1 2 3
JG Pasterjak
JG Pasterjak Production/Art Director
9/27/13 1:36 p.m.

Well, sort of.

The wife's Mazda5 gets picked up by new daddy tomorrow. She looked very hard at the CX5, the 6 and the possibility of adding another Volt to the family. Even with the Mazda S-Plan, she couldn't get a CX5 or a 6 to a price level where she'd be happy paying for it for five years. So she was ready to pull the trigger on a Volt, and she drove my car for a few days to finalize her opinion.

The day before she's ready to make the deal, she comes home and says "Honey, I love you, and I'm glad you like this thing, but it bores the E36 M3 out of me. I want something fun. I'm tired of making practical decisions all the time."

So, as a guy who works for a car magazine predicated on the concept that cars can be fun, I really couldn't argue with her. Of course, her idea of "fun" as a 47-year-old elementary school teacher is still a long was from a gutted C5 on R-Comps, but I thought I had the answer for her.

So I have a deposit, a plane ticket and a cashier's check to go collect this:

No, it's not a rotary Miata, but it's sure got a whole hell of a lot more personality than what she was looking at. And it's at a point in its depreciation curve that even if she hates it, she can probably bail out of it without much loss.

I think it's desperately in need of some black BBSs, but we can fix that at some point.

jg

PHeller
PHeller UberDork
9/27/13 1:40 p.m.

PHeller
PHeller UberDork
9/27/13 1:40 p.m.

Sorry.

The0retical
The0retical HalfDork
9/27/13 1:58 p.m.
PHeller wrote: Sorry.

There is so much right in that picture I can hardly stand it.

I'd ask why not a CTS-V wagon but it's probably an order of magnitude more expensive than that JG.

Also mmmmm Ford GTs.

Klayfish
Klayfish SuperDork
9/27/13 1:58 p.m.
JG Pasterjak wrote: The day before she's ready to make the deal, she comes home and says "Honey, I love you, and I'm glad you like this thing, but it bores the E36 M3 out of me. I want something fun. I'm tired of making practical decisions all the time."

She's a keeper! I can completely relate. My wife is similar, but still at the point of making practical decisions...current DD is a loaded Forte hatch...kinda fun but more practical. In a few years (when coincidentally she'll be the same age your wife is now), I'm betting she says the same thing...and goes for a wagon like that, except she'd probably go CTS

Sweet car! The ones in the background are meh... Personally, I'd be real careful with the rim selection. I think you can cross the line between sharp looking and pimped looking too easily on a car like that.

Duke
Duke PowerDork
9/27/13 2:00 p.m.

Do anything - anything - rather than put black wheels on a black car. So dull and lifeless. No detail, no shape to catch the eye. No highlights to punctuate the mass of the car. Just a black blob.

Please. I beg you. Stop the black-on-black violence.

JG Pasterjak
JG Pasterjak Production/Art Director
9/27/13 2:04 p.m.
Duke wrote: Do anything - *anything* - rather than put black wheels on a black car. *So* dull and lifeless. No detail, no shape to catch the eye. No highlights to punctuate the mass of the car. Just a black blob. Please. I beg you. Stop the black-on-black killing.

Black wheels on black car = bad

Black wheels with silver or polished lip on black car = bad ass.

jg

Duke
Duke PowerDork
9/27/13 2:09 p.m.
JG Pasterjak wrote: Black wheels on black car = beyond awful Black wheels with silver or polished lip on black car = minimum acceptable jg

OK, so we're in the same arena, just on different goal lines.

Duke
Duke PowerDork
9/27/13 2:10 p.m.

Oh, by the way, awesome car. I wish my wife liked wagons, but I think it will be me getting one when I replace the trusty E46.

PHeller wrote:

ALL THE WANT.

wbjones
wbjones PowerDork
9/27/13 2:10 p.m.

fwiw .. I like black wheels on black cars ...

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
9/27/13 2:16 p.m.
JG Pasterjak wrote: I want something fun. I'm tired of making practical decisions all the time."

As a man cross-shopping a new GTI and a Minivan, I can totally relate.

JG Pasterjak
JG Pasterjak Production/Art Director
9/27/13 2:17 p.m.

I think I could talk her into something like this real easy.

jg

driver109x
driver109x HalfDork
9/27/13 2:30 p.m.

Gold, bronze, or grey spokes with polished lip on a black car FTW!

4cylndrfury
4cylndrfury MegaDork
9/27/13 2:37 p.m.

GOLDFTMFW...Some Volk TE37s or Gram lights over BBS in my opinion tho.

failboat
failboat SuperDork
9/27/13 2:46 p.m.
Duke wrote: Oh, by the way, awesome car. I wish my wife liked wagons, but I think it will be me getting one when I replace the trusty E46.
PHeller wrote:
ALL THE WANT.

i am convinced that these are the best wheels ever made. ever.

PHeller
PHeller UberDork
9/27/13 2:48 p.m.

I remember in Gran Turismo 2 or 3 those wheels seemingly fitting every car.

dyintorace
dyintorace GRM+ Memberand UberDork
9/27/13 2:53 p.m.
PHeller wrote:

Holy moly, that is gorgeous. Wow! Much want now.

AngryCorvair
AngryCorvair GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
9/27/13 3:35 p.m.

belteshazzar
belteshazzar UberDork
9/27/13 3:39 p.m.

steelies. plain. black. steelies.

Swank Force One
Swank Force One MegaDork
9/27/13 4:01 p.m.
JG Pasterjak wrote:
Duke wrote: Do anything - *anything* - rather than put black wheels on a black car. *So* dull and lifeless. No detail, no shape to catch the eye. No highlights to punctuate the mass of the car. Just a black blob. Please. I beg you. Stop the black-on-black killing.
Black wheels on black car = bad Black wheels with silver or polished lip on black car = bad ass. jg

Black wheels with a polished lip on anything is j-

You know what? berkeley it. Black wheels with a polished lip are quite possibly the worst thing in the world. 1999 called and they want their wheels back.

JG Pasterjak
JG Pasterjak Production/Art Director
9/27/13 4:07 p.m.

These guys would totally rock black wheels with polished lips

jg

The_Jed
The_Jed SuperDork
9/27/13 4:13 p.m.
JG Pasterjak wrote: These guys would totally rock black wheels with polished lips jg

...I can see his nipple...

nicksta43
nicksta43 SuperDork
9/27/13 4:15 p.m.

In reply to Swank Force One:

Disagree.

I always had a thing for black steel wheels with stainless trim rings. So if I wanted a light weight wheel in a size that I could fit a modern performance tire on and still keep the stainless trim ring look a polished lip on a black wheel it the only thing that will pass.

And I've been known to ruin perfectly fine factory wheels to achieve the look

Vigo
Vigo UberDork
9/27/13 5:56 p.m.

I would avoid black wheel centers. I think a grey or silver wheel will look much better. My .02.

Nice looking car btw!

After she gets it challenge her to a 0-50 drag race in your boring car. I have an idea of how it will turn out, and it is comical to me.

t25torx
t25torx Reader
9/27/13 6:04 p.m.
AngryCorvair wrote:

I like this.. this is what you should do.

1 2 3

You'll need to log in to post.

Our Preferred Partners
fWcqzk1CMu0uvEa3CMz4HCrRV3xSbF5ZC1k73s5KBdOLxYQ0B5UCjuCLhDSYvQdA