The quest for car!

William_the_Bloody · 07-01-2016, 10:57 PM

Speed! Power! The adrenaline pumping through your veins as you cruise at top speed on an open highway! The roar of the engine! The screech of the tires! The wind gushing through your hair! God bless the car!!!

I had initially started this in the sports thread, here

http://www.musicbanter.com/sport-rec...orts-cars.html

so I want to thank everyone for their contributions, but because this is in part a quest to decide my next car, and because my favourite dream car has changed, I wanted to put more time into this as a journal.

I therefore will be looking at sports cars and coupe's, via starting in America, jumping over to Asia, and ending in Europe, in a quest to find my ultimate car!!! Thus without further adieu, we shall begin with...

Part 1: Dodge/Chrysler: The modern era

First a little disclaimer:

I'm not a born mechanic or car expert, I just love sports cars. I'm also not a petrol head, I'm actually the biggest green energy advocate for automobiles on the planet.

The price of oil is only going to go up and up, and if we don't switch to an eco friendly alternative, we can say goodbye to the sports car, because no one will want to empty there wallet on a gas guzzler.

William_the_Bloody · 07-02-2016, 10:04 AM

The Dodge Viper!

Dodge`s answer to creating a blue collar supercar that could rival the Corvette. Released in 1992 the Dodge Viper soon became a fan favourite of motorists for its sleak cool looking style.

The Good:

With a V10 engine and 645 hp, the Viper can do zero to 60mph in 3.4 seconds, but there is more! In the past the Viper like other American muscle cars got the knock for poor suspension and not being able to handle well on the road, but not this time, as the 2016 Viper ACR has been consecutively breaking the track records of far more expensive cars!

Dodge Viper ACR Sets Lap Records at 13 Racetracks

So for a fraction of the price, you can get a supercar that will give cars like Ferrari and the Mclaren a run for their money!

The Bad:

It`s a gas guzzler, at 14mpg its one of the worst performance cars on gas, which means you would be shelling out a lot of cash to use it for everyday use. To add to that it`s not a very comfortable ride, the interior seats are stiff, it doesn`t have a great stereo system and it is damn loud, and then there is the price!

It may be cheap for a supercar, but for the average American $85,000 to $133,000 is beyond their price range.

The Judgment:

For me the Viper is currently out of my price range, and if it ever conceivably isn't, it wouldn`t make sense to purchase it as an everyday car, especially is your a family man as it`s a two seater. The Viper than is a weekend toy for the gentlemen who has that disposable income on hand, and sadly that is perhaps why it is going out of production.

"and while Viper sales have been fairly steady over the past three years, the numbers have not been strong enough to keep the Viper alive and because of that – the modern Viper will be gone after 2017", and so tragically we must bid it adieu. Perhaps if they had kept the entry price as low as the Corvette it would have lived on, but for now the snake is fried.

Dodge Viper Sales 3-Year Update - Torque News

No. I would not buy a Dodge Viper, but I hail and praise all the men and women who do , and pray for its swift return to the market.

William_the_Bloody · 07-03-2016, 08:43 AM

The Dodge Challenger!

The Challenger, Dodge`s historic flagship muscle car (or is it, I`ll get to that controversy later) Born in 1970 and resurrected from its 80`s grave in 2008, the Challenger was Dodge`s competitive answer to the Mustang and the Camaro.

The Good:

It looks super cool and it`s powerful... really powerful. If you opt for the Hellcat with the supercharged V8 Hemi engine that has up to 707Hp than you`ve just bought a car that can take out any non Dodge sports car under $100 grand on the dragstrip, as it does 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds, at a top speed of 199mph; that's faster than a 911. A speed that Plankton experienced first hand. (4.4 sec/176mph regular Challenger)

There is a lot hype out there that it can beat supercars like Ferrari and Lamborghini, and as romantic of a notion this is, it simply is not true. It can however beat some supercars, but because it's twin brother the Charger is actually faster off the quarter mile, I'll wait until I get to it.

All this and it is one of the least expensive sports cars out on the market, at price points of $27,990 - $38,990, for the Challenger or $50,190 - $63,490 for the Hellcat. At a standard $33,000, it`s slightly cheaper than the Mustang and quite a bit more cheaper than the costly Camaro.

For a muscle car it is also quite comfortable and spacious inside. Heated seats, and good foot room for people in the back seat, which at the end of the day is important, and finally J.D. Power gave it 5 stars in overall quality.

The Bad:

It may be cool looking but its big, almost too big for the eyes, it looks like a tank in comparison to other cars, and for someone who likes the nimble agility of a smaller car for parallel parking, the Challenger can`t be much fun.
Because its big, it`s also quite heavy, which makes it harder to handle on the road, though improvements have been made, and the heaviness also contributes to it being a gas guzzler. At an observed 16 mpg it`s on par with the Mustang, but it can come with a V6 engine that raises the mpg quite a bit. (15mpg Hellcat)

The Judgement:

Yes, I would buy one, although I have some reservations about the MPG, and its encumbersome body, it is the first car I shall put on my wishlist.

The list: The Dodge Challenger

JGuy Grungeman · 07-03-2016, 09:31 AM

A relative of mine had an old Trans Am at his shop. I think it's not there anymore, but it was always a sight to see.

William_the_Bloody · 07-03-2016, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGuy Grungeman

A relative of mine had an old Trans Am at his shop. I think it's not there anymore, but it was always a sight to see.

Cool, I love Trans Ams. If you know what year it is post it on my journal when I get to General Motors classic cars. There next up, cheers

William_the_Bloody · 07-04-2016, 02:29 PM

Dodge Charger

Born in 1964, the Charger became Dodge's most successful muscle car, which use to look like this (er...with a very controversial flag painted on the top visa vi the Dukes of Hazzard)

but today it looks like this.

Coolest pick I could find.

Is the controversy a result of people being upset because the flag of institutional racism is no longer on the hood of the charger, no! The controversy is that it's a #&!?in sedan!!!

For motorhead enthusiasts this is complete heresy, and although it bothers me to, (for reasons outside of the charger's historical significance as a muscle car) I'll start with the good.

The Good:

For whoever is reading this I promised that in my last entry on the Challenger that I would list which supercars the Hellcat can beat on the dragstrip, so here we go. The Hellcat Charger is faster than it's brother the Challenger, and the Dodge Viper visa vi competing the quarter mile in only 11.4 seconds. It beats the Corvette and ties with the Corvette ZO6. I would like to say it's the fastest American muscle car on the market, but I can't find the stats on the new Fort GT40 so...hop over to Europe....it lays waste to all current Aston Martin's, Maserati's, Jaguar's, and BMW's. After that things become more patchwork, it can beat most porsche's and the standard 911, but not the GT3, or the turbo (according to the quarter mile, apparently its top speed is higher) and when it comes to the big boys (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mclaren ) the answer is clearly no. Unless buck tooth Joe from Arkansas knows how to modify his Charger, than he isn't going to beat Thirstin Howl's Ferrari on the dragstrip, despite all that power in the Hemi. Of course we've been talking about the Hellcat, but the standard Charger is still quite fast.

For all intense and purposes the Charger appears to be a better performance car than the Challenger. It's faster, it apparently handles well and it's slightly cheaper on the mpg. It's also a comfortable ride and cost affordable: $28,990 - $40,990, its average price is slightly cheaper than the Challenger at 29,000. (52, 000-67,000 for the Hellcat)These are American prices of course, I'm noticing that everything in Canada is about at least 7 to 8 grand more.

The Bad:

Again like all American muscle cars, not so great on the gas, despite my previous claim, it has an average overall performance rating visa vi J.D. Power, and then there is the big issue; it only comes as 4 door sedan, there is no 2 door coupe available for this model which I think is a big mistake. I've seen the prototype for the Charger coupe, and I'd love a fast little muscle car like the Mustang that is easy to stall and parallel park, particularly in underground parking.

The Judgment:

No. I would not buy on in its current form, because no matter how you look at it, Sedan`s just aren`t sporty looking. However if they ever release this 2 door prototype, that looks like this

then absolutely I`ll buy one!

William_the_Bloody · 07-05-2016, 12:56 AM

Wow between it's politics, and the English and Welsh national team stories, the U.K is the most fascinating place on the planet, and now this, I'm sure Top Gear fans are celebrating everywhere!

Top Gear staff

EPOCH6 · 07-05-2016, 09:41 AM

I love old late 60s/early 70s American muscle cars and MPG has yet to turn me off of daily driving classics but I'm actually quite surprised at how low the fuel mileage is for the new flagship muscle cars you've posted above, for the most part I've ignored the resurgence of muscle car models because I simply don't like the new designs, but I was expecting them to be around ~20 MPG at least. There are many people out there driving '68s with lightly tuned carbureted small block V8s getting ~20 MPG, nowhere near the horsepower of the newer models but what they lack in horses they certainly make up for in style and serviceability.

William_the_Bloody · 07-06-2016, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EPOCH6

I love old late 60s/early 70s American muscle cars and MPG has yet to turn me off of daily driving classics but I'm actually quite surprised at how low the fuel mileage is for the new flagship muscle cars you've posted above, for the most part I've ignored the resurgence of muscle car models because I simply don't like the new designs, but I was expecting them to be around ~20 MPG at least. There are many people out there driving '68s with lightly tuned carbureted small block V8s getting ~20 MPG, nowhere near the horsepower of the newer models but what they lack in horses they certainly make up for in style and serviceability.

Hey Epoch6 I'm glad you brought up the fuel mileage, as that did present me with a bit of a dilemma, as I'm found the dealership's stats to be inflated, so I'm relying on well established car review sights instead. Here are the sources where I get most of my info. I've been using the observed MPG off of Car and Driver.

Dodge Challenger Reviews - Dodge Challenger Price, Photos, and Specs - Car and Driver

2016 Dodge Challenger Pricing, Specs & Reviews | J.D. Power Cars

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Powe...del=Challenger

I was surprised about the MPG as well, but I met a guy who owned a regular Challenger and he told me it was a hog on gas, which is why I have reservations about buying one.

Anyways I'm just doing this for fun, I'm not a gearhead, I can do minor car repairs but I can't take apart an engine, so if you see something that doesn't sit right please let me know, cheers.

William_the_Bloody · 07-08-2016, 01:05 AM

Unfortunately is does not look like Dodge/Chrysler makes any of their cheaper sedan's with a 2 door option yet, just speculation of what they would look like, visa vi photoshop. As a result I think I'll just look at their classic cars and move on to GM.

Photoshopped; what the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 might look like as sporty coupes

07-01-2016, 10:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
William_the_Bloody Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Sunnydale Cemetary Posts: 2,093	The quest for car! Speed! Power! The adrenaline pumping through your veins as you cruise at top speed on an open highway! The roar of the engine! The screech of the tires! The wind gushing through your hair! God bless the car!!! I had initially started this in the sports thread, here http://www.musicbanter.com/sport-rec...orts-cars.html so I want to thank everyone for their contributions, but because this is in part a quest to decide my next car, and because my favourite dream car has changed, I wanted to put more time into this as a journal. I therefore will be looking at sports cars and coupe's, via starting in America, jumping over to Asia, and ending in Europe, in a quest to find my ultimate car!!! Thus without further adieu, we shall begin with... Part 1: Dodge/Chrysler: The modern era First a little disclaimer: I'm not a born mechanic or car expert, I just love sports cars. I'm also not a petrol head, I'm actually the biggest green energy advocate for automobiles on the planet. The price of oil is only going to go up and up, and if we don't switch to an eco friendly alternative, we can say goodbye to the sports car, because no one will want to empty there wallet on a gas guzzler. Last edited by William_the_Bloody; 07-02-2016 at 09:30 AM.

