What do you drive…

[termis]

any dream cars out there you would love to have?

Hachi Roku!!!

LOL.  I actually heard that Initial D totally drove up the cost of those cars in Japan.  I even recall seeing one that was a "replica" of the anime car somewhere in Japan, complete with Fujiwhatever Tofu shop stickers and all.  I thought that was kinda lame, but hey, whatever works for the owner!

That said, a dream car... Hmm... Well, I'm not really into super-duper exotics, but if I had unlimited garage space/money, some of them would be:

- Ford GT40
- First generation RX-7's
- Ferrari F355
- '88 Pontiac Fiero GT
- 2nd gen Toyota MR2
(Yeah, I like light, nimble-handling cars)
- and a few kei-cars here and there! 

As for outright performance, I'm a bike guy, so a Ducati Desmocedici RR would do the trick nicely. (This thing has about ~200hp, weighing in at about ~380lbs.  That's a 1:1.9 to hp:weight ratio -- think of your average sedan weighting about 3000lbs+ and do the math. 

[guyjin]

Why do people like Manual transmissions so much?

I like them because it feels like I am in far more control over the car.  It helps keep you a bit more alert as to what is going on around you.

I find it distracting. Not only do I have to worry about the cars around me, and how fast I'm going, while manipulating the wheel, blinker, break, or gas, I have to worry about weather I'm in the right gear, and have to manipulate a clutch AND the shifter (couldn't the clutch just be a switch on the shifter itself?)

Regardless of what you prefer, it is definitely recommended to learn how to drive a manual transmission.  You never know when a situation might arise when you will be required to drive a car that is manual!

I already know how, but I dread having to use that terrible knowledge. 

I hate using manual transmission in driving games!

I thought manuals were supposed to be more 'fun'? :p

[SignOfZeta]

any dream cars out there you would love to have?

Hachi Roku!!!

LOL.  I actually heard that Initial D totally drove up the cost of those cars in Japan.  I even recall seeing one that was a "replica" of the anime car somewhere in Japan, complete with Fujiwhatever To

The cost of an '85-87 Corolla GTS in the US that hasn't rusted out, or been pimped mercilessly with sticky-back Autozone parts, or wrecked is actually pretty high. Way higher than the original asking price, that's for sure.

Its a great car that is extremely easy to drive hard, but the truth is that if you don't need a back seat a Mk1 Miata is a car that behaves very similarly, and costs a lot less to own, modify, etc. since they are way more common. The Miata's engine isn't quite as free revving as a 4AGE, but it has at least 20 more HP (depending on year) which goes a long way in a car that weighs 900kg. The 4.30:1 final drive helps a lot too.

[SignOfZeta]

its nice to to see we have some people that love there cars here any dream cars out there you would love to have?

There are several:

A 1989 BMW M3 merged with a 325ix. This would be a 4WD M3, in other words.



A 1976 VW Golf GTI with no radio.



A MK1 Miata with a 13B (non-turbo) rotary.

...everyone knows what these look like...

Ford RS200.



Peugeot 205T16 Evolution.



MG Metro 6R4.



Audi RS4 (avante, of course, because we all need a 400+ HP wagon)



Alpha Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA

[ParanoiaDragon]

I don't like driving. I drive because I have to.

You & me both!  Whenever the wife n' I are driving somewhere, I let her do the driving, I just HATE driving.....mainly because of other drivers on the road, that either go too fast, or too slow.  It's annoying.

[Nintega Turbine Trio-CBS]

You know with gas prices going up like crazy these days, I think a lot of you are going to have a hell of a time keeping a roof over your head. 

[SignOfZeta]

You know with gas prices going up like crazy these days, I think a lot of you are going to have a hell of a time keeping a roof over your head. 

Bah, people exaggerate. People also waste. I get 30+MPG in the sorts of cars I drive. This works out to be about $25 a week or less. That's less than I spend on just about anything else I buy.

I actually welcome increased gas prices. Once it hits $10 a gallon the Ford Expeditions and Suburban will be done forever. Converted to...duck blinds...or something. I can't wait!

[guyjin]

at that kind of price, the plastics that house our electronic goods start to get scary expensive.

[nat]

Once it hits $10 a gallon the Ford Expeditions and Suburban will be done forever. Converted to...duck blinds...or something. I can't wait!

Everyone buys these f*cking 40 foot long gas guzzlers, just because having a big SUV is "in," and then they complain about high gas prices. 9 out of 10 times it's some little 5'1" woman in this huge 18-seater. And for what reason? Why do people feel the need for these things? I don't think I've ever seen one passing by that was actually filled up with anything, whether it be people or equipment. Don't even get me started on those HUMMERs. Who needs one unless you live in the Australian outback or need to cross the Iraqi desert?

People with extremely large trucks and SUVs have been pissing me off since I started driving. They hog the road, and they obscure view. There's nothing I hate more than being at an intersection trying to turn only to have a 20 foot high, 40 foot long tank completely obscuring my view of oncoming traffic. I basically just have to wait it out until THEY turn before I can even think about making a move.

