YSSMAN's Infinite Crisis: Blackest Night (Post #816)

[YSSMAN]

If I were looking to go off-road, I'd buy an old CJ Wrangler. Better yet, the Scrambler. Stick a small-block in it and you'd be set.

 

[JCE]

I gotta post this... AGAIN for ya all do I? lol

That video is retarded. Its quite clear that the Hummer's were not meant to climb over large ROCKS. I seriously doubt a Land Rover or Land Cruiser could of traversed those same rocks that the first two Hummers failed at. And, its so obvious that a Jeep weighing 1/5 the weight of a Hummer could climb that grade of hill. And finally the H1 wasn't meant to climb mountains, its an all terrain military vehicle to ford rivers and tough terrain--not climb ******* mountains. Yes, I'm defending Hummers--that I don't like.

Now can we get back on topic?

 

[YSSMAN]

YES WE CAN!

...Since I'm 99% certain that I'll have her within the next two weeks, I need to come up with a name for her. On my list of names:

- Tachikoma (the current favorite)
- Misa
- Nano
- Melfina

Yes, I'm lame enough to use Anime character names. Needs to be a lady Japanese name...

 

[TopHat]

I gotta post this... AGAIN for ya all do I? lol

That man is an idiot. Anyone can offroad in a Hummer, except for this tool.

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

They don't have utes in the US, remember. And yes he wants a truck, which is why he sold his Blazer and brought a Mini.

But in all seriousness, I'm glad we have you to point out all these facts on the quality of American Car models. Seriously.

Well they are getting the G8 ST, but you're right that they never had that unless you go some 30yrs+ back in time.
Seeing as I couldn't actually hear you say that second part, were you being sarcastic?


YSSMAN, what about a 2008 Cobalt SS sedan? Plenty of grunt from a DI Turbo 4, GM car, under $25k according to autoblog. Or is that too much? Just an idea, seems like a cool car. I suppose the Mazda 3 is pretty much cemented now though.

 

[niky]

YES WE CAN!

...Since I'm 99% certain that I'll have her within the next two weeks, I need to come up with a name for her. On my list of names:

- Tachikoma (the current favorite)
- Misa
- Nano
- Melfina

Yes, I'm lame enough to use Anime character names. Needs to be a lady Japanese name...

You name your car after girls... eww... I call mine the Big Red Dog... if I ever refer to it... ...did think of calling it Scarlet, before, but it just didn't stick in my mind.

 

[neanderthal]

That man is an idiot. Anyone can offroad in a Hummer, except for this tool.

shows how much YOU know.

hummers are all mouth, no trousers. period.

the H2 is a glorified tahoe, itself a bastardised pussified silverado.
the H3 is a glorified and butched up canyon/ colorado. which is a sorry excuse for a off road vehicle.

the H1 is a great military tool. its no offroader. just because it can ford however many inches of water is not a testament to its offroadability. its portal hubs and water fording and all the other stuff are a result of military specifications that AM had to meet in order to put in the tender to make the vehicle. they are not any indicator of its ability off road.

and by the way, my army buddies tell me their maintenance and reliability records sucks

 

[Casio]

Seeing as I couldn't actually hear you say that second part, were you being sarcastic?

No.

I'm just wondering how, for example, you know the Lincoln MKS is a 'good car', considering it's not in/coming out in Australia, it's never been reviewed/previewed/anything in any Australian magazines, it doesn't even have a related Model for sale in Australia, and isn't even in production yet.

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

shows how much YOU know.

hummers are all mouth, no trousers. period.

the H2 is a glorified tahoe, itself a bastardised pussified silverado.
the H3 is a glorified and butched up canyon/ colorado. which is a sorry excuse for a off road vehicle.

the H1 is a great military tool. its no offroader. just because it can ford however many inches of water is not a testament to its offroadability. its portal hubs and water fording and all the other stuff are a result of military specifications that AM had to meet in order to put in the tender to make the vehicle. they are not any indicator of its ability off road.

and by the way, my army buddies tell me their maintenance and reliability records sucks

I'm not surprised by the army's service reliablity records. They would thrash them over bumpy landscape every day probably. I would I read a review of the H3 where it simply crushed most other off-roaders and had awesome ability off-road.

No.

I'm just wondering how, for example, you know the Lincoln MKS is a 'good car', considering it's not in/coming out in Australia, it's never been reviewed/previewed/anything in any Australian magazines, it doesn't even have a related Model for sale in Australia, and isn't even in production yet.

I read a lot of the car news, autoblog posts things like consumer/reilability/customer satisfaction reports. Buick rates high I think for reliability. Anyway, assuming the MKS is the eco-boost engine with RWD I'd think that will be a pretty good car. Plus it'll probably be similar to the Falcon which is very balanced, probably.

