What kind of "Car Guy" are you?

im a kinda-vw guy and i dont hate ya!!

As my name alludes I'm a Mopar guy. I dig pretty much any old car but only the old Plymouths and Dodges follow me home. I strayed to Subaru back in '01 and was disappointed. That was the last brand new car I bought.

I wouldn't mind an early Rally Manta, Baja Bug or Manx.

My heart is really with the 2nd generation RWD A-bodies ('67-76) and the 2nd gen Barracudas in particular.

My fleet is all Mopar but there hasn't really been anything new that they have offered to make me want to make payments on in a long time. The CTD Ram was more for necessity than want, and it was used.

If I didn't have the old toys, a new Challenger would be nice, but I what I really wish they could have made would be a modern Turbo Daytona. The SRT4 was a good attempt but not "it" for me.

I'm with JFX001 on the "build it myself" way of thinking these days. No body really makes something I want to make payments on.

If I had to get something new, I'd probably pay a visit to Kia/Hyundai for a test drive.

-Rob

Rob_Mopar wrote: If I didn't have the old toys, a new Challenger would be nice, but I what I really wish they could have made would be a modern Turbo Daytona. The SRT4 was a good attempt but not "it" for me.

Rob, I still remember test driving a new Turbo Daytona for a girlfriend back when they were new. Except for thinking that the shift linkage felt like a plunger in a bucket full of gravel, I liked it. Not as agile as the Charger or Omni, but not as cramped, either. The G-Body would have been a pretty good GT car if they'd put a little more work into it.

friedgreencorrado wrote: Except for thinking that the shift linkage felt like a plunger in a bucket full of gravel...

Just wait 'till you drive your GTV6!

As for me, I like all old and interesting cars. I'd probably like modern cars too, if I could afford them. And I also have a thing for French cars, which no one else seems to. Not just SM Citroens and Alpine Renaults, but the 'unloved' models, as well.

Pretty much a Ford guy--73 Pinto Wagon, 80 K-5 Blazer, 85 Town Car, 91 Ranger and now an 03 Mustang. Open to other suggestions though.

donalson wrote: a strong I6 backed to a 5spd trans is something else I really want... and a topless fun car (miata) long list of cars... not enough time... or moeny

Can save yourself a car and money by purchasing one.. the Z3 with the Six cylinder. Topless fun AND an i6 backed to a five speed trans.

I tend to like european cars. I have never owned (but have driven) american or japanese cars.. but I will stand up for the two Hyundai's I have owned

I'm a trophy car slut. I like nearly anything that can trophy at Solo Nats or Runoffs.

Per

I like beaters. Cars that I can buy for less than $1000, beat the tar out of, and not care.

I have owned new cars, expensive near new cars, and classic cars.

I'll take a subcompact, sub $1000 car that I can beat on all day with $20 in gas, and not have to worry about, over a new car, any day.

My taste in cars is all over the map. I love the look of an XKE, the agility of a Miata, the usefulness of a Suburban. I want to build a Locost and I'd love to have a mid-late 50's Chrysler 300 letter car. I thoroughly enjoyed my Shelby Charger, just as I do my '64 Valiant. Contradiction? No, just different aspects of my personality. I appreciate good design, enjoy performance, and don't mind the occasional quirk. Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't.

The extreme is fun, but requires support from the mundane.

I am a Chevy guy. Not because any love of Chevrolet, in fact I only ever owned one, but because Dad was a Chevy guy when I was young. Its more of an instinct or an involuntary response. Weird, because when buying I have no brand preference at all but whenever a race that I know little about is on (NASCAR, SCORE, Monster Trucks) I tend to involuntarily route for the Chevy!

I will take just about any thing

Initially Mopar

Previously Mazda (pistons, no magical spinning triangles)

Currently Honder (might stay that way for a while)

I feel the same as P71 posted early in the thread. I'm a car fan.

I'm far to interested in everything to develope any very distinct, narrow minded brand loyalty. I can't even stay loyal to a car nationality or continent. Other than my lack of additioanl parking space, one of the leading reasons I don't have more cars is that I have a hard time deciding what to buy and don't have the money to buy everything I see.

I like cars that are fun to drive, look good, and, more importantly, do the job(s) that they were intended to do extremely well and don't try to fill other job positions as an afterthought (like a Porsche having back seats for some reason). I don't have a brand preference right now. I pretty much like everything that follows my third rule pretty well.

I have always loved the Mustang. Ford never disappointed me with that car. I liked the early Camaros until the 1970s when they became ugly. I like BMWs when it comes to European cars--even Chris Bangle's creations. I have to love the Miata, and I do when it comes to the British roadster genre (wait, it's Japanese?).

But...

