CARS! The Car Super Thread

Found my favorite gen and body style of accord on CarsAndBids and yet i can't buy her right now

Maybe one of you guys can give her a nice home...

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rbeADljw/1989-honda-accord-lx-i

So my car history... At 16 got a Pontiac Sunfire which I drove for two or three years until I was in college. Bought a new 2008 Scion xB at the time in 2007, which I drove for 10 years basically (at 145K) when I got rear-ended and it was totaled. Super bummed, absolutely loved that car. No intention ever to get rid of it.

Due to me needing a car, ended up with a 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid SE. Brother works at Toyota so it was easy enough, leased it for 3-year. Really nice, but not exactly what I would have gone with had I had time to really look and drive a ton of stuff. Thing is, not a fan of most cars the past few years. Styling (exterior or interior) or the suspensions/handling, among other things, often push me away from most. I'm a car guy of sorts, absolutely love to drive just for the enjoyment with nowhere to go. So while the Camry is super nice, it doesn't exactly get me excited to drive it. Granted, I actually went with the hybrid variant as it has more power/pep than the standard 4 cylinder or V6 due to the instantaneous torque by the electric motor. Not really to save on gas...

Start looking around a few months ago to see what was out there that I'd potentially get, and well...

Don't have it quite yet, but placed an order with my dealer for my new 2021 Camaro 2SS, 10-Speed AT. Black on black.

Dual mode exhaust, magnetic ride control, front fascia extension and some other little things.

I also checked out the Mustang GT and Challenger, but the Camaro just dominated on a few fronts for me. Handling was a huge thing, but the exhaust note and the "cockpit" cabin of the Camaro won me over. The 455HP just rips!

Just absolutely fell in love with it. I originally planned on buying used, but literally not a single one in the country with the features I need (or did not want)... I didn't want a sunroof (I'm 6'6", so that takes up valuable head room, plus, I don't care for them anyway), and any of the Camaro's available with the options I was after all had sunroofs. So I basically was left to order one in to my spec.

Will look like this at delivery in a few weeks!

^ Beautiful car!! Share photos when you get it! I'd love to see what the real life version looks like! (Even though I know it will be pretty close to those photos.)

Also, while we are on the Chevy topic... I can not be the only person who thinks the 2021 Tahoe's are freaking hideous...

Soooooo ugly.

Yeah, that is pretty bad. They jacked up the front grill on some trim levels of the Silverado as well.

Sadly, poor styling is a common trend with most automakers these days... Giant "fish mouth" front grills, excessive use of plastic on the exterior, headlight/taillight design, etc...

I think the absolute worst 'trend' is the tablet infotainment centers popping up everywhere. Where they are not integrated, but kind of stand-alone above the dash. Looks terrible and so tacky.

Here is a perfect example.. A 2018 vs. 2021 Toyota Camry interior. The exterior and other things didn't change, same gen. But the pop out infotainment is a new "feature". This one isn't as bad as many are with this same tablet design. Some look way worse (*cough* TESLA *cough*).

... I think the absolute worst 'trend' is the tablet infotainment centers popping up everywhere. Where they are not integrated, but kind of stand-alone above the dash. Looks terrible and so tacky....

Omg!! Yes!!! I thought I was the only one who felt this way. It literally seems like the designers were designing the cars, got finished and said: “Wow!!! This looks so good!” And then someone was like “Ummm, we forgot the infotainment center.” And they were like “Oh sh!t.... let’s just put a tablet on the dash, and call it a day.”

And it looks awful!!! And I can’t believe it’s found on so many high end cars either. Terrible design.

So my car history... At 16 got a Pontiac Sunfire which I drove for two or three years until I was in college. Bought a new 2008 Scion xB at the time in 2007, which I drove for 10 years basically (at 145K) when I got rear-ended and it was totaled. Super bummed, absolutely loved that car. No intention ever to get rid of it.

 

Due to me needing a car, ended up with a 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid SE. Brother works at Toyota so it was easy enough, leased it for 3-year. Really nice, but not exactly what I would have gone with had I had time to really look and drive a ton of stuff. Thing is, not a fan of most cars the past few years. Styling (exterior or interior) or the suspensions/handling, among other things, often push me away from most. I'm a car guy of sorts, absolutely love to drive just for the enjoyment with nowhere to go. So while the Camry is super nice, it doesn't exactly get me excited to drive it. Granted, I actually went with the hybrid variant as it has more power/pep than the standard 4 cylinder or V6 due to the instantaneous torque by the electric motor. Not really to save on gas...

 

Start looking around a few months ago to see what was out there that I'd potentially get, and well...

 

Don't have it quite yet, but placed an order with my dealer for my new 2021 Camaro 2SS, 10-Speed AT. Black on black.

