And not pictured on the my garage page. Next time i am at the ranch i will have to pickup a photo. We picked up this car at a credit union sale. The car had been in an accident (mild) on the front passenger side. We brought the car home and started searching for parts; a front right quarter panel and passenger door. We also picked up some new ground effects and a fresh coat of paint.

This was a great first car. Coupe with a 3.1L V6 and a 5 speed manual. Engine specs:

The LH0 (“T-code”) was introduced in 1988. It featured a more exotic (for the time) multi-port fuel injection. This engine had great low- and mid-range torque. The 3.1 L engine has retained an excellent reputation for reliability. The engine was rated at 140 hp (104 kW) at 4800 RPM and 185 lb·ft (251 N·m) of torque at 3600 RPM.

One of the most memorable things about this car was the clutch. it was like an on/off switch. there wasn’t much/any friction zone. The gear box was kind of balky, but it don’t recall missing gears very often. I think the redline on this engine was 6,000. The car had very good low end torque and mid range power, but didn’t like to be revved above 5,500 rpms. It felt like it was running out of steam on the top end. I want to say the the car had a govenor at 110mph.

For a chevy, it really wasn’t a bad car. For a first car, i think it was great. it was a semi sporty coupe with a v6 engine and a five speed. If the car were rear-wheel drive, it may have been the perfect first car.

as an ending note, i think they should have continued the type 10 hatchback body style and added the z24 package…

Here are a list of the cars i have rented so far with my thoughts and a subjective rating of my satisfaction with the vehicle: (1-10, 10 being best)

Car#1 : Dodge Caravan

I rented this for a 3 day conference set in a 4h camp in middle, ga. This vehicle was perfect for the trip. more than comfortable for 4 adults and plenty of room for cargo. the only thing that would have made this better was the one with the table in the back, instead of the stow and go seats.

kings rating: 6

car#2 : Chrysler 300C

I rented this vehicle for a drive to Valdosta, GA. This car was comfortable and seemed to have adequate power. favorite thing about this car was the xm radio (still had a live subscription). I have not rented a car with one since. one thing that sticks out in my mind is the swooshing sound coming from the front right wheel/tire. It didn’t seem to cause any real problems and i learned to ingore it. This car reminded me of the Dodge Charger that i had a few years ago. It was a POS.

kings rating: 5

car#3 : Chevy Impala

I have to admit that i was a little disappointed when i saw i was getting this vehicle. this is a first class example of a rental car; no options, cloth seats (stained), and weird smell. this car had new york plates and i hope it doesn’t come back. this would be the worst car i have rented thus far.

kings rating: 1

car#4 : Mercury Grand Marquis

not a bad car as i have had 2 of them now for different trips. the first one was pretty comfortable. the car floats down the interstate like it is on a cloud. power is more than adequate to move this boat. Trunk space is good as would be expected. I still laugh that both of these had ash trays and cigarette lighters (right next to the no smoking sign). the windshield wipers weren’t that great and the headlights could do a better job lighting up the road. The radio could be a little better. Now that i know the lumbar is adjustable on these, i wont have a back ache the next time i rent one.

kings rating: 5

i just found out that the rental company picked up some taurus’s. i would like to try one of those next (or a cts)

car#5 : Honda Accord

interesting, the rental car company calls this a premium car… not sure i agree with that considering it had cloth seats (no power), 4  cylinder, no sat radio, and no driver info center (distance till empty, etc). The car did however do everything that i needed it to. I did like the tight steering, decent handling, and seats in this car. The funniest thing about this car is the radio and climate controls. all of the buttons and text are HUGE (no fat fingering this car). The acceleration is what you would expect from a four banger, but the transmission did a good job of keeping it in the power range. the interior space (front and back) seemed pretty adequate for 4 adults. The trunk was sizable as well. The cars exterior Gray helped me blend in on the intersate (along with the other million honda’s on the road) which gave me some peace of mind about going 10 over.

kings rating: 6

Funny, my last post was about my new hot rod (C6) where i had mentioned the other cars that i was looking into when i purchased it… After 4 months, i realized that the Vette just isn’t me. I put it on a well known online auto trader and sold it in 3 days.

