sorrow wrote:A camaro is sexy... no matter what year it is camaro = sexy
Except for the 1980's Mustangs i would take a Mustang over a Camero any day of the week.
My love for the Mustang and the fact that it is made by ford is just a coincidence. I favor no car company over another.
I just happen to love 2 Fords.
Noting beats an Classic Mustang!
I grew up around them as a kid (My dad owned a 64, 65, and 66)
If I remember correctly, Ford was the only US auto manufacturer that didn't accept the federal government's bail-out. They sold their stock in other companies to cover their debts and be financially responsible. It's surprising and sad if they are now under the ownership of Mitsubishi. I know Mitsubishi used to be under contract with Dodge and Chrysler to produce vehicles for them. Not taking the Fed's bail-out money, and currently having one of "their" best product lines in a long time earns a little more of my respect.
Remember the Ford Pinto? An American automobile, with a German engine.
If you take in consideration what the reason for having a vehicle is in the first place, all wheel drive is at the top of my list, with 4 wheel drive a close 2nd. It's hard to have true performance and handling without it. German and Japanese vehicles usually excel in the AWD technology. By Japanese, I mean fully assembled in Japan.
I don't know if a vehicle exists that truly fulfills all of my needs and desires. Sometimes the more you learn about the automotive industry, the more depressing it seems to become. Take for example the Dodge Challenger and Charger; both have their entire assembly take place in Canada, and if you choose a package that includes a Hemi engine, that is manufactured in, and shipped up to Canada from, Mexico. Definitely not the MOPAR muscle car I grew up hoping to one day be able to own.
My favorite vehicle ever owned was a 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu. No, it wasn't a SS model (most you see on the road with that badging aren't), but it did have the camel back heads, for those of you who know what that is.
What I guess it all really comes down to is, "your" own appreciation and enjoyment of your favorite vehicle. No one is right or wrong in your decision of what you like and enjoy. Please just be careful when testing the limitations of your driving ability, and that of your vehicle.
After driving an '88 4-door civic lx for 8 years I recently picked up my first new-ish car. 2013 Subaru Impreza Sport Premium hatchback. Not the WRX or STI models but it is manual and I'm loving it so far.
'88 Civic: at barely 2000 lbs this puppy was light. Slight breeze kicks up while you're driving and you have to hold the wheel to prevent the car from drifting to the side. It lists at 92HP stock but I'm pretty sure that by the time I got it there was significantly less power to be had. Fortunately, as light as it is, lack of power was really only a problem when climbing mountains (40MPH with pedal to the metal) and when trying to pass someone. It got an amazing 30-35mpg and was a blast to drive. If I ever become independently wealthy I am definitely considering rebuilding the car. It has a lot of potential due to the size of the frame and because it's a 4-door I've even considered firewalling the back seat and throwing the entire engine in the trunk rather than under the hood so I don't lose as much power when converting it to a rear wheel drive. It'd still be a rice burner but hopefully not a 92HP one anymore.
'13 Impreza: The thing that impressed me the most about Subaru was the build quality. Everything feels solid and well made. At over 3000 lbs it's nowhere near as light as the civic but I also have much more room which is very useful. It actually seats 5 much more comfortably than most cars (plenty of legroom in both front and back seats which is rare) and it has enough width that you don't feel crammed in. I got the manual version which has 152HP stock and so far I've been averaging 34mpg with some tanks even reaching 38mpg over the ~400 mile range. It handles exceptionally well (as expected of a fully all-wheel-drive vehicle) and is both a smooth ride and reasonably quiet. The best addition I made to the vehicle was the side window deflectors that allow me to drive with the windows cracked even while it's pouring down rain (I love fresh air and no, I don't smoke). I have no serious complaints about the car although as always there are a few suggestions I would make to the manufacturer for future models. For example, I think the steering column should have a little more adjustability so that taller drivers can move the seat back a bit more without finding themselves too far from the steering wheel. Mostly, though, my impressions after driving this car for over 6 months are quite positive and I look forward to driving it for at least another 6 years.
Sorry, I don't drive a camaro let alone a supercar that would make all you car aficionados drool
The Subaru you mentioned is the same model I've given some serious consideration to. I'm hoping I run across a good deal on a used truck, preferably an extended cab with 4 wheel drive. An older, well kept Toyota would probably be a nice find. I always seem to need to pick up some building materials or haul some furniture. It's quite a challenge to find any decent new vehicle out there for less than $20,000.
My wife drives a 2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport/Touring hatchback with AWD. While it doesn't throw you back in your seat during acceleration, that downside is only 2nd on my list of model specific disadvantages. The very limited cargo area when not folding down the back seats, is my primary complaint. The performance, reliability, and handling for its price point at the time was nearly impossible to beat. The body sway experienced in sharp turns or simply cornering, is very much on par with some of the mid-range BMW models I've had the pleasure of being in.
At any rate, as Subaru was once referred to as the "Cadillac" of Japanese imports, I truly hope you get to enjoy many years of relatively maintenance free, reliable service. On a related note, I don't know if this still applies, but a considerable while back, Subaru used to have a propeller kit that you could order from their parts dept. for just about anything that fell under the boxster engine design. At least at that time, their engines were so well designed and manufactured that they were a reliable option for aviation application.
I've only had the guts to get it to 160mph in 4th@5k rpm but that scared me so I haven't pushed it further. I suspect I could probably get it to 180 or 190 if I had a straight away...
Also the torque is ridiculous on these cars. I can pop my clutch in 1st full throttle with no problems.
Stomped a corvette my first day I owned it. Best feeling ever
I love my gt <3