As it stands now, I think Ford makes more cars that I really think I could drive on a daily basis than any other manufacturer. They remade the big "F. U., Ferrari" car and, once again, spanked the Italian manufacturer on its home turf; they owned the Pony car realm for years with the absolutely stunning 2005+ Mustang (the old ones were pretty too); and they even just took ownership of the hybrid (pseudo EV) car genre, albeit very quietly, with the EV Hybrid Fusion (take that, Camry!). How about the Flex? That thing is phull of phunk!

I can walk into a Ford dealership, hand them $50,000 (the price of an average-sized BMW), and walk out with 500 hp of tire-smoking, Camaro spanking, V-8 goodness. I'll take mine in blue, please. With silver stripes.

Chrysler makes nothing that I really find attractive right now, or anything other than one gigantic rebadged line of 300s. A four-door Charger? I HEART the Challenger though. They got that thing right. As long as it actually does what it looks like it does, I think they did a good job with it.

GM has also shown a ton of promise since their last dance with bankruptcy in 2005. I think the Camaro is absolutely gorgeous--almost exotic for a Pony car. I saw a red SS2 in a parking area on Bear Mountain in NY. Downright sexy.

friedgreencorrado wrote:

Rob_Mopar wrote: If I didn't have the old toys, a new Challenger would be nice, but I what I really wish they could have made would be a modern Turbo Daytona. The SRT4 was a good attempt but not "it" for me.

Rob, I still remember test driving a new Turbo Daytona for a girlfriend back when they were new. Except for thinking that the shift linkage felt like a plunger in a bucket full of gravel, I liked it. Not as agile as the Charger or Omni, but not as cramped, either. The G-Body would have been a pretty good GT car if they'd put a little more work into it.

My first Mopar was my '88 Daytona Pacifica back in '90. It was an auto. I grew up with mostly Mopars in the family but my first two cars were Chevys. I really enjoyed that '88 Daytona until the insurance ate me alive.

Last year I decided to pick up another Pacifica off a buddy in TX. This one gained all the goodies from a wrecked '89 Shelby. The shifter feels pretty good in it. Not perfect but good. But I'm used to truck manual transmissions now.

This one is getting the restomod treatment. I'm aiming to put that little extra effort into it the factory didn't. That goes back to the build for myself vs. buy new thing again.

What I was alluding to was the lack of something smallish and sports-car like in the Mopar lineup in far too many years. The proportions of the Daytona still hold up well. I don't really see anything like that from anyone right now.

-Rob

Mostly an Alfa Romeo guy due to influences in my youth. An uncle had a Giulietta Spyder and '67 GT Veloce. Later in life this influenced the purchase of four Alfas so far ... hoping to get a Giulietta Sprint one day and I'll be satisfied.

Let's see. Must be a Miata guy, if you go by the percentages. Owned 9 so far. Still own my first. Everything else is fairly widespread. '89 AWD Toyota Camry, '87 Toyota Tercel EZ, '79 Benz 350SLC, 86ish Chevy Sprint 5 door, 84 Ford Conversion Van (now in the hands of a capable couple of fellows), Miatae have all been NAs, from short nose 90's, to a PEP '97. Oh, there was a Ford Ranger in there somewhere, as well as an 80's Toyota 4X4 Pickup. A Second Gen CRX HF. '03 Jetta TDI sedan. 82 Subaru GL 5 door. Sure that I'm forgetting something, but I've been down with the piggie thing that is going around, so please forgive me.

Luke wrote:

friedgreencorrado wrote: Except for thinking that the shift linkage felt like a plunger in a bucket full of gravel...

Just wait 'till you drive your GTV6! As for me, I like all old and interesting cars. I'd probably like modern cars too, if I could afford them. And I also have a thing for French cars, which no one else seems to. Not just SM Citroens and Alpine Renaults, but the 'unloved' models, as well.

ROFL! Yeah, I've been hearing about that shifter since I bought it..and it ain't even connected yet.

I still think a Traction Avant would be a cool car. One of the first French films I ever saw was "Diva"..the `hero' in that one had a TA.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082269/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejr2wBFc_as

Rob_Mopar wrote:

friedgreencorrado wrote:

Rob_Mopar wrote: If I didn't have the old toys, a new Challenger would be nice, but I what I really wish they could have made would be a modern Turbo Daytona. The SRT4 was a good attempt but not "it" for me.

Rob, I still remember test driving a new Turbo Daytona for a girlfriend back when they were new. Except for thinking that the shift linkage felt like a plunger in a bucket full of gravel, I liked it. Not as agile as the Charger or Omni, but not as cramped, either. The G-Body would have been a pretty good GT car if they'd put a little more work into it.

