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!!!

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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

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

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)

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but today it looks like this.

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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

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then absolutely I`ll buy one!

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

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.

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

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I can't wait until you get to Honda and Lancer Evolution.

Thanks I'm definitely looking forward to hopping over to the Pacific Rim, and I will be taking a close look at Honda for myself.

The reason we love American muscle cars is a result of that rich period of history from say 1966 to 1973 (up to the oil crisis) when Detroit was producing sleek sports cars with mass horsepower for its time, and therefore for each American company I'll do a little historic section.

Sadly today the price of many muscle cars has shot up through the roof, a collectors hobby for retiring baby boomers, but if your willing to refurbish and rebuild one ( a dream of mine) you can still pick up a rust bucket for a reasonable price. I therefore bring you.,,

The 5 greatest Dodge/Chrysler muscle cars of all time

5. The 1971 Plymouth Superbird

Capable of generating a horsepower of 375, or 425 with the Hemi, the Superbird was noted for its sleek space age design for its time. To me it looks like a try out for a Jetson's cartoon, and honestly, I'm just not a fan.

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Lol, I can't say I would be running out to rebuild a Superbird

Number 4: Dodge Challenger (First generation 1970-74)


As stated before, the Challenger was Dodge's answer to the Mustang and the Camaro. 425 brake horse power with the Hemi, 330 with the big block. Wow! This is a beautiful car!

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Number 3: The Plymouth Road Runner

Chrysler wanted to make an affordable entry car for young people to buy, and thus the Road Runner was born. Sturdy and lightweight, I was reading somewhere that apparently it was a favourite amongst moonshine runners because it could outrun a police car at 383 BHP (426 with the Hemi) All of this is before my time though, but its popularity earned it a song by the Modern Lovers, later attempted unