Kenny_McCormic wrote:
Vigo wrote:
I had the opposite opinion. Well, for me it wasn't really a styling issue. For me the car looks 'cheaper' in person than in pictures. Hard to pin down why that is, but I assume it has to do with surface finishes.
Thanks to the EPA, with today's "paint" you aren't going to get any mass produced car that isn't orange peeled to hell. I don't think you can get smooth anymore without a lot of sounding.
My '13 Fiesta has nice smooth shiny paint.
I think orange peel is a GM thing, they had it in the past when other makes were smooth.
Cotton
SuperDork
12/2/13 10:43 a.m.
In reply to iceracer:
our 09 Solstice GXP coupe has pretty slick paint.
our '14 Mazda 6 has the most amazing factory paint I've ever seen. It makes my 05 Mustang look like it was rattle canned in a shed. Of course, the 6 is japan-built, but I think their restrictions are harsher than ours in the enviro areas, not more lenient.
For the longest time the 'orange peel' was intentional because it hides a E36 M3pot of flaws. Perfect example: where the roof stamping joined the quarter stamping on many cars. The panels were welded then leaded, the bodywork was difficult to get right quickly. With better panel forming/joining methods it's not as essential as it once was.
Vigo
UberDork
12/2/13 3:55 p.m.
You won't find a "nice" house at that price.
Clearly you don't live in Texas. 
But if you currently lived in California, you probably soon WOULD live in Texas. You could go from scraping by to upper middle class overnight! Unfortunately when you START in Texas your only similar options involve 3rd world countries.
Saw a yellow one two weeks back. Had to catch up just to see what it was. It looked nice from behind. 
Cotton
SuperDork
12/2/13 4:15 p.m.
Speaking of paint...Harley Davidson has some of the best factory painting I've ever seen.
The Stingray paint has proven to be "difficult" because of body geometry and sharp edges. Tends to leave bare spots on the crease.
I've always been a corvette fan, since the ZR1 at least. Every time I see a new one I get the overcoming urge to vomit.
In reply to iceracer:
None of the 15 or so GM cars I've owned had orange peel? My wife's old 99 Grand Prix had the most beautiful perfectly smooth paint I've seen outside of a show car.
Well I guess, thinking about it more, the 86 T/A, 88 S10 and 86 GMC sierra had slight orange peel. But that's going back a long way to nitpick.
Flight Service wrote:
So, dry sump, lots of extra coolers, upgraded seats, suspension, exhaust and gear ratios, there you have it.
$60K for America's supercar
Shee-yet, by what I've learned in the WTF Toyota thread, that's only $3k more than an F-150!
Curmudgeon wrote:
For the longest time the 'orange peel' was intentional because it hides a E36 M3pot of flaws. Perfect example: where the roof stamping joined the quarter stamping on many cars. The panels were welded then leaded, the bodywork was difficult to get right quickly. With better panel forming/joining methods it's not as essential as it once was.
On VWVortex there is an interesting thread regarding the history of the Westmoreland plant, told by one of the plant managers/supervisors who helped start it up.
When he was in training in Germany, he actually got scolded for laying down "perfect" paint. He was being trained to make cars the German way, and he was told that German buyers expected the paint to be all orange peeled because that signified that there was a thick coat of paint on the metal.
Knurled wrote:
Curmudgeon wrote:
For the longest time the 'orange peel' was intentional because it hides a E36 M3pot of flaws. Perfect example: where the roof stamping joined the quarter stamping on many cars. The panels were welded then leaded, the bodywork was difficult to get right quickly. With better panel forming/joining methods it's not as essential as it once was.
On VWVortex there is an interesting thread regarding the history of the Westmoreland plant, told by one of the plant managers/supervisors who helped start it up.
When he was in training in Germany, he actually got scolded for laying down "perfect" paint. He was being trained to make cars the German way, and he was told that German buyers expected the paint to be all orange peeled because that signified that there was a thick coat of paint on the metal.
I've seen his cars in person and he is incredible! Also, he said they were spraying on a gravel floor at first before they finished the flooring. Hard to imagine a "modern" automotive factory operating that way.
What's the story behind that idiocy?
In reply to nicksta43:
Yeah I can see the yellow paint peeling right off from that angle
yamaha
PowerDork
12/2/13 10:29 p.m.
In reply to Flight Service:
No, there are some fully optioned f150's cracking 50k......local dealer has 2 f-450 crew cab dualies that are over 70k. 
Trucks are getting expensive.
In reply to yamaha:
But why would you buy an F150 if you drive a Vette? Wouldn't this be more your speed?
With 4wd, upgraded wheels, hitch, roof, suspension, and the 6.2 instead of the 5.3 it is $57,130
That is $3K less than the vette...
I'd take a $60k bathtub over a $57k wheelbarrow anyday!
It's a Vette wouldn't it be more of a whirlpool therapy tub with the senior door option?
M3Loco
Reader
12/3/13 12:25 p.m.
nicksta43 wrote:
Looks like it's from one our auctions. HM... LOL..
Ms. Service saw a red one the other day. She said "THAT is the new Vette, you can have one!"
(Wait for it, my wife never let's me off that easy)
I said: "They do look good don't they? I though you always say they were small penis mobiles?"
Ms. Service: "They are. (pats me on the leg) You can have one." (Goes back to reading her Facebook on her phone)
So I can get a Vette and BURN all in one.
