Women don't worry about compensating for certain... "shortcomings"... the way I'm guessing some male drivers do. Let me tell you, there is nothing that makes me feel like less of a man than being beaten off the line on a residential street by a souped-up Mustang or Firebird. I tell you, when I catch up to the driver at the next red light, 100 yards down the road, I can't even bear to make eye contact with King Testosterone next to me. He got to that red light so much faster than me, it makes me feel diminished as a man. It's totally humiliating to think that, damnit, he's probably going to get to the grocery store 17 seconds before me. As for the BMW 3-series, I can agree re: the 325, I guess... (especially the older models-- I'm thinking of the cherry-red cloth-top convertible... total chick car)... although my personal experience is about 50-50. But I've never seen a woman driving a 330. Interesting.
Whats wrong Brian? You don't want to be one of those geeky guys driving a mustang? I totally agree with you. Coming from a poor person of course, I can't afford the tickets and potential accidents I could get into. I don't even bother looking at the mustangs anymore. I'll take a firebird/camero anyday. I guess I like to be different. Doing the "cool thing" is just not cool to me.
My girlfriend drives a black 330ci. It's very fast. I had never seen a woman driving a M3, but my mom bought one about 6 years ago - she's since got rid of it. Damn, it was fast. I just bought a Lexus IS300 a few weeks ago. It's got good pickup, has a very comfortable / luxurious feel, and Lexus always makes solid cars that last. I really enjoy it. One day, when I'm real rich D), I will buy a faster car for sure (Porsche Turbo, maybe I'll have enough money when the new BMW 6 series - can you say M6 - comes out. V8 engine, (possible a V10 version), 0-60 in under 5 seconds, its just looking sweet.
DoD. I was under the impression that the Z was a 35,000 dollar car. Also I think the Z is ok. But that truck grill in the front is a terrible look for a performance car. I keep thinking SUV when I see it. I used to love the old 300Z's, till I was old enough to and able to maybe buy one. Looking into them I found out that they were not a great perfomance car after all. Those memories are hard to rid myself of. Id love to see the article that has all those specs on both the cars, or article. I cant seem to find anything on the RX8. 390 horses from a mustang is pretty impressive. But its all due to the supercharger. For around 3-5K you can through a great one on an SS, be pushing around 420 horses. You could be racing down the street beating the pants off of that Cobra thinking "AND I only paid about 20 K less than that dude"
I bought a Mustang for the simply reason that its my dream car. I always wanted a 5.0, so I bought one. Its paid for, its clean, it sounds great, its fast, it turns heads. I love working on my car. I love talking about cars. I love going to car shows and Mustang functions. If I happen to piss off people like you, well, that's just icing on the cake. I am a Car Guy, and nothing will ever change that. My Mustang keeps me young, and I'm grateful for that.
Notice I said "some" drivers. You didn't necessarily have to assume that meant you. If it makes you happy to be able to outrun a Honda Accord from one red light to the next red light, more power to you. It makes me happy too-- I laugh when I see people drive like that.
Kagy this isnt directed to you in particular, but: Why do some people get so upset over other people who like to run fast cars? I never for the life of me could understand this. Almost putting themselves above it (maybe for the most part they are). But is it any different than buying the fastest available computer? With the biggest processor, and mind blowing graphic ability?
LOL... I'm not racing anybody! Well, maybe the occasional minivan. Well, this wasn't directed at me, but if it were, I would say that it doesn't upset me. I guess maybe some people really get aggravated by it. I wouldn't characterize my reaction that way. The tongue-in-cheek scenario I gave bothers me about as much as the guy I saw last week with a mullet and acid-washed-jean trench coat. Or those drivers who are considerate enough to share their music with the rest of us by blasting their monotonous bass-heavy garbage loud enough to wake the dead. Those things don't "upset" me. I don't particularly care for them, personally speaking, so I make fun of them. There's nothing wrong with being a car guy-- actually, I admire people who can work on cars or explain in detail the way an automatic transmission engine works. I just find a lot of humor in people who, as in the scenario, roar off the line, leaving everyone in their dust... ...and hit another red light 100 yards down the street. You go, big guy. Vroom, vroom. I have nothing against fast cars or fast driving-- I aspire to the former and love the latter. I just see a difference, though, between cruising at 80 or 90 on the freeway, and flooring a muscle car to get from one red light to the next. I find people who drive SUVs at 55 on residential streets and then slam on the brakes to be able to take a mild corner funny, too.