Back to the drawing board. Lotus Elise. We have a dealer here in ATL and i went to drive one to see what it was all about. This car is unbelievable as it defies everything you thought was possible in a car. i have taken some corners in past cars Evo VIII, RX-8, but this was a total different experience.

For starters, no power steering. You feel every bit of the pavement through the 12 inch momo steering wheel. Super brembo brakes. It doesn’t take a whole lot to stop a car this light, but stand on the brakes and you will see what this is all about. Lastly weight. Lotus has always been famous for small, lightweight cars that handle extremely well. This is a true example of that vision. 190HP toyota sourced engine and 1900 pound car. I wouldn’t compare this to another car, but rather a go cart or motorcycle.

If you are looking for a car the involves more of your senses than any other car on the road, this is IT.

Questions?

What it does have is a 6.0L LS2 V8, 6 speed manual, 3.42 rear gears, and z51 suspension package.

Have you ever driven a car with 400hp and 400lb/ft of Torque?

The funniest part about it to me is that I purchased the car from a retired state patrol officer who tells me that he never exceeds the speed limit (but gets there real fast). Yeah, me too ;v)

You know that I had an EVO VIII once. That car was fast, but a completely different kind. It was a stop light car. Its all wheel drive and super sticky Yoko’s could launch like a chain driven sprocket, but If you were driving down the interstate at about 70 in top gear and floored the throttle, you get modest response (Totally different story in the Vette.)

The Vette has power in any gear at any speed and it is super smooth.

The other day someone asked me if I was a Vette fan and I said “I am now.” Prior to my purchase, I was looking at the Lotus Elise, BMW 135, and Porsche Boxster S.

While looking at these other cars, I was also looking at Corvettes (C4 and C5). The price of the C4 attractive, but I really wanted a C5. Then I started looking at the Z06. There were more Z’s out there than base C5′s and lately the prices of C5 had been Pumped Up about 3-4K. Must be spring fever.

So I check Craigslist (first time I have every seriously looked for a vehicle on this site) and found a C6 for about the same price as a C5. My initial thought is this is a scam or sold. So I trade some emails with the seller on Saturday, go see the car on Sunday, and bought it on Monday.

If you haven’t driven a C6, I recommend you go do. Oh, and bring cash…

This would be my first Vette, but i have known many other people that have owned them. I have had a few sporty/sports cars, but most came out of Japan. I’m not knocking the Japanesse, they make GREAT cars. I only mention it to give you perspective of where i am coming from.

A current co-worker has a 2003 Corvette Z06. Like me, he isn’t the type to let other car enthusiasts get behind the wheel of his ride. I recall a conversation, prior to his acquisition about this very same issue (C5 or Z06). I had told him that i was looking at C5 Hardtop’s and he assured me their wasn’t such a thing (other than a Z06). About that time, i pulled one up on the internet classifieds. That brings me to the beautiful C5 hardtop that i did drive. If there would have been a Grand Sport in that body style, this would have been it.

a note from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvette :

For its first year, the C5 was available only as a coupe, even though the new platform was designed from the ground up to be a convertible. The convertible returned to the lineup in 1998, followed by the predecessor to the Z06, the fixed-roof coupe (FRC), in 1999. Originally, the 1999 FRC was considered to be a stripped-down model with a possible V6 engine (nicknamed in-house as the “Billy Bob”). The powers to be eventually overturned the idea and opted to keep the FRC up to par with both the coupe and convertible. It would later pay off, as the FRC laid the groundwork for the return of the Z06, an RPO option not seen since Zora’s 1963 race-ready Corvette.^[7]

A successor to the FRC C5 made its debut in 2001 as the Z06, a nod to the high performance Z06 version of the C2 Corvette of the 1960s. The Z06 models replace the 1999–2000 FRC (Fixed Roof Coupe) models as the highest performance C5 Corvette. Instead of a heavier double-overhead cam engine like the ZR-1, the Z06 used an LS6, a high-output version of the standard LS1 Corvette engine producing 385 hp (287kW). Although the Z06′s total power output was less than that of the last ZR-1′s, the Z06 was lighter and therefore quicker than the ZR-1s

So which would you go with? C5 Hardtop or C5 Z06?