 

[YSSMAN]

YSSMAN, what about a 2008 Cobalt SS sedan? Plenty of grunt from a DI Turbo 4, GM car, under $25k according to autoblog. Or is that too much? Just an idea, seems like a cool car. I suppose the Mazda 3 is pretty much cemented now though.

Way too much, won't hit the streets until the end of the year anyway. If GMAC is already intent on screwing with me on an $17,000 Saturn Astra, I can't imagine what they'd do on the Cobalt with an extra $8K stuck on.

I'm figuring I'll have the Mazda for three years, and when the lease is up, I'll trade her in for a Miata/MX-5, maybe down to a new Mazda 2 (if its as good as they say it is), or switch it over to GM in hopes that the Delta-II or possibly Alpha programs are rockin' by 2011.

 

[High-Test]

Tachikoma

If you consider it a tank on legs..

But give it natural oil, mind you.

 

[YSSMAN]

They do sell it in the proper color of blue, sadly, only in 3s Hatch form.

That upset me greatly...

 

[Jim Prower]

You should find out what the Chassis code is, and use that as the name. Works in every anime...

Or, alternately, call it an "Axela."

((I'm being semi-serious, here, folks. It's probably kind of ricey to do such things...))

 

[JCE]

Way too much, won't hit the streets until the end of the year anyway. If GMAC is already intent on screwing with me on an $17,000 Saturn Astra, I can't imagine what they'd do on the Cobalt with an extra $8K stuck on.

I'm figuring I'll have the Mazda for three years, and when the lease is up, I'll trade her in for a Miata/MX-5, maybe down to a new Mazda 2 (if its as good as they say it is), or switch it over to GM in hopes that the Delta-II or possibly Alpha programs are rockin' by 2011.

Mazda2 = god

In all seriousness if you are going to use a female Japanese name Mika or Ayumi must be on that list.

 

[Philly]

They do sell it in the proper color of blue, sadly, only in 3s Hatch form.

That upset me greatly...

So, why are we being so opposed to the 5-door?

 

[YSSMAN]

Because the 3s Hatch costs more to buy and insure by the day's end. The one they had on the lot in the color I'd want was $21,000... Way too much for a M3s if you ask me.

I'm perfectly happy with a $17,000 M3i. Oh, and the better gas mileage.

 

[95GTIVR6]

Because the 3s Hatch costs more to buy and insure by the day's end. The one they had on the lot in the color I'd want was $21,000... Way too much for a M3s if you ask me.

I'm perfectly happy with a $17,000 M3i. Oh, and the better gas mileage.

Yeah no **** that is too much for a regular 3 5-door!!!

I walked out of the dealership with my Mazdaspeed3 at $22,400; that includes tax, tag, title, fees and other garbage they throw on there. Granted it is just the Sport model but overall I got the car itself for around $21,000 which in my opinion, is a steal.

BTW, what color ARE you getting?

 

[YSSMAN]

Assuming that they don't sell the Galaxy Gray Mica one I drove (it only had 30 miles on it after my two test-drives), probably that one. If they do end up getting rid of that one (because I do like the color), I'd probably "order" a Phantom Purple Mica one. Maybe.

Given that the one I like has a stick, it won't leave the lot for a while.

 

[JCE]

Assuming that they don't sell the Galaxy Gray Mica one I drove (it only had 30 miles on it after my two test-drives), probably that one. If they do end up getting rid of that one (because I do like the color), I'd probably "order" a Phantom Purple Mica one. Maybe.

Given that the one I like has a stick, it won't leave the lot for a while.

WTF, I just checked MazdaUSA.com and they don't offer the blue on the saloon?!?!?! **** YOU MAZDA. So YSS, just buy the 5dr, its better anyway. If you are set on the saloon get white, black, or the dark grey. The purple makes you effeminate. And according to MazdaUSA.com the 5dr's MSRP is $18,500--you CAN get the 5dr you want in your price range. if the dealership wants your business they will locate you one--that is what I do for a living at Ford. And FYI the 2.0L over the 2.3L will only net you 2-3mpg which is nothing. Changing your driving style on the 2.3L can net you that.

 

[YSSMAN]

Thirdeye requested an update, so I'll give the fully skinny...

- I've pretty much settled 110% on the Mazda 3i, I don't really see the need to spend the extra couple hundred bucks to get worse fuel mileage and only nine extra BHP with the 2.3 model. Thats just me. If I see one I like and its my only option, who knows...

- However, things have been set back a bit. My tax check has yet to arrive, which is unfortunate, because I think Mazda's current lease deal ends with the close of March. That being said, I've come to the conclusion with the aid of my Mom and my Grandparents that I need to make sure all of my bills are completely paid off before I can get a car. In theory, I should be caught up before the end of April. That of course is in limbo, no whammies one hopes...