Mustangs.. Camaros... blah.. My dream car is a Toyota Supra, baby! http://www.auto.com/reviews/sj_052397.htm http://www.turbosupra.com/
There will be 7 types of 350Z's if you count slushbox and 6-speed variations as "types". The "Base" model will be priced around $26k. The highest end will be $34k. They are all expected to have the 3.5L ~280+ hp engine. The normally aspirated 300Z was not a performance vehicle by today's standards. I doubt it could even keep up with today's Maximas and Altimas. The twin turbo model could only do 0-60's in about the low-to-mid 5's. But consider that the Testarossa of 1989 would get destroyed by cars like the common Vette today and you can see how much the average car has improved in performance. Now family haulers like the Altima are pulling sub-6 0-60 times. Japanese cars are known for being able to be tuned to the hilt for performance without necessarily losing much reliability. The Twin Turbo Supras that come to mind. About $400-$500 in mods and you easily give a Viper competition. There are twin turbo 300Z's that are pulling 10 sec 1/4's nowadays. The new 350Z should pull 0-60's in the low-to-mid 5's is my guess based upon the numbers... stock... for conceivably less than $30k and reliable as hell if the engine pedigree follows that of the Nissan's VQ engines. By the way, I don't like the grill on the new Z, that much, either.
While I'm a Nissan guy, I must respect your pick. The Supra Twin Turbo is a beast. It can handle 600-700 horsepower using most of its stock parts and handles it reliably to boot... a shame Toyota stopped letting the US see them.
DoD. I really think that the 350's sole aesthetic problem is that grill. Everything else on that car looks good. But my eyes cant get away from that grill. Im drawn to it. Im still saving up to drive the RX8. Supposedly Mazda has solved alot of RX's reliability issues with this car, and it just looks awesome. Plus I can pitch my wife on it now that it has a rear (reverse hinge) door, to fit the kids in the back. About that new Cobra. Did some research. Its going to cost around 55,000. Its called a Cobra R (racing). To make it as fast as possible they just stripped everything out of it. No A.C., no Radio, no back seats, ect ect. In the owners manual it tells you to stay away from driving in adverse weather conditions. (stability problems?) To me this seems like a cheap way make the car faster. Compare it to the Z06 Vette, which has more horse, around the same 0-60 time, is better with the gas milage, and Is 10 K less. Yet keeps all the amenities, including a very good traction control system that can distinguish dry ashphalt skids from wet skids. You can drive it in the hot summer sun and actually use the A.C. LOL 75 percent of Mustang drivers are female. I guess I was wrong about the Eclipse being the holy grail of woman's sports car.
No no no no no. The Cobra R is another car completely. The Cobra we were speaking of here is the just the 2003 Mustang Cobra. That car will NOT be gutted out...it will have everything a Cobra Mustang has always had. The Cobra R model is a different car, with a different engine (with the exception of the 1993 Cobra R), different suspension, different cooling system, different everything. Everything you wrote up above is true, but only for the R model. Yes, it is gutted out, just like a race car would be. R's have tons more horsepower, and the suspension and gearing of a race car. Also, not just anyone can buy one of these. You have to have some kind of racing certification to even buy one. The 2003 Cobra is going to be beyond the specs of all previous "R" model Cobras. Since the R's were only made in 1993, 1995, and 2000, Ford is going to have to do some really crazy sh*t to surpass this model Cobra. The reason the owner's manual says "In the owners manual it tells you to stay away from driving in adverse weather conditions." is because of the tires on the R. Take a look at them: they only have slightly more tread than Formula 1 car. That's why they say to stay away from adverse weather: That much rubber on the ground = no traction in crappy weather. You can see the tires here: The R Family: 1993 -- 1995 -- 2000 The 1993 Cobra R: (bad pic, sorry) Some info: http://www.scoa.org/info/1993R-info.htm The 1995 Cobra R: Some info:http://www.scoa.org/info/1995R-info.htm The 2000 Cobra R: Here's a link to the specs: http://www.mustangworld.com/ourpics/News/mwcobraR/
The JEPG for the 1995 R up above does work, but it won't let you see it through the direct link. You'll have to copy the address, open a new window, and paste the address to see the picture.
I dont think so. 03 Mustang Cobra SVT 390 Horses. 390 lb/ft of torque at 3500 rpm Performance Data: Best 0-60 mph:.............................................4.7 seconds (est.) Best 1/4 mile: ............................................... 12.90 /109 Best 60-0 mph braking:................................130 feet (est.) EPA fuel economy rating: ..........................16/24 mpg (est.) Top Speed..................................................170 mph Source=TheCommonDriver.com Corvette ZO6 405 Horses. 400 lb.-ft. @ 4800 Performance Data: Best 0-60 mph:.............................................3.9 (manual) Best 1/4 mile: ...............................................12.4 / 116 Best 60-0 mph braking:................................125 EPA fuel economy rating: ............................19 city, 28 hwy. Top Speed.....................................................175 mph Source=Corvette.com
lol... don't even begin to compare a stock Cobra to a 'Vette Z06... they're not in the same league. The Z06 is now primed to fight the big boys of exotics... for the first time in years the Viper has a challenger on its home turf. Until the 2003 Viper is out, that is... ... although I think they uglified the new Viper!
