99StockGT

Dollar for dollar which is more fun for the cost? I would imagine the miata would see the most performance/seat of your pants gain versus the camero... how often do you get to launch it hard enough to really see/feel that upgrade? Versus all day long at an AutoX and just general driving

OMG I love that graphic! Totally perfect for him. Well done sir!

Unfortunately the SHO while one of MY favorite ideas is a Ford, same with the fox body. Which means its off his list. I have tried to open his mind to the miata. We will see if I have any luck. We did kick around an RX8 and doing an LS swap though that will take us above the $3 mark. The GM 3.8 s/c is a strong possibility but ...

Lol not sure he would let go of "Bertha" I think it's got a permanent hold on his soul. I'll take a photo of it thursday and post one for ya. We discussed an LS option but he's wanting something more "tunerish". Unfortunately most of what he would find in that price range is going to be heavily molested and abused or just generally junk. GTP or Regal GS we have discussed and is certainly on the table...those damn 3.8 V6s..

So, one of my employees today who happens to a chevy guy brought me a problem and I'de like some opinions. Currently he drives an '88 K5 Blazer lifted with mudders and all that fun stuff...however here in Ohio that's not exactly practical. So...here's the challenge. Money to spend :$3000 Stipulations * Must not be a Ford * Must not be German * Must not be from Japan * Must be "fun to drive" which is subjective but we are talking seat of your pants here. * Must be manual * Comfortable a good 'ole boy that's 6'2 Optional * Some type of forced induction * RWD Realize that's a lot of qualifiers which is why I brought it to some "Pros". Working on the car won't be an issue as we have access to a lift easily, parts cost can be a factor as well if there are things not readily attainable through 3rd party vendors. Buyer does have a large amount of mechanic experience and willing to tackle just about anything. Ready...go!

Well hey..on a good note if you buy that Row Day 'O I have some great prices on parts you'll need So I I say buy it!

Look at me making a N00b mistake, must have been the lack of sleep over the past week. let me quickly look into becoming a sponsor! Yoinks!

EDIT - needs to become a sponsor before advertising on this forum. -copperhead

Well maybe passed wasn't the right word...maybe waning would be the proper term. There will always be a tool bag or three out there with underglow a fart can and suspension on the ground but they are much fewer and far between than they were in the early 2000s. Atleast...'round these parts

I love the evolution of the Miata..when these things first came out they were certainly at 0 of not negative cool points. Now that they have come down to easy to find prices and so many have survived in good condition they almost have a class unto themselves in racing. Pound for pound you would be hard pressed to find a car that's as pure fun as these. Obviously I agree with all the previous posts about the automatic, these things have the spirit of a sports car and as such should only be stick..IMHO One of the other nice things about these cars as an autox aren't the tires pretty damn cheap compaired to everything else that came with 17s+? So if you are planning on ripping up some rubber with it, at least its financially responsible rubber costs!

Now THAT is how you should you should write a craigslist post! Beautifully done. Thank god for the most part that scene has passed on from the late 90s early 2000s but oh the memories of fleets of "fast and furious" civics reving and and trying to race anything on the road. Good find sir!

My only experience with these is the 2dr version however I very much enjoyed that car. Styling wise I was glad to see the change between the 35 and 37, I think the rework on the curves definitely was a good thing. Could never get over the styling of those things even with a good friend driving one for years.

I'll join the crowd in saying I wish this damn thing were RWD. I could even forgive the crappy engine choices at this point, at the least make it FUN to drive. At the auto show this year in Detroit no less than 5 times I walked up to the various versions of it and mentioned to the people I was with how much I WANTED to like it. Online petition to make a SRT4 RWD version for under $30? Listen to the people, and the people have spoken!

Just because I'm curious...what shop did you go to for the bulbs? Always love to know how/where the competition has issues. Though I'll be honest that's odd that NONE of the bulbs fit. Typically the database of light bulbs is pretty well established across all parts stores but it's possible you ran into one of the exceptions.

