ObamaCare! Brown people!!!! Don't be so hasty, my friend!

What a sad day for pundits, fear-mongers, and doomsday preppers.

255s would be ambitious. I'd expect 225s would become standard, with some brave souls maybe trying something as large as 245. But that's based on nothing but the pictures I've seen. In any case, 225s would be plenty for most people while still staying within a reasonable budget. I've been making do with 150hp in 2280lbs and it's plenty fast. In fact, I dare say that my car is more fun with 125whp than when it had 230whp.

Neither the S2000 nor the FT-86 have any business running 1/4 miles. What's wrong with you peoples? Why are you all even discussing a car that's wasn't engineered to satisfy your boorish straight-line tendencies? FWIW, the S2000 will likely be a faster car in professional hands, but trickier to drive if the reviews are to be believed. The FT-86 should be better balanced and less prone to snap oversteer. And cheaper. And they didn't stop making it 3 years ago. And we should really be comparing it to a Miata, because that's the only car on the market that it's competing with.

He hasn't even been charged yet, right? Slow news day in the outrage department?

And if CAFE didn't exist you'd still be able to buy a big torquey motor in 10 years. But it does, so you won't. Everyone's gotta make compromises.

I just read a review of the new Hyundai Azera, and it appears that they're replacing the venerable 3.8L V6 with a (small by comparison, still pretty large) 3.3L V6 that makes 293hp with direct injection. 20 years ago GM debuted the 5.7L LT1 in the C4 with 7 more horsepowers than a 3.3L that Hyundai is now shoving in their boring family sedans. So everyone needs to stop getting hung up on cylinder count. The times, they are a changin'. Don't be surprised if in 10 years the only GM car you can get with a V8 is a Corvette or wears a GMC badge.

I'm not sure what the former has to do with the latter. I'd probably tolerate a DSG gearbox in a track car, especially if I were actually trying to be fast, but I still don't see how it's more fun. And I don't care if my daily drivers are fast (in fact, I prefer them to be slow), as long they're fun and engaging, and I like my clutch pedals in that respect. But, to each their own.

My new favorite commercial.

Who's they? The same highly trained TSA experts that everyone's raving about in this thread? Color me unimpressed. As far as I'm concerned, if a terrorist walks into an airport with a weapon and an intent to cause havoc, our national security infrastructure has already failed. The odds of stopping them from executing their plan at that point are pretty small, unless they're retarded (like the shoe bomber, or the underwear bomber). We're all extremely lucky that our enemies are largely retarded. Just like the TSA.

They used to do that, don't you remember? Did you pack your bags yourself? Did anyone give you anything to carry? Have your bags been in your possession the whole time? Rumor was that we got the idea from Israel, designed in part to identify suspicious behavior. I don't know if that's true, but the questions were pointless and didn't do any good, so they dropped them. As anyone who ever smuggled booze across the Canadian border knows, the idea that trained experts can fish out suspicious behavior with a series of dull questions is a bit of Jack Bauer wishful thinking.

It's a lose-lose proposition for politicians. If they dissolve the TSA and something happens, then it's their fault for dissolving the TSA, even though the TSA probably wouldn't have done shit to stop it anyway. What amazes me is that last summer (i think) when there was all that "don't grope me bro" public outcry against the TSA for giving us the choice of getting hand-raped or cancerized, nothing happened on capitol hill. I thought for sure that it would at least get scaled back, since the public will was there and everyone was going on about cutting the budget. It would have been a no-brainer. "We've saved money and we'll stop groping your children!" Sadly, I think the mood has passed and now we're stuck with the TSA forever.

The thing is, the TSA did nothing to foil those 23 attacks. They either failed to do their job by allowing the bombs to get on the planes, where the terrorists were stopped by passengers (as will always happen in a post-9/11 world), or the plots were stopped by our intelligence agencies before the terrorists had a chance to board the planes in the first place. Which is how it should be. The TSA is a pointless display of security theater, and we can arrive at this conclusion without having to get into the unpleasant business of putting a value on American lives.

The ghost of Colin Chapman will murder you in your sleep for your apathy.

Men shouldn't care either. More mufflers = more weight.

I'm not saying that kid is any kind of a winner (modding a 2004 Civic is a good sign that's he's not), but the ridicule aimed at him for this mod is somewhat misplaced. The car is still supported by the springs, which are still firmly placed under the shock towers. There's very little in the way of loads on the shock piston itself, especially lateral loads. There are name brand camber kits that move the shock piston locator to above the shock tower, and although it looks janky, it's been used successfully on a racetrack, for example this friend of mine with an 87 Prelude: http://www.preludepower.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317947 http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m73/JarHead2821/100_0266.jpg Now, he did it because the aftermarket for 87 Preludes is non-existent and he desperately needed more shock travel, whereas I'm sure the guy in the OP had much better options available. I just think there's a knee-jerk reaction to stuff like this that's unwarranted.

Diamond racing appears to have a 17x8 with a range of backspacing and is mostly solid: http://www.diamondracingwheels.com/trucker.html 34 lbs a wheel though. That's the only 17" wheel I could find on their site.

Buick Buick Buick Buick Buick. I've always been a fan of the Acura approach to luxury cars (fun to drive, not too expensive, RWD is way overrated), but Acura started making butt-ass ugly cars and now Buick, of all brands, is showing them how it's done. Regal GS or even just a turbo. Sporty, good looking, little bit of luxury, well priced.

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/2836110725.html Guessing it's that one.

I usually don't post up CL links but I looked so long for this car and never found one, and now I'm at a point in my life where I can't use it. http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/2848340211.html 323 5 speed wagon, no AWD, no sunroof, no power seats. About as basic of a wagon as you could buy. Of course, he's asking about twice what it's worth.

bringatrailer.com You may find yourself stuck on that site for a couple of hours though, so don't click the link unless you have time to spare.

Every single 911 that ever rolled off the assembly line was a collector's item, until the 996. Nobody cares about the water cooled cars. Plus it's a 13 year old performance car. You can buy a 3 year old 370z for the same money and be just as fast around a road course, and you won't have to worry so much about maintenance. Or hell, even a newer Boxster would be just as fast. OTOH, it's a Porsche, and nobody ever claimed that buying one was a rational decision. As much as I hate to admit it, there's nothing more recognizably awesome as a 911.

I find your skills with the smiley amazing, and I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.

I'm not sure. She's pregnant, does that help? The EPA numbers for the Ford are better - 20/28 versus 19/26. I know Ford has struggled with gas mileage on some of their engines, but I don't see how the Maxima can get such dismal fuel economy. Do all Maximas come with the CVT? I hate Nissan's CVTs.

$32,000 versus $25,000, roughly. Used prices are equally different. My SIL went and looked at the Maxima yesterday. I've never been in one, but I've spent some time with the Taurus and I think it's a fantastic car for the money. Anyone have experience with both who can shed some light on what makes the Maxima worth 7 more thousands of dollars?