Smokey

I'd consider Ireland. Seems like a place that I could be comfortable with and consider home, but the nationalized healthcare is a scary idea to me even though i don't go to the doctor much. If I could get over the language barrier somehow: Germany or Japan.

I bought an 03' brand new and owned it until the end of last summer. Still somewhat miss it, and got a major kick in the balls last weekend when the person who now owns my very bike came over to visit their friend who lives in my same condo complex (small world). The biggest difference motor wise from the 03s to 05s is that the 05s have a back-torque limiting clutch which operates similar to and is marketed as a slipper clutch. If you're not riding hard on the track you will likely never need this so I wouldn't worry about it. Obviously there's a big styling difference between them and that's personal preference, but I liked that the 03s looked more slim, and were....the 05s gained upwards of 20lbs over the previous models. Performance wise the 03s are great bikes. Mine weighed just over 400lbs wet and with a pipe, filter, and PCIII put down 112rwhp. Hell, I still have my Ohilins shock for it if you want to buy it Let me know if you have any other questions.

M3: 28-30 Highway only 22-24 normal driving (city/highway mix) FD: 20-21 Highway only 14-18 city/highway mix 4-8 track *ouch*

you will RUE THE DAY I get r-comps for the FD!!! DAMNIT Ben can you kill that imbedded song? It could be the most annoying crap ever.

have you considered an 03-04? They're noticably lighter than the 05's but still share the great motor and can probably be found for noticably cheaper. Styling is the biggest change other than the "slipper" clutch.

it's time to move up to big boy toys! http://www.uberreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/hemi%20trike.jpg

Andy turns the big 3-0 today! Happy birthday bro!

welcome aboard. Positive rep for you so you can hopefully make it out of the Oven. Unfortunately my boss f'd me on going to the PCA school by not letting me off of work. It's a killer deal too! Andy (Audion19s here) should be up there with his 996, and my buddy Rob will be there in a white 01 Z06.

if I remember correctly there's no swap planned correct? ROTARY POWWA UNITE!!!!

well....I'll likely get bashed to crap in this thread for saying it, but I was thinking e46 M3 (like Andy's). Although that decision would ultimately be decided by how many miles you think you'd put on it in a year and if you will do any of the service yourself or if it'd all be done by a dealer. e46M3 is still rare enough that it's somewhat unique on the roads (more than a GTO or Vette in my opinion). It has good power and is great fun to drive, but at the same time has all of the creature comforts you would ever want and is solid as a rock. If you're looking for a vette beater in a straight line it certainly won't do it for you, but it still runs mid-low 13s stock.

I'll play devil's advocate.....does it have to be an American car? I've got an idea that's somewhat unique, has performance, could be driven in the snow if you really want to (with the right tires), and would fit inbetween your budget ranges.

Max makes some good points. Performance wise it's pretty much identical to my e36 M3. I have plenty of fun in my car and it's great as a daily driver. I get a little better mileage, but nothing crazy.

THANK JESUS!

what are you planning on using it for? I think it'd be a great candidate for a street/autox/track car. While it's surely not fast, it'd be fun and likely keep you from getting into too much trouble as you can wind it up a bit without immediately breaking every law known to the road. For the track they're well balanced and predictable which makes for a great car to learn in. Downsides have already been mentioned: no torque and bad gas mileage. I still think they can be a very good looking car as well.

the process is pretty simple really. 1. Call Andy 2. Set up appt 3. He comes out and fixes everything 4. Hand over money

Unfortunately I'll be out on vacation this weekend, but would be interested in future meets.

coming home for lunch about 11:30 today saw an Ultima GTR on the back of a flat bed sitting under the 161 bridge on Hamilton Rd. The car was gunmetal color with black wheels. The only damage I could see was the left front definitely had a broken suspension piece and was not drivable. Anybody know who it is?

thanks for the clarification Zavier ...welp...I'm outta guesses.

yeah, if I'm remembering correctly that grey car was for sale for quite some time by a guy around the Westerville area. I remember seeing it up at the shop and wondering if it was sold to a new owner or not. I guess now I know. By the description given it would lead me to believe that could be the car. It had a 99 front replica without the plate and was a gunmetal grey. I'm guessing the owner isn't on here as we probably would have heard something about him buying the car initially. Definately sucks to hear that another FD bit the dust

the general idea is just to make it difficult to pick out at a quick glance. Since Ohio went to non-stamped plates it makes them easier to read as well. Hell if you really want to do it, find some blue or black tape and just alter the letters on your plate into something else. Either way I don't think it'll actually work against a speed camera or an intelligent police officer.

I'm pretty sure that Ohio put stipulations in place on their personal plates that prevent this type of plate from being made. from oplates.com: PLEASE NOTE: All personalized or initial license plates are subject to approval. If you are applying for a personalized or initial license plate it may appear to be approved when ordering, however, each plate must be approved by a committee before it is issued. Ohio Revised Code section 4503.10(E) grants the Registrar of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles the authority to revoke license plates that were issued fraudulently or in error. ZERO (Ø) MUST ALWAYS BE LED OR FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER NUMBER 1-9. These Plates must contain no less than four letters and no more than seven letters or combination of four letters and numbers. No spaces are allowed for motorcycle plates containing five characters. Personalized plates up to six characters may be ordered for logo plates. Spacing Guidelines: Personalized plates are produced with uniformly sized spaces. 1, 2, or 3 characters/letters - NO spaces permitted 4 characters/letters - spaces permitted is up to (5) 5 characters/letters - spaces permitted is up to (4) 6 characters/letters - spaces permitted is up to (3) 7 characters/letters - spaces permitted is up to (2) although it still let me put this in: "MNNMWMW", I don't know if it'd actually get approved by the BMV

good to see quick progress Erik. I definately want a ride when it's done even if it makes me question my rotary power You going to bring it to the track this summer?

there was a grey one at Rx7 Store on Monday when I was there. Yassir's LS6 car would be another that I can think of.

still have the tires. Inbox is cleared. Sorry guys.

sure thing. I think you may have met my wife already, but I'm not sure. We have a rot mix puppy. She said that she met someone that lived on the corner one night when walking the dog.