One of my first cars was a 1976 Charger SE, not as big as this car, but still big for a 2-door (215" long, 115" wheelbase, 77"wide. It had the 400-2v engine. I swapped out the intake for a Carter T-quad (which netted a 2MPG increase), added true dual exhaust with a balance tube (this car did not come with catalytic…

Neither here nor there, but John Deere made a OHV V4 of around 18-19 cubic inches. It idled around 3krpm, made 14hp and its sole function is to start the larger 6.2L diesel straight twin tractor engine, common in the 1950s. It was smaller and lighter than the batteries that would’ve been needed to start the big engine.

Males me kinda proud to still be driving my 2002 Accord coupe w/ 5-spd stick. Its my daily driver, bought new and paid off in 2005. Yeah, I can afford a new $40k car, but why? This one has never left me stranded. Had a clock light bulb burn out, amp in head unit is a little wonky, and SRS light came on last year (seat…

I would suspect tires and higher ride height to be major culprits. The final drive ratio could be significant depending on where it puts the engine’s torque curve relative to the gearing at a given speed (could result in constantly driving in a lower gear).

I dunno for sure, I was only 10 at the time. Come to think of it, it may have been a ‘69. She was always pretty adamant that it was a base model six.

We’ve got a 1987 Dodge truck on the farm, 3/4-ton, 4x4, 360-4v, 4.10 gears and a four-on-the-floor. First gear in that thing is a granny gear, you never use it unless you are towing or hauling heavy.

Wow, that’s quite a story! Long, bittersweet and heartbreaking.

The only time upstart out in fourth gear is when I am push-starting the vehicle.

Yep, she’s only got 155k on her.

So......is this the First of the Mohicans?

Lessee....my first manual trans was a ‘76 Chevy 4x4 w/ 350 and four on the floor. Next was a ‘74 or ‘76 (can’t remember) Dodge crew cab truck with a 440 / 4 spd and a sticky throttle cable.

I always thought the Prelude was the prelude to Acura.

That should say five-speed stick (manual trans). Auto-correct keeps trying to change it to four-speed.

Just as an aside, the 1989 Cummins I6 in the Dodge Ram 2500 was spec’ed at 160hp @ 2500rpm. However, it did put out 400lb-ft torque at 1700rpm.

I get why people go off-roading, and I get why they like the challenges. Years from now, they will remember best the experiences where they were challenged, where they faced hardship and endured. Nice days are often forgotten.

So.....would the ultimate meh vehicle make the ultimate sleeper? Will the TT straight-six JZ3 fit under the hood of this Avalon?

Ok, mine isn’t the fastest out there. In fact, many would say that it isn’t fast at all, since it only boasts 149hp. But remember, it is more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow!

If course it is fun to drive a fast car fast, but how often do you get to do that? Legally? With a slow car,…

Growing up on a farm, I’ve driven “real” trucks all my life, and still drive 1500 and 2500 series trucks at work all the time. Now being a happy homeowner, I like a more comfortable truck when I am not at work, donthe Ridgeline works perfectly.

Ridgeline trucks sell well, just in low numbers. IOW, time on dealers lots is very low, Tacoma is the only truck that beats it, and just barely. Honda can’t build them fast enough because the Pilots and Odysseys are taking up all the factory production.