07-02-2016, 10:04 AM	#2 (permalink)
William_the_Bloody Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Sunnydale Cemetary Posts: 2,093	The Dodge Viper! Dodge`s answer to creating a blue collar supercar that could rival the Corvette. Released in 1992 the Dodge Viper soon became a fan favourite of motorists for its sleak cool looking style. The Good: With a V10 engine and 645 hp, the Viper can do zero to 60mph in 3.4 seconds, but there is more! In the past the Viper like other American muscle cars got the knock for poor suspension and not being able to handle well on the road, but not this time, as the 2016 Viper ACR has been consecutively breaking the track records of far more expensive cars! Dodge Viper ACR Sets Lap Records at 13 Racetracks So for a fraction of the price, you can get a supercar that will give cars like Ferrari and the Mclaren a run for their money! The Bad: It`s a gas guzzler, at 14mpg its one of the worst performance cars on gas, which means you would be shelling out a lot of cash to use it for everyday use. To add to that it`s not a very comfortable ride, the interior seats are stiff, it doesn`t have a great stereo system and it is damn loud, and then there is the price! It may be cheap for a supercar, but for the average American $85,000 to $133,000 is beyond their price range. The Judgment: For me the Viper is currently out of my price range, and if it ever conceivably isn't, it wouldn`t make sense to purchase it as an everyday car, especially is your a family man as it`s a two seater. The Viper than is a weekend toy for the gentlemen who has that disposable income on hand, and sadly that is perhaps why it is going out of production. "and while Viper sales have been fairly steady over the past three years, the numbers have not been strong enough to keep the Viper alive and because of that – the modern Viper will be gone after 2017", and so tragically we must bid it adieu. Perhaps if they had kept the entry price as low as the Corvette it would have lived on, but for now the snake is fried. Dodge Viper Sales 3-Year Update - Torque News No. I would not buy a Dodge Viper, but I hail and praise all the men and women who do , and pray for its swift return to the market. Last edited by William_the_Bloody; 07-02-2016 at 10:27 AM.

07-03-2016, 09:31 AM	#4 (permalink)
JGuy Grungeman Primo Celebate Sexiness Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 2,662	A relative of mine had an old Trans Am at his shop. I think it's not there anymore, but it was always a sight to see. __________________ I'm a pretty nice troll if you ask me.

07-03-2016, 08:43 AM	#3 (permalink)
William_the_Bloody Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Sunnydale Cemetary Posts: 2,093	The Dodge Challenger! The Challenger, Dodge`s historic flagship muscle car (or is it, I`ll get to that controversy later) Born in 1970 and resurrected from its 80`s grave in 2008, the Challenger was Dodge`s competitive answer to the Mustang and the Camaro. The Good: It looks super cool and it`s powerful... really powerful. If you opt for the Hellcat with the supercharged V8 Hemi engine that has up to 707Hp than you`ve just bought a car that can take out any non Dodge sports car under $100 grand on the dragstrip, as it does 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds, at a top speed of 199mph; that's faster than a 911. A speed that Plankton experienced first hand. (4.4 sec/176mph regular Challenger) There is a lot hype out there that it can beat supercars like Ferrari and Lamborghini, and as romantic of a notion this is, it simply is not true. It can however beat some supercars, but because it's twin brother the Charger is actually faster off the quarter mile, I'll wait until I get to it. All this and it is one of the least expensive sports cars out on the market, at price points of $27,990 - $38,990, for the Challenger or $50,190 - $63,490 for the Hellcat. At a standard $33,000, it`s slightly cheaper than the Mustang and quite a bit more cheaper than the costly Camaro. For a muscle car it is also quite comfortable and spacious inside. Heated seats, and good foot room for people in the back seat, which at the end of the day is important, and finally J.D. Power gave it 5 stars in overall quality. The Bad: It may be cool looking but its big, almost too big for the eyes, it looks like a tank in comparison to other cars, and for someone who likes the nimble agility of a smaller car for parallel parking, the Challenger can`t be much fun. Because its big, it`s also quite heavy, which makes it harder to handle on the road, though improvements have been made, and the heaviness also contributes to it being a gas guzzler. At an observed 16 mpg it`s on par with the Mustang, but it can come with a V6 engine that raises the mpg quite a bit. (15mpg Hellcat) The Judgement: Yes, I would buy one, although I have some reservations about the MPG, and its encumbersome body, it is the first car I shall put on my wishlist. The list: The Dodge Challenger