 

Dual mode exhaust, magnetic ride control, front fascia extension and some other little things.

 

I also checked out the Mustang GT and Challenger, but the Camaro just dominated on a few fronts for me. Handling was a huge thing, but the exhaust note and the "cockpit" cabin of the Camaro won me over. The 455HP just rips!

 

Just absolutely fell in love with it. I originally planned on buying used, but literally not a single one in the country with the features I need (or did not want)... I didn't want a sunroof (I'm 6'6", so that takes up valuable head room, plus, I don't care for them anyway), and any of the Camaro's available with the options I was after all had sunroofs. So I basically was left to order one in to my spec.

 

Will look like this at delivery in a few weeks!

 

[attachment=0]camaro final 4.JPG[/attachment]

[attachment=1]camaro final 2.JPG[/attachment]

[attachment=2]camaro final 1.JPG[/attachment]

[attachment=3]camaro final 3.JPG[/attachment]

No hate hear because I use to love new gen camaros, But over time I have lost all interest in them mainly because everyone and there mother drives one here in Texas, They all look the same to me. Besides I love when I I'm minding my own business at a red light and some boomer or teenager thinking he's hot shit pulls up next to me in his camaro or corvette and starts raving on me and I am now forced to hand him the Gapplebees menu in my "ricer". its actually one of my favorite past times to hurt there feelings..lol

 

No hate hear because I use to love new gen camaros, But over time I have lost all interest in them mainly because everyone and there mother drives one here in Texas, They all look the same to me. Besides I love when I I'm minding my own business at a red light and some boomer or teenager thinking he's hot shit pulls up next to me in his camaro or corvette and starts raving on me and I am now forced to hand him the Gapplebees menu in my "ricer". its actually one of my favorite past times to hurt there feelings..lol

Interesting that they are so plentiful in Texas! Not that common at all here in Ohio... I mean, I see them, but probably 1/5 of the Mustang's or Challengers I see, easy. And usually, they are not the V8's, but the 4 or 6 cylinder variants. I mean, if you are going to get a Mustang/Camaro/Challenger, you better get the V8... Just my opinion, though. But to come across a SS/2SS is far more rare, I have only seen one or two in the past month probably.

But I routinely see 3-4 Mustang's on my 10 minute commute to work...

That aside, there is no doubt people like to be super annoying in any muscle/sport car. One reason I am immediately getting my my windows tinted so when some idiot decides to pull up next to me trying to race, they won't see me not caring! haha

Back to the infotainment centers... Toyota re-launched the Venza as a Hybrid only... And look at that huge laptop in the center dash!

Here's my shit box. 2018 STI with the Recaro seat options and a few other bullshit add on's. It's the first car I've ever paid in full from the stealership and it felt great. I'll never not do that again.It's my car, not the bank's car.

I have a toxic liking to Japanese cars, and Subaru in particular. I absolutely love the sound of an archaic flat four unreliable EJ motor with unequal length headers. I like small'er' nimble driver's cars. For me, speed isn't as important as engagement and feel. I don't know if I'll ever add bolt-on's to this car, or not. I usually have in the past, but the modest 305 HP is doing me just fine. I have an itch to add a bigger turbo and take it to COBB tuning in Texas, but I drive pretty responsibly, I don't beat on the car, and I don't race. I'm not 20 years old anymore. I like driver focused cars, because I like the sounds and feel. Fortunately, I live within minutes of some great windy back roads when I want to push the car around a little in responsible moderation..

My first high-school vehicle was a stick shift. I'll never own a fun car without a manual trans. I'm still a firm believer that a true driver focused car does not come with an automatic.

Previous shit boxes:

1994 Isuzu pickup - beat to shit, lime green, a sheet metal camper shell, and doors that didn't lock.

1992 Geo Storm - The car that got me into cars. Shitty autozone air filter, cut the mufflers off, an Ebay "performance chip," and a terrible make shift header. Total obnoxious shit pile.

2003 Nissan Sentra SER Spec V - This was when tuner cars were at their height. VIS carbon fiber hood. Cheap shitty black wheels, some kind of decent exhaust system, an off-brand header, Nismo Cold Air Intake, Nismo Shock/Springs, Enkie Sway Bars, Nismo Shot Shifter, and a bunch of other cheap shit worthless mods that kids bolt-on to gain 1-2 WHP here and there. It was fun, but I totally riced it out.

2009 Civic Si Couple - My first new car with no down payments and terrible $400/month payments. Young and dumb. Back when I had bills and credit card debt, despite living at home. But, it's the first car that I modded with subtle simplicity, and I did an OK job at it. HFP (Honda Factory Performance aftermarket) Wheels, HFP Shock/Spring Kit, AEM Cold Air Intake, HKS Exhaust. It was a fun, decent quality, nice looking car. I didn't rice it out.