- I'm selling Jenna today for $500. Its pretty much my only option, and shes going to a family friend, so I don't feel like I'm losing out on much. I'll really miss her, especially her being my first car that I've bought with my own money, something that I've actually wanted really quite bad. A lot of good memories with her, some of course really bad as well. I am taking a break from VW for a while, at least until the M3 lease is up. Hopefully by then they'll offer the Polo and I'll go back...

- Colors! Almost forgot!!!

I requested a purple one and I was informed that its pretty hard to get one from the factory with a stick. I don't know why. Then I was reminded that it only comes with a tan interior (which includes woodgrain?), and I don't really want that. So, I'm likely to go with gray or black. So far, its looking like I'm going to end up with the Galaxy Gray car I drove initially, and thats probably a good thing...

- And whatever M3 I get already has a name: Tachikoma.

...I'll update as more news comes along, but I'm looking at a minimum of two weeks out at the absolute earliest. Hopefully I'll be able to beat May, for the end of class, but we'll find out sooner than later...

 

[Keef]

Thirdeye requested an update, so I'll give the fully skinny...

- I've pretty much settled 110% on the Mazda 3i, I don't really see the need to spend the extra couple hundred bucks to get worse fuel mileage and only nine extra BHP with the 2.3 model. Thats just me. If I see one I like and its my only option, who knows...

Also, a much broader and smoother torque band. Have you driven either yet?

 

[YSSMAN]

Drove the 2.0 not the 2.3 and I'm really not too worried about it. Losing a couple BHP and some low-end torque isn't very important to me.

That means I gotta work the stick a bit more to keep it in the powerband, ie its more fun!

 

[Thirdeye]

Best of luck on your Mazda3 endeavors. I hope it works out for you.

 

[Keef]

I think your first modification should be to empty out the second catalytic converter. It's got two, so you'll still be able to pass your dumb inspections just fine with the other. The second isn't monitored with an O2 sensor anyway.

 

[Joey D]

If it's a lease car you can't do anything to it or they will charge you when you turn it in.

 

[YSSMAN]

Yeah, I won't be doing anything to it other than clingy stickers in the windows.

After doing a small bit of research, I may request an order for a 3s Sport 5-door in purple, but I don't know. I still need some super-solid insurance quotes on both, but if the wait can be long enough, I may do it just to get all of my money scraped together.

Meh. We'll see whats on the lot. I'm just happy I know I'm likely getting a 3.

 

[Keef]

If it's a lease car you can't do anything to it or they will charge you when you turn it in.

Good point. I never thought of that.

Don't clean out the cat unless you're buying it.

 

[YSSMAN]

Day 80+ something

Early this morning I managed to stumble across what I had been looking for all along; A low-mileage NA Mazda Miata in excellent shape for a halfway decent price. Shes a 1994 Miata, in black, with a hardtop and a bunch of other goodies (except leather)...

Problem is, its listed and two different prices:

First, for $8,998

Second, for $10,998

So, I went to the dealer today and had a chat with Tom "Goose" Gosselin. My first question was on the price, and he told me right away that it was $11,000 and the first thing I did was question that.

"Its double priced, $2000 less on Auto Trader"

"Well, I'd have to check on that. But you understand that its a low-mileage car?"

"Quite right, and the hardtops are harder to find too, but its quite a bit. And yes, I understand that with the weather it will be popular too. But, you're overcharging by quite a bit here..."

"Why don't we go inside and talk about this?"

So, I went inside and had a little conversation with "Goose." I pointed out that if it was say for $8000 or less, I'd likely be able to get the cash to him by the end of the week. He took that has a positive immediately, however, he'd have to "look into the pricing" with his sales manager. A quick wait in his office and he came back unwilling to play a pricing game, but still assumed that I'd be willing to pay $11,000 for a car.

"You realize that you're charging almost DOUBLE what other dealers would, right?"

"No, I didn't. Its a low-mileage car."

"Yes, I understand that. But a mileage difference of 20K on a car thats three years newer is still cheaper..."

So, I had to prove it to him on the internet. He still wouldn't budge on the pricing. I should have asked to speak with the sales manager, which I may do later, but I haven't decided yet.

----

What do you guys think I should do? If I could talk them down to the true market value, which would be closer to $6000-7000 (at most), I'd happily buy it. Its EXACTLY what I'd be looking for.

Do I complain to the management? Maybe get another dealer to do a bid war or something? The problem is that it literally is DOUBLE what it would be elsewhere, and they likely didn't pay a dollar over $2000 for it on a trade. Would my friends at other Fox dealers be able to help me out?

I really, really like this car. I haven't driven it yet, but there has to be a point at which they'd stop being douchebags if I'm ready to throw money at them...

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

That does look good. Tell him you'll give him $100 if he lowers the price for you.

 

[Sage]

That wood… is… awful. What in the name of all that’s holy happened there?