07-04-2016, 02:29 PM	#6 (permalink)
William_the_Bloody Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Sunnydale Cemetary Posts: 2,093	Dodge Charger Born in 1964, the Charger became Dodge's most successful muscle car, which use to look like this (er...with a very controversial flag painted on the top visa vi the Dukes of Hazzard) but today it looks like this. Coolest pick I could find. Is the controversy a result of people being upset because the flag of institutional racism is no longer on the hood of the charger, no! The controversy is that it's a #&!?in sedan!!! For motorhead enthusiasts this is complete heresy, and although it bothers me to, (for reasons outside of the charger's historical significance as a muscle car) I'll start with the good. The Good: For whoever is reading this I promised that in my last entry on the Challenger that I would list which supercars the Hellcat can beat on the dragstrip, so here we go. The Hellcat Charger is faster than it's brother the Challenger, and the Dodge Viper visa vi competing the quarter mile in only 11.4 seconds. It beats the Corvette and ties with the Corvette ZO6. I would like to say it's the fastest American muscle car on the market, but I can't find the stats on the new Fort GT40 so...hop over to Europe....it lays waste to all current Aston Martin's, Maserati's, Jaguar's, and BMW's. After that things become more patchwork, it can beat most porsche's and the standard 911, but not the GT3, or the turbo (according to the quarter mile, apparently its top speed is higher) and when it comes to the big boys (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mclaren ) the answer is clearly no. Unless buck tooth Joe from Arkansas knows how to modify his Charger, than he isn't going to beat Thirstin Howl's Ferrari on the dragstrip, despite all that power in the Hemi. Of course we've been talking about the Hellcat, but the standard Charger is still quite fast. For all intense and purposes the Charger appears to be a better performance car than the Challenger. It's faster, it apparently handles well and it's slightly cheaper on the mpg. It's also a comfortable ride and cost affordable: $28,990 - $40,990, its average price is slightly cheaper than the Challenger at 29,000. (52, 000-67,000 for the Hellcat)These are American prices of course, I'm noticing that everything in Canada is about at least 7 to 8 grand more. The Bad: Again like all American muscle cars, not so great on the gas, despite my previous claim, it has an average overall performance rating visa vi J.D. Power, and then there is the big issue; it only comes as 4 door sedan, there is no 2 door coupe available for this model which I think is a big mistake. I've seen the prototype for the Charger coupe, and I'd love a fast little muscle car like the Mustang that is easy to stall and parallel park, particularly in underground parking. The Judgment: No. I would not buy on in its current form, because no matter how you look at it, Sedan`s just aren`t sporty looking. However if they ever release this 2 door prototype, that looks like this then absolutely I`ll buy one!

07-05-2016, 12:56 AM	#7 (permalink)
William_the_Bloody Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Sunnydale Cemetary Posts: 2,093	Wow between it's politics, and the English and Welsh national team stories, the U.K is the most fascinating place on the planet, and now this, I'm sure Top Gear fans are celebrating everywhere! Top Gear staff

07-08-2016, 01:05 AM	#10 (permalink)
William_the_Bloody Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Sunnydale Cemetary Posts: 2,093	Unfortunately is does not look like Dodge/Chrysler makes any of their cheaper sedan's with a 2 door option yet, just speculation of what they would look like, visa vi photoshop. As a result I think I'll just look at their classic cars and move on to GM. Photoshopped; what the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 might look like as sporty coupes