2007 Nissan 350Z Touring with the VQHR motor: I hated it. The sound was decent, but the car was not engaging. You sat on the floor and the visibility was junk. It was quick in high rev-range, but it felt numb. It was the first car I paid off, but I sold it within a year. Dissapointment.

Then, I finally made my way into Subaru's, which I've always had a fetish for. I also became financially responsible enough to purchase vehicles I could pay off within a year.

2013 WRX: Purchased new. Cobb Intake/Airbox. Cobb Accessport OTS (Pre-loaded 93 octane tune), Nameless Performance axleback wrinkle black exhaust. The seat covers were replaced, because they were shitty and wrinkled, the Ffcking rearview mirror fell off of it, it rattled in the winter because of all of the cheap plastic, a piece of the front bumper covering the factory tow-hook fell off consistent with its reputation, and the sloppy 5-speed is referred to as "the school bus transmission." But, damn I loved it just as much as I thought I would love a WRX. The engine burbled. The ride was just stiff enough to handle well and still be comfortable. It did great on long trips.

2015 STI: Brought to you by Bud Light. Emily and I had a few beers at the STL Auto Show. We rounded the corner and saw the brand new MY15 generation 2015 STI in iconic World Rally Blue. The interior quality was light-years ahead of my WRX and it looked phenomenal. We'd just paid off the WRX, so we shouldn't have been thinking about buying another car. Some fat nerd was bragging to everyone about how he was going to buy one next month (OOOooook). Ffck him. I ordered one on the way home.

Corsa Exhaust (sex), Cobb Intake/SF Airbox, and another OTS tune. I learned a hell of a lesson. I bought a set of beautiful Work Emotion Bronze 18x9.5 +38mm offset forged wheels wrapped in 265 Pilot Supersport tires. I squatted it on RCE Yellow 2" lowering springs. I ruined it. The car felt heavy and the tires rubbed, after ffcking with the fantastic factory suspension setup. I paid almost $4,000 for it.

On top of that, I did all this after I already had pre-existing issues with the suspension and stearing rack. In order to have those issues fixed, I had to take off the springs. I ate $1500 getting rid of everything within a month of use. The stearing rack was replaced, due to having way more tension to the right than to the left. I had a suspension pop that took me about 8-10 trips to the dealership over a few months with constant contact with Subaru of America. They were unable to fix the issue. Eventually, they credited me $4,000 to the purchase of a new Subaru pre-negotiations and trade-in. I almost bought a GTI or Golf-R, but my wife reminded me of how much I loved my STI and WRX, despite the issues.

That, and the STI was paid off, so the $4,000 helped me cover the gap for me to write a check for the remainder of the $40,000. Pain in the ass, but my current STI has a lot of extras and it feels surprisingly of much higher quality with model refresh enhancements from my 15. Subaru tweaked the suspension to make it even better, they added sound deadening, adjusted the already phenomenal stearing feel, 6 piston brembos, new front-end, LED rotating headlights, LED tails, adjusted clutch engagement point, a slightly better tune, larger touch screen, a slightly less terrible sound system, 19" wheels, and those ffcking beautiful Recaro seats.

I love this shit box. The new STI is rumored to be 400 HP. I don't give a shit, since it's going to have equal length headers and the terrible sound the new motor in the WRX' FA 2.0 liter twin-scroll. I need to hear the iconic rumble. My car is one of the last ones to have a modern shell, but the old school turbo motor and transmission still have an engaging driver-connected mechanical feel that's hard to find, anymore. I still get constant looks, compliments, and thumbs up, despite an abundance of negativity and dirty looks from people who don't know what the car is. It's too bad the new generation flat-billed, vaping, uninformed tuner, sticker modder WRX owner is taking over the old school friendly knowledgeable WRX culture. I'm still holding on to the old school Subaru ways of being so obnoxiously ugly, temperamental, and bizarre that only a mother could love our cars.

Cheers to a revived thread.

Here's my shit box. 2018 STI with the Recaro seat options and a few other bullshit add on's. It's the first car I've ever paid in full from the stealership and it felt great. I'll never not do that again.It's my car, not the bank's car.

 

....

 

For me, speed isn't as important as engagement and feel. I don't know if I'll ever add bolt-on's to this car, or not. I usually have in the past, but the modest 305 HP is doing me just fine. I have an itch to add a bigger turbo and take it to COBB tuning in Texas, but I drive pretty responsibly, I don't beat on the car, and I don't race. I'm not 20 years old anymore. I like driver focused cars, because I like the sounds and feel. Fortunately, I live within minutes of some great windy back roads when I want to push the car around a little in responsible moderation..

First up, really nice car! I'm sure that's a blast to drive.

Secondly, 10000% agree with your comment on engagement/feel being a primary focus in a car. When I began my search, while of course HP/Torque was on my radar... One of the biggest attributes that I go for in a vehicle is the suspension. I'm so picky with how a car must handle/feel among some other things. Can't stand a 'smooth' ride as weird as that sounds. When the vehicle 'floats' down the road and rolls around with any input from the steering wheel, I hate that so much. Worst characteristic. I want to feel the road and the car to feel planted to it, even if the ride is harsher and anytime you hit a pothole you think you almost died. My old xB was lowered with added sway and strut bars and low profile tiles, I loved that it felt like you were driving a Go-Kart... People always commented how rough the ride was, but that was my favorite thing about it.

That being said, when I started my search for my new car, power was indeed on my list of 'wants'. But again, I wanted the right interior, styling and of course the suspension/handling and overall 'experience' had to feel right. Obviously the Camaro hit those marks for me, which was a bit unexpected honestly. Going into my search, I thought it would actually prefer other options but that quickly changed when I drove the SS and 2SS variants. That Alpha platform is just nuts, to say the least. No contest against the Mustang platform.

In related news, my Camaro will be built within the next few days according to the tracking status. So I may see it soon here, right around the end of the month if all goes well. First up though will be getting the tires swapped out immediately from the summer run-flats to something a bit more "Cleveland friendly". Likely the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ so I can at least drive the thing when temps are below 40. But when snow starts to fly and the salt starts to be applied everywhere, it will be garaged for the most part. But if anything like the past two winters, we were in the 70's in December at times and had one, maybe two snow storms at best. So hoping for a repeat!

Took delivery of my Camaro yesterday! It was actually built on Tuesday (finished), shipped and arrived at the dealer the very next day. I didn't expect it so soon, figured it would take another 2 weeks or so. But I'm not complaining!

Still needs to get the front splitter installed and black lug nuts (dealer installed options), but otherwise it's all set to go. Took for an hour long drive along a scenic canal here and it was just glorious. Unfortunately, break-in is recommended to keep under about 4,000 RPM for the first 1,500 miles... Which, still has plenty of power in that range of course. But I can't wait to be able to open that engine up!

Beautiful car. I've thought about going with a domestic V8, either a Mustang or a Camaro for my next car. I've never gone that route before, so I'd like to try it out. I've heard nothing but great reviews about the new Camaro. For the first time, I actually like the looks of the Camaro. Great choice.

I love my Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires on my STI. They're comparable to some of the less aggressive summer tires. I didn't notice much of a difference between those and the stock UHP Yokohama Advan Sport tires that came on my car. Granted, I don't push my car hard.

Enjoy your new car.

Thanks!

I think if you go test drive both to see how you like them, you will be hooked with one of them. It was an easy choice for me once I drove both, but everybody has their own preferences of course. Unfortunately, I really worry that the V8's won't be around much longer. Seems like the Camaro may be done, or at least a long hiatus again after 2023. Strong rumors it goes EV when it comes back for Gen 7, if at all. Not sure on the Ford front though with the Mustang. I don't mind EV's and hybrids, but I really hope automakers keep some of the more 'fun' cars with ICE options, especially the V8's. It's no question EV's can outperform in terms of acceleration and their torque capability, but there is so much more to these cars than that.

Put about 300 miles on the car thus far, yesterday taking it through some local park systems with some nice tight curves, hills/valleys and such. At one point, one road had a cool RMC "outward bank" turn! Scared the girlfriend a bit as she wasn't paying attention at the time, haha. The handling is next level with the Camaro, it's absolutely effortless in cornering and how planted it keeps to the road. The suspension, as far as I am concerned, is practically flawless for my tastes in the 2SS with magnetic ride control. I can't wait to get out of the break-in period and start being able to push it a bit more!

Still nothing better than a burst of acceleration and hearing that engine come to life, then letting off at around 4,000 RPM and hearing that exhaust system crackle and pop. AND still be within the posted speed limits, too!

Great to hear you dig the A/S 3+'s on your STI. Seems like the best option if after a more summer-focused tire that won't turn to hockey pucks in cooler temps. I don't plan to drive this in the snow, but I do want to be able to take it out when it's nice and dry in the middle of winter. I don't particularly have a ton of options available in the tire size it takes (245/40R20 front, 275/35R20 rear). But basically came down to the DWS-06 and the A/S 3+. I just like the feedback from users on the A/S 3+ being better in dry/wet, with the DWS having the advantage in snow and noise.