The official car thread :D

[dixon]

ok so this is the thread where u go and post what your favorite car is, reasons why and so on.... you can also post what you drive as well
i will start *clears throat* my Favorite car by far is the 1970 Chevelle SS doesnt matter what motor is in it so long as the thing moves XD the reason why i like it is that the body styling is just awesomness plus when u pop the hood the entire under the hood area is nothing but engine, no electronics, no wiring harness' just engine and ground XD well for all of you who must know this is what i drive, a 1996 Saturn SW1 with a 1.9L EFI SOHC engine pushing 150BHP thing is it is FWD >.< but i can fix that
here is a pic

that is what i drive and if u are wondering that is a Valvoline decal on the front Q/P's cuz i am just that awesome
OMG the engine is soo dirty in this pic >.< she is much cleaner now

 

[Lowie]

A 70 Chevelle SS fan? You copier! Just kidding. The 70 Chevelle SS is my favorite muscle car because it was the most powerful GM car until the new Corvette, it looks mean, it's quick, it's got alot of torque, and it just got the in your face presence.

Anyways, my ride is an 81' Malibu. (Plans to modify)

 

[dixon]

nice malibu although there have been a few sightings of some that are rusting in a junkyard near me perhaps i should get one and turn it into a mean drag racing machine

 

[Calico]

Here is an awesome site.

IMCDb.org: Home page

A place to look up movies and see what cars were in them and what model they were and year.

 

[PrinceMatthew]

all corvettes especially the corvette ZR1, all BMW cars, escalades preferably hybrid versions, favorite economy cars: Honda fit & theToyota prius[the prius gets great mpg],favorite exotic: Lastly lotus cars especially the
Lotus Exige are awesome.

 

[Pojo]

I have a shweet mini-van that I drive ^_^

I'd like anything at this point...But if I could choose, then maybe like a Maserati or Aston Martin or something

 

[Thallis]

I drive an '06 Jeep grand Cherokee Laredo.

 

[SteveC1981]

I wonder what the automotive industry will be like 5 years from now:sweatdrop:, but it is amazing just what GM has done with the Corvette (even the "base" model, let alone the ZR1).

Seeing as following what's going on in the automotive industry is probably one of my biggest interests, I could ramble on for ages here, but to keep it simple...it's sad that large American rear-wheel drive sedans are basically being consigned to history, even though European and Australian automakers have stood by them. When I always see the GM and Chrysler ads bragging about how many of their cars get 30mpg or better on the highway, I laugh and remember that that's only 5 mpg better than what the Lincoln Town Car gets.

 

[Fire_lupine06]

chevelle ss ...haha...try a Buick Gran Sport Stage 1...now thats a real car

 

[SteveC1981]

LOL, my first "car" was a Ford Aerostar (not something they pushed towards soccer moms ). On the flip side, minivans do have certain upsides...

I just find it funny that Ford is trying to reinvent the minivan into a cargo machine (the new, ugly Transit Connect is mostly for cargo buyers, but you can get it with one back seat...)

I have a shweet mini-van that I drive ^_^

I'd like anything at this point...But if I could choose, then maybe like a Maserati or something

 

[Pojo]

I'd rather have a sedan than a minivan...It will better suit my speeding >.>

 

[timmahtherebel]

I drive a 1988 Ford F250 5.2L 4x4 Diesel with just over 212k miles on it.

I WILL be "upgrading" or downgrading, whichever you choose to think of, to a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country in Oct. ( I need the versatility ) I will be jacking the van up about a foot.. and putting some nice looking rims ( nothing flashy, just making sure it looks nice, prob about $200.00 )


I like the Chrysler, don't call me a nut case.. I already bought it.

 

[Peachy]

I wonder what the automotive industry will be like 5 years from now:sweatdrop:, but it is amazing just what GM has done with the Corvette (even the "base" model, let alone the ZR1).

Well, for one, GM will be gone. They're on the verge of bankruptcy. The small preview of things to come we had last summer, with the sky rocketing prices for resources (oil, natural gas, food, metals etcl), showed that the American automotive industry was more than ill equipped to handle the crisis, and once that crisis was over, the financial crisis hit, which left people without any money to buy new cars.
That'll most likely be the event that breaks their neck. They can't just make the small, fuel efficient and cheap cars that people want and can afford nowadays appear out of thin air...not when their main focus has been to build huge and gas gazzling cars for so long.

Peachy

 

[Lowie]

Well, for one, GM will be gone.

They might be, my bet will be Chrysler though. They nearly went bankrupt in the 80's. If it weren't for the K-car they'd be history.

Plus Chevrolet still has the new Camaro coming up this summer, and that might end up saving GM

 

[Ace]

I'm kind of in the market for a new car at the moment, but at the present I have a Pontiac Vibe (one of the few outfitted with a manual transmission), as I'm one of the rare breed of American's who not only knows how to drive it, but strongly prefers it.

I do like classic cars though, really anything 50's vintage I like. Probably my dream car would be something like a 54 Jaguar XK120, which for those movie buffs, was the car that Sebastian drove in Cruel Intentions. I can't think of anything out there that says class and good taste more than that. As for American ones, I have a penchant for Edsels, especially the '58 Edsel Pacer Convertible, preferably in two tone red and white or green and white. And if I could find that car with the ultra rare manual 3 speed on the column, I'd be in heaven.