I proceeded to explain that I read many automobile magazines and I have at least thought about purchasing most cars at one time or another. He asked me what my process was for buying a new (or new to me) car.

1) It starts with a desire

Why does anyone want a new car? Did your personal situation change? Are you looking to fulfill a specific need? I have been guilty of trying to find the perfect car. I am not sure that it is out there, at least not for me. So the search starts.

2) The search for the perfect car

Research is the key to finding the car that you want. I think too many people get in a hurry when purchasing a car and then end up with something they really didn’t want (for a number of reasons).

I am partial to autotrader.com only because I frequent the site as much as most people watch the news or read a newspaper. Once you have determined what kind of car you are looking for (I.E., sports car, convertible, sedan, etc) it is time to narrow it down.

3) Narrowing the search

Once you have narrow the field to 2 or 3 cars, it is time to compare. There is a forum online for nearly every car available. These are the places that you can find information that you won’t read in a magazine. This should give you an idea of the goods and bads. Can you really live with a steering wheel that doesn’t tilt and telescope?

It is also a good idea to look up the safety ratings, reliability, recalls, etc. It is also a good idea to go test drive the finalist to get a feel for the vehicle. Sometimes they look great on paper and not so great when you are behind the wheel.

4) Finding the one

After all this I can usually find one that fits the bill.

Esprit S4S Details: Garrett T3/60 turbocharger, DOHC, 16 valve, 2.2 liter S-4, 285 bhp, 290 lb-ft of Tq, 0-60 in 4.6 Sec.

I was pretty excited when I heard that Lotus was bringing the Elise to America, then the Exige, and now the Evora.

The Evora is a little different from the others as it is a 2+2, but the details I have read so far on this car are very impressive. Falling in line with the Celica based engine for the Elise/Exige, the new Evora will have a Camry based 3.5 liter DOHC V-6. This engine is said to pump out 276 hp / 258 lb ft of Tq which isn’t bad for a car weighing about 3,000 lbs. 0-60 is about 4.9 sec, 1/4 about 12.5 sec, and top speed of 160 mph or so.

As the first new Lotus in over a decade, it will be interesting to see what happens with this car. It seems to have all the right bits to be successful. Lotus really seems to be creating a brand that is reliable, practical, and fun. As a true enthusiast brand, only one kind of transmission is offered. Manual. Period.

There were a few years that certain sports cars were only offered in a manual transmission (I.E. Honda S2000 and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX and older).

Now the S2000 is no longer and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X is offered in a paddle shift (semi-auto).

Does it really matter? I grew up around foreign cars and I stress “cars.”

The American car/truck manufacturers have always been good at making trucks (Chevrolet C/K1500/2500/3500, Ford F150/250/350, and Dodge Ram 1500/2500/3500). Why have foreign car/truck manufacturers always done better in the car market?

When you think Supercar, what manufacturer comes to mind? Ferrari… Lamborghini… Porsche… I would be willing to bet it wasn’t Chevrolet.

But look at the stats (2009):

Make/Model        0-60         1/4 mi          top speed       skidpad          slalom          Price

Corvette Z06            3.4             11.7@ 124             193                .99                 70.6               $79,595

F430                          3.8            12@ 120                 196               .94                 71.9               $248,903

Gallardo                   3.8            12.1@116.9            195               .99                 70.6               $255,761

911 Carrera S          4.1              12.6@111.9           182                1.0                72.5               $94,815

Some would define Supercar as a high-end sportscar that can out perform most/all of its contemporaries. Growing up in the good ole U.S.A, I am not sure I completely agree with that. I do agree that it is a vehichle that can out perform its contemporaries, but high-end? There is something to be said for Raw/Brutal/Unforgiving Horsepower. Match that up with a great Tranny, and some super soft tires and you have the makings of a Supercar.