I, for one, am with you-- I'll be really, really happy when the high gas prices make these ridiculous vehicles too impractical to own. Unfortunately, part of me fears that's not going to happen soon enough.

[ceti alpha]

Once it hits $10 a gallon the Ford Expeditions and Suburban will be done forever. Converted to...duck blinds...or something. I can't wait!

Everyone buys these f*cking 40 foot long gas guzzlers, just because having a big SUV is "in," and then they complain about high gas prices. 9 out of 10 times it's some little 5'1" woman in this huge 18-seater. And for what reason? Why do people feel the need for these things? I don't think I've ever seen one passing by that was actually filled up with anything, whether it be people or equipment. Don't even get me started on those HUMMERs. Who needs one unless you live in the Australian outback or need to cross the Iraqi desert?

People with extremely large trucks and SUVs have been pissing me off since I started driving. They hog the road, and they obscure view. There's nothing I hate more than being at an intersection trying to turn only to have a 20 foot high, 40 foot long tank completely obscuring my view of oncoming traffic. I basically just have to wait it out until THEY turn before I can even think about making a move.

I, for one, am with you-- I'll be really, really happy when the high gas prices make these ridiculous vehicles too impractical to own. Unfortunately, part of me fears that's not going to happen soon enough.

I agree wholeheartedly.

[ParanoiaDragon]

Once it hits $10 a gallon the Ford Expeditions and Suburban will be done forever. Converted to...duck blinds...or something. I can't wait!

Everyone buys these f*cking 40 foot long gas guzzlers, just because having a big SUV is "in," and then they complain about high gas prices. 9 out of 10 times it's some little 5'1" woman in this huge 18-seater. And for what reason? Why do people feel the need for these things? I don't think I've ever seen one passing by that was actually filled up with anything, whether it be people or equipment. Don't even get me started on those HUMMERs. Who needs one unless you live in the Australian outback or need to cross the Iraqi desert?

People with extremely large trucks and SUVs have been pissing me off since I started driving. They hog the road, and they obscure view. There's nothing I hate more than being at an intersection trying to turn only to have a 20 foot high, 40 foot long tank completely obscuring my view of oncoming traffic. I basically just have to wait it out until THEY turn before I can even think about making a move.

I, for one, am with you-- I'll be really, really happy when the high gas prices make these ridiculous vehicles too impractical to own. Unfortunately, part of me fears that's not going to happen soon enough.

I agree wholeheartedly.

Indeed.  No offense to anyone here, but, SUV's need to be banned.

[SignOfZeta]

at that kind of price, the plastics that house our electronic goods start to get scary expensive.

Yeah, I don't buy that either. Petro-plastics are super cheap, that's why everything is made of them in the first place. I'm pretty sure it takes more money to process the plastic in, say, a Wii than it does to buy the plastic itself. I can buy a generic plastic "project case" for $3. If the cost of plastic quadruples the $12 case would still be a drop in the bucket compared to the $300 worth of semi-conductors I put into it.

And it plastic did actually become expensive, we'd have plenty of SUV interiors to recycle. There is about a cubic yard of ABS in your average Honda Pilot. You could easily get enough plastic there for a dining room table and chairs with enough left over for a PS3.

[Necromancer]

at that kind of price, the plastics that house our electronic goods start to get scary expensive.

The cost of everything would get scary expensive, as the cost of shipping and energy consumed during manufacturing would go through the roof for almost everything we buy.

[ceti alpha]

De-railment:

Once it's announced that we are consuming more oil than we can produce, it's over. People won't be able to afford to bring food in to their cities. It would complete anarchy.

It's basically going to cost the world $190 billion dollars a year. If we don't do that, it will cost us trillions later on and at a higher human cost.

[SignOfZeta]

De-railment:

Once it's announced that we are consuming more oil than we can produce, it's over. People won't be able to afford to bring food in to their cities. It would complete anarchy.

Yeah, once again, I don't buy that. The amount of fuel being just outright *wasted* is such a significant percentage that it will give us a nice "cool down" buffer once its obvious supplies are getting extremely low. The wells aren't all going to go dry on the same day. Combine that with gas rationing and and semi-smooth transitions can be made.

Every day 25,000 people starve to death on planet earth. That isn't going to change significantly when the petrol peters off.

It's basically going to cost the world $190 billion dollars a year. If we don't do that, it will cost us trillions later on and at a higher human cost.

I'm not sure what you are getting at here, or where that number comes from. The world probably spends $190 billion a year on shoe laces.

I think the transition to solar (the inevitable conclusion) will be relatively smooth in the grand scheme of things. I'd actually enjoy seeing spoiled American brats walking down the street instead of driving every where. I don't think its going to come to that though. I don't think its going to cause anything as horrible as, say, the 2nd Iraq war, or even the 70s gas crunch.

We'll see though. Its a big wild card.