 

[RobotRock]

I drive a 98' convertible Mustang GT
2 of my dream cars
Eleanor new and old

 

[DHLA40]

Right now, I have an old 928 I drive as regular transport. It used to be another fellow's garage queen, and so it wasn't driven much in the last few years because of cost of upkeep, and fear of something breaking. I've found out though, that most of that cost is related to the labor needed to do the repairs, but I don't think it's really that terrible to work on (so far ). I also drive an older HiLux 4WD when I need a truck, and on nice days, or for fun and excitement I have an old VW that I spent a few years on turning into a hot-rod, or really, it's an ongoing study into what Porsche parts can you upgrade your Superbeetle with.:thumbsup:

 

[SteveC1981]

Personally, I'm waiting to see how the Fiat "partnership" pans out....it could make things VERY interesting.

As it stands right now, I'd also consider Chrysler the most at-risk. Outside of North America, Chrysler basically does not exist (unlike Ford and GM, which are global companies, and Ford is a truly global brand).

Another thing that is often forgotten about Lee Iaccoca and Chrysler is that while the K-Car did indeed "save" Chrysler from bankruptcy, the K-Car soon became the car that nearly ruined them, as they didn't move on from it in the short life cycles in the industry...many bad product decisions were made in order to keep the K-Car going. For example, what became the 1994 Dodge Ram was years behind schedule, and the Dodge Durango (the first non-Jeep SUV, and the first new Dodge SUV in 25 years) was nearly a decade behind the Ford Explorer. Of course, there's the Ram Van, which stayed on the market for 32 years because its replacement got back-burned again and again (and was replaced by the Mercedes-designed Sprinter 2 years after being pulled off the market). So yeah, we are lucky the Dodge Viper made it to market...

Althoguh the Eagle brand was a failed decision, the one to kill off Plymouth as a brand may be part of the reason why Chrysler has an awkward identity today. Reversing that decision may make for some better product continuity.


GM?? I think once you tackle the obvious problem (how to reign in labor costs without workers walking off the job), GM has a (somewhat) easier problem than Chrysler does...but one reason they don't sell enough cars is because they sell too many different ones. I think GM is making some horrible decisions, although some significant cars are in the pipeline that might drag buyers back into the showrooms (like the Volt, the CTS coupe, the current Corvette)

On the other hand, GM's decisions with brands are crazy, to say the least. Pulling the plug on Saturn does make some sense, but starving Pontiac of cars and keeping GMC around is the exact opposite of what makes sense to about 99% of the American public. Overseas, GM's troubles puts the future of Holden and Opel/Vauxhall at great risk and these will probably be the first things to go if GM files for Chapter 11. Saab, niche carmaker that it is, has enough heritage that some conglomerate will find some money to invest in it.

They might be, my bet will be Chrysler though. They nearly went bankrupt in the 80's. If it weren't for the K-car they'd be history.

Plus Chevrolet still has the new Camaro coming up this summer, and that might end up saving GM

 

[SteveC1981]

Am I worried as much about Ford? While I am concerned a bit (right now, cash on hand is their big thing), the fact that they are confident enough to say they are willing to go it alone and not ask for taxpayer money says they they are willing to make intelligent decisions.

Right now, between 2008 and 2011, nearly every Ford product (except the Ranger pickup...) is being significantly upgraded, if not replaced, along with a few new cars (the Fiesta minicar, the Transit Connect minivan, and potentially the Ka supermini). Also, Ford quickly reversed its decision to kill off the Mercury brand after 2012, instead focusing smaller cars and hybrids there (yet Mercury's best-seller is one of the largest cars still sold in America). Although Lincoln's newest cars are a match for many Japanese or German luxury cars in their price ranges, they still have trouble escaping the images of the Town Car, which is the last "land barge" of the disco era(although the only cars as long as a Town Car are 2000 lbs heavier and get half the gas mileage!)

One thing I don't really get though (and I'm sure Ford executives are wondering the same...) is the constant cries to sell off Volvo. Volvo sells far more cars than Jaguar or Land Rover (Volvo sells more cars in a year than Aston Martin has EVER sold...), so black ink is not as hard to see. Not only that, but when you consider that every Volvo is built on a Ford platform (and your Taurus and Euro Focus are Volvos underneath, too...), there's a lot of intellectual property issues. That's why the only buyer chosen for Ford's share of Mazda was Mazda (Ford owned most of them, and still owns part now); for Volvo, it's more difficult, because they are owned 100% by Ford (basically like Lincoln or Mercury, really...just built in a Swedish factory)



yeah, i know too much about this, so I will leave it at this...

 

[nappyjon]

I am currently driving a BMW Mini One 1.4L. I love the distinctive look the car has, it is fuel efficient and drives like you are in a go-kart. i.e. Loads of fun!

In my dreams however, I think I would love to drive an Aston Martin Vanquish. I doubt I'll ever be able to afford the car, even less the insurance, and then there's the fuel to consider! But hey this is supposed to be a favourite car thread hey!