Ya for us more "Dwarven" built folk its not bad but anyone pushing 6 foot plus a lot of cars seem to be not so well thought out. Another friend was almost dead set on a new BRZ but again if he tried to get his head back to the headrest he was scraping scalp.

Show was decent though over the years you can certainly see companies spending less and less on their displays. Merc definitely had some gorgeous rides, the NSX as previously noted is just plain sexy..a friend who was 90% sold on the new Fusion talked himself out of it as soon as he walked in the door and saw it which was amusing. I really liked the Atlas from Ford and the crazy Jeep was getting quite a bit of attention. The downstairs had Shelby with their super snake and such which is always fun to drool over but not a very exciting display. There are some folks excitedly driving around in circles down there in electric/hybrids. Stopped in to talk to the Michigan State team about their race car they had built, that was probably one of the highlights for me. The new Vette I'm honestly not a fan of. The Grey one is the only one left there, Red has gone off for other duties. Maybe its just me but it doesn't FEEL all that Corvettey. And the rotator was broken when I was there so you hand to shoulder through the crowds again and again to get different views. Maybe it will look better flying past me on the highway. Maserati auto show girls were rather impressive with your crowd of men and their DSLRs&Camera phones taking pictures of the "cars" or just shamelessly pretending they were photographers. There were twins working the show though that certainly helped bring some attention to the brand. Had a deep conversation with myself about the Dart and how I wish it were rear wheel drive with more ballz so i could love it. Wonderful conversation with a paid smiler about what the Tigershark motor is...apparently it has to do with the Pistons in the Calibers in the engine being shaped like shark teeth...ok time to get some Pizzapapalis after! P.S. there is an EV retrofitting company in the basement with a few GM models which are kind of funny..would LOVE to know the performance out of an EV armored 'Burbon and whether it can actually MOVE.

Very welcome, please do! Come one come all

Well if you ever find yourself on my side of town feel free to stop in Whether or not you need any parts always happy to meet another car enthusiast..besides you need to get used to the drive for the car show(series?) this year we'll be hosting I have room for probably 50 cars comfortably and would love to see something other than Nova's Mustangs and your typical cars. I want to see some fun new school stuff, maybe even a "trucker" group.

I can tell you honestly, I wish more people understood that. Time after time customers will come in and opt for an off brand/house brand/reman when a brand new high quality option is available for just a couple of dollars more. Now granted, that new nice shiney part can still fail but most likely not quite as quickly and worse case it generally carries a MUCH longer warranty. Spread the word around, buy the best part, do the job once! (Hopefully)

I really appreciate the foot traffic and feedback from the community over the last week. Since opening this thread I have gotten some wonderful posts and private messages that are hopefully helping us to become a better and better shop. We are beginning to tweak our product offerings including some new higher end care care products that very few shops actually stock. More to come on this later! The Napa system is awesome, there's no other way to say it. I have to deal with that battle on a daily basis with my commercial accounts, it is that it is. Best tool on my side is a genuine desire to really make your buying experience positive and HOPEFULLY a not so bad place to come for a carshow (shamesless cross thread promotion attempt)

On second thought to save your time AAP on Bethel Rd. is my shop

Shief - Refer to my "What makes your call" thread on here Always willing to take care of CR folk, just had one of our people in a few moments ago actually.

Mallard - I'll be up there for both days. For some odd reason I love spending time in Detroit so I usually end up just making a weekend of it. This year I'm going to try my best not to sneak over into Canada and spend my money in a hard working American city!

On the subject of this...gem(?).... being unleashed is anyone attending the Detroit auto show? I'll be up there the 18th and 19 personally

We are hoping for a pretty solid mix of new school and old. I came up in a generation that had car shows all the time, even if they were little ones. Now that I have my own shop I would love to give back a little of what I was able to see when I was younger. If we DO decide to have "car girls" there we will also have a photographer on hand for those who are interested in getting shots of their rides done. In addition at least one of my car care vendors will be there demoing their product and giving away samples, so at the very least you'll walk away with some free swag