My first Mopar was my '88 Daytona Pacifica back in '90. It was an auto. I grew up with mostly Mopars in the family but my first two cars were Chevys. I really enjoyed that '88 Daytona until the insurance ate me alive. Last year I decided to pick up another Pacifica off a buddy in TX. This one gained all the goodies from a wrecked '89 Shelby. The shifter feels pretty good in it. Not perfect but good. But I'm used to truck manual transmissions now. This one is getting the restomod treatment. I'm aiming to put that little extra effort into it the factory didn't. That goes back to the build for myself vs. buy new thing again.

You're "preaching to the choir" here, dude. I used to own British cars. It was amazing how reliable and comfortable they could be when you just sort the thing out yourself. I'm not familiar with the Pacifica, tho..was that a trim level, or a special edition?
I'm still of the opinion that a Turbo II with the right mods could make a Daytona scream! They sure ran like hell in the IMSA GTU back then..Kal Showket, John Fergus, Jeremy Dale and a bunch of others (including Dorsey Schroeder at one point) drove the berkeley out of them. I cheered for them at the time, just because they were trying to make a FWD car capable of catching the FB chassis RX-7s. Sometimes, they even caught them!

The team's name was "Full Time Racing", I think it was owned by Showket. Can't post up a link to the history, since I get a million results of driver/rider bios when I enter those words into a search engine. I did find this link to the road racing Mopars of the 80s-90s, but they talk more about IMSA's RS series (now "Speed Channel Cup") than they do the GTU cars.

http://www.front-runners.net/blogs/blogs/the_imsa_dodges.html

Rob_Mopar wrote: What I was alluding to was the lack of something smallish and sports-car like in the Mopar lineup in far too many years. The proportions of the Daytona still hold up well. I don't really see anything like that from anyone right now. -Rob

That's not just a Chrysler Corp. failure. Look at any manufacturer's lineup right now in the US..including the imports! The Golf, Civic, and Corolla have all grown up to be fat, expensive cars. Props to Honda & Toyota for sending the smaller models (the Fit and the various Scion products) over here, and as a VW guy, I can say I've continued to use my `92 Golf as a DD just because they won't bring the Polo over here.

I seriously thought about a Mazda 3, but the 2010 re-design is so ugly that I wouldn't buy a new one. I'm talkin' serious Pontiac Aztec sheetmetal over there..Ugh. Besides, I just picked up another project, so I won't be buying "new" for awhile..

I have had many different makes and mostly buy new vehicles. I don't feel that I am "brand loyal" but I am "dealership loyal" so for the last 20 years I have been a "FORD guy".

When I want a new vehicle I start looking at what they have on the lot. When I find it I go to "my salesman" and tell him "I want that vehicle and this is what I am trading (if I have a trade-in). How much will it cost me to drive it off the lot?" He knows he has one chance to give me a "good" number and that I am probably looking elsewhere at the same time. So far he has always come up with the right number.

The service department has a lot to do with it also. Not too many dealerships around here that I could drive in with a loud, lowered, supecharged, compact economy car and not even have the service writer blink..

friedgreencorrado wrote: You're "preaching to the choir" here, dude. I used to own British cars. It was amazing how reliable and comfortable they could be when you just sort the thing out yourself. I'm not familiar with the Pacifica, tho..was that a trim level, or a special edition? I'm still of the opinion that a Turbo II with the right mods could make a Daytona scream! They sure ran like hell in the IMSA GTU back then...

The Pacifica was a 2-year only model, 87-88. It replaced the '85-86 C/S model. The Pacifica had different more subtle ground effects, the T1 motor, and the power comfort goodies. A semi-luxury package I guess. I always like the lines of the Pacifica best.

My current one gained the Shelby TII motor and suspension but kept the original 5-speed with the more highway friendly final drive ratio. It's been loosing the power options for manual ones.

Tonight I bought a really sad '86 Turbo Z with a good maroon interior that is now slated to go in my '87. It's going to be a nice summer cruiser/commuter. My goal is to make it a 2 decade younger version of my '68 Barracuda.

Since I can't sort out the double quote, on Hal's dealership loyalty thing, I used to have a dealer I did business with for 16 years. A sales guy I was friends with and a shop with techs that I was friends with too. Very similar to Hal's experience. Unfortunately my last transaction with them cost me my identity.

The dealer had the opportunity to do the right thing and work with the police (who had traced multiple ID theft cases to one finance manager there). But the dealer decided covering their own rear was the more prudent option for them. That nightmare pretty much sealed my desire to start building my own than want to buy anything off a dealer again.

Sorry for straying so far off topic.

-Rob

In reply to Rob_Mopar:

Oh, I helped. Maybe we could start a new thread for FWD Mopars? Or throw up your 86 on the Readers' Rides. I like the "modern Barracuda" idea..one of my neighbors had a 66 when I was a kid.