“And of course, we know how GM went through that bankruptcy in 2009 and within just a few years seemed to be firing back on all eight cylinders.”

Ahh yes, what a comeback story. Only took a paltry $1 trillion of tax payer dollars to get them firing on all 8 again! And what do we get out of it? All production moving to…

Turbos definitely have downsides. Heatsoaked intercoolers, higher risk of knock/detonation leaving you praying to the boost gods you don’t get a bad tank of gas, and fuel economy is only better when you’re OFF boost (which usually ends up being never). Case in point, the F150 ecoboost vs V8.

Can anyone explain how lug bolts are an upgrade over studs? If it’s a stud fragility issue, then look no further than ARP and you won’t have to struggle holding those massive 19" wheels up with one hand while carefully threading a bolt in.

Porsche (VAG as a whole) and BMW I believe use studs, and it just seems like a…

Values went up I believe. There are certainly deals to be had, one sold in 6 hours near me for $3300 with <50k miles. This one I looked at had 133k miles. Everything else was great about the car, but if the transmission hadn’t been decimated then it wouldn’t have been a ripoff.

I’ve been strongly considering a newer one as a result of this too. Even the NBs seem to be a bit pricey, though the NC might be in a kind of sweet spot.

“I’m retired and I still love this car, so I’m not in a hurry to get rid of it.”

Ok buddy, have fun waiting an eternity!

This explains why I was so strongly considering a $6k 1992 Miata this weekend. I thought I was crazy that the only clean Miata (rust-belt here) I could find was so pricey. I showed up with cash in hand, but the 14 year old tires and the trans that would hardly go into gear, even with all the double-clutching &…

Fair point, I guess I should have said street legal cars under $30k make terrible track cars haha. I’m too poor to spend $150k+ on the best of both worlds, let alone be finanically able to walk away from that when I bin it on track.

I traded my sport sedan for a 2020 Tundra right after xmas. Took the best deal I was offered on trade-in, interest rates, price, etc across all other trucks in the segment. I really wanted the GMC 1500, but the 6 dealers within 50 miles of me just wouldn’t deal.

I’m with you on just about every point you make, especially on the maintenance and size aspects. Those two are completely irrefutable.

I traded my manual sport sedan (WRX STI) for a truck (Tundra), instead of buying one of these. I’m contributing to their sales slump, despite being in love with the BRZ for the last 5 years. In my defense, it’s because I find street driving a car I love boring at best, and scary at worst.

Why not just get RWD? Also, the reputation the WRX has is really hurting me at the moment with insurance, so I don't blame you. I love the car, I hate the reputation hah

The 1LE is a sweet car, but that package I think is the antithesis of a burnout machine. I have no doubts the LT1 could light up 305s, but that’s still a lot of work. If Vlad really goes that route, make sure to get 245 width tires or something and those cheap Sumitomo junk on tire rack lol

*googles “TJ Wrangler mpg”*

“We believe that the vehicles GM sells here should be built here. We don’t understand GM’s opposition to this proposition.”

“All cars are the best value at 2-3 years when they have come off a lease.”

Anecdote: I saw 3 RX-8s running in the time trials at a NASA event this past weekend at Mid-Ohio. Not sure if they had been motor swapped or not, as they were all very quiet. But it seems to at least be a decent performance platform. I've always been intrigued by them.

“The manual stick shift is not a performance-bringer, because an automatic transmission is just faster, you can ask any race driver.”

Does the Model 3 have fully defeatable traction control?

Goes to show perspective is everything. I’ve been whining about the $1500/yr (before employee discount) that my rates just jumped up to from my second speeding ticket in two years. I’m a 27 year old male in suburban Ohio driving a WRX STI, which is, from what I understand, one of the most expensive cars to insure…