Cars I don't want to want
 

In between meetings at work, so a counterpoint to the other thread. Cars that I nearly constantly think about, and which I wish I could get out of my subconscious.

1) Third gen RX-7. Have driven a few over the years and been very underwhelmed, but the shape of these calls to me without fail roughly once a year. I have no practical (or impractical, even) use for one. And they're expensive now, even for junky ones. and they're all junky, because they were junky when Mazda built them. But I really want one. If I were rich, I'd have one to park in the garage and look at. Not to drive. Because, you know, you want to get home.

2) Another E36 M3. Coupe. No sunroof. Manual seats. Preferably in white or yellow (sorry, Bren). I loved driving Nick's with the Euro swap, but the gearing was all wrong and I'd need to swap in a faster ratio steering rack. But I would totally daily drive the hell out of one of these... and then rapidly remember why I sold my '95, which yes I'm glad you asked I sold because they're kind of clunky cars with interiors that disintegrate. But they're from that era where BMW made pretty simple, analog cars with airy interiors. Every modern (turbo) BMW I've driven has been not very enjoyable (laggy DBW throttle, soggy engine mapping and turbo response, unengaging noises, disconnected steering, suspect reliability).

3) Mazda RX-8. This is going to sound weird, because I have one, but I can't get the thought of a street-legal RX-8 out of my head. Not with a Renesis, because... no. Cheap V8 swap is the easy button, but I do worry that it would ruin the feel of the car a little bit. People are starting to swap GM V6s into these cars, but ... yeah, no. Nevermind that I don't have time to build a street RX-8 with an engine swap. I still want one. And I don't want to.

964
1973 RS
C5 Z06
997 GT3

Like you, my eye goes back to the more analog cars.

Outright speed matters less and less. It’s the subjectivity of the driving experience that matters to me.

:bustingup

I like the idea of this reverse thread (or was Matt's first thread opposite to begin with?).

Guilty pleasures, or cars that we can't stop thinking about. For me, based on looks, it's the Alfa Giulia sedan. Even in the 4-cyl form, it just speaks to me. Haven't driven one.

Caymans, I can hardly get them out of my head. But I have to remind myself that I have one of the best spec'ced Boxsters possible and would lose a ton switching out. Not to mention disappoint C.

Hmm...

1. E36 318ti or E36 Touring with an S50/S52 - I really want to make one of these a reality in the next few years before they all completely rust away
2. Isuzu Vehicross - No reason at all, I think they're weird and ugly enough to be cool.
3. Honda S2000 - I've always liked them but have never driven one. They seem to be going up in price and most have been beat on pretty good by now, but it's probably what I'd have if I never bought the FR-S.

I guess I should add "An E46 with an LS engine" to this list. It would probably be way worse than I imagine it being, but I would be willing to bet I could build it for less money than I could sell it for if I got bored with it.

I am also drawn to the Caymans, despite the fact that I’m a diehard convertible person and I find the form factor of both the Caymanand Boxster hard to get in and out of.

A Miata or Fiat version are on the list.

And my random American pick: Corvette Stingray.

After my C5 experience and having a good friend with a C6 Z06 I firmly decided I'm not a Corvette person.

But then I drove a C7 Grand Sport and .. uh... argh...

Car I don't want to want:

Honda Accord. Been true since 1999.

Competently forgettable to drive. Anonymous appliance that you can go or take anywhere and no one will notice you, look at you, remember you, or think anything about you. The car won't attract any attention for any reason. Inexpensive. Does anything you need in the practical realm of why cars exist. Generally as reliable as anything.

:dunno:

Are they still the most stolen car in America? I had two. That burned off any desire to have another--especially the '94 version. I got it as a manual, but they had already engineered a fixed arm rest that interfered with the stick. Harbinger of things to come...

Fixed

No way!

Hmm, I thought the Viper was the biggest head turner for all of us who would never own one

That's just a car you don't want. Not a car that you want but don't want to want.

Well you just gave me my first that I don't want to want.

Thanks for that. :lol:

If only I had a rebuilt E46 chassis with an aging engine available.

You decided to go the purist route, rather than Franksensupercar. Although, it's not too late the change your mind...:)

A Stingray convertible would be very pleasant to have. It's just car like enough to actually be drivable, and it's definitely a fun car to be in.

There's an S54 ti that comes to the office. I think that at this point, given how cheap S54s have gotten, and now that people have nailed down the swap, it's not really worth doing anything else.

...and the E30 M3 is most likely going to get an S54 shoved in to replace the S50US. (I'm keeping the S14 in storage.)

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
911 GT3
Lotus Elise
Mercedes E63 wagon
Mercedes SL/SLS/AMG (a few of them)
Mercedes 190E 2.3 16V

I've yet to hear an S54 that sounded good. I'm sure there's a way to do it, I just haven't heard one.

If you can make one sound like the Euro I6, I'd be all over putting an S54 in something. Not an E36 ti though... because ick.

For now. But we didn't do all that much to the engine. If it goes I might be willing to get creative.

The engine is strong but does burn a lot of oil. But who knows, maybe it'll last another 100k miles.

Learn to love the rasp?

Edit: Really, the answer is a quiet exhaust and a CF airbox. Drown out the exhaust noise with one of the best induction noises of all time, IMO.

We may want to consider modifying the CCV system to reduce the vacuum applied to the system. It could help the low oil ring tension issue and reduce the oil consumption.

That may be the right answer. I just can't stand the exhaust sound of that engine. It ruins the car.

I really like the stock chainsaw cutting a barrel of marbles exhaust note, but it's not for everyone. (It also sounds a lot better with Euro headers.)

A lot of the aftermarket exhausts add some really weird notes.

The best sounding S54 I ever heard was, perhaps unsurprisingly, Chuck Stickley's absolutely balls out C-Modified engine. It sounded like it was tearing a hole in the space-time continuum coming and going.

(One friend who happened to come by the track to say hi said she thought it sounded really evil.)

The stock sound is pretty much the worst exhaust sound ever, as far as I'm concerned. :lol:

I liked it better with the Dinan than stock, but ideally for trips less than an hour. The number of negative comments coming out of JV (on multiple threads) is astonishing... Lighten up, Francis!

Dodge Charger scat pack. Too big, likely unreliable, gas guzzler, drab interior. Can’t get it out of my head though. As if to torture me there’s one parked on the street near my work every day.


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Okay, but that's not how they sound stock.

https://youtu.be/zjCTRznA3WY

:ack:

I did cite that as the best sounding I'd ever encountered. And it's even better in person.

Although your video has a Supersprint, so it's not stock.

I'm confused on the original "Stingray" comment:

1963-67 Sting Ray
1968-1976 Stingray
2014-20?? Stingray

:dunno:

Maybe. Dunno. It's not really a factor in this exercise for me.

That's the problem. I do not want to want one. But I do. And have for many, many years.

I believe that the one that I have driven is a '65.

The C7s don't count.

I honestly believe that the Accord gives you the most predictably bulletproof + money-smart experience a person can have owning a car. It's a ridiculously good buy for the money. Easy to like, but unfortunately hard for a car enthusiast to love.

Huh? :lol:

Right. This one is on my list, too.

That's a good one. They sound awesome!

A friend and I were talking on this topic the other weekend. Mine would be the new Ford Raptor. For so many reasons that thing just sounds fun.

Agreed. Add that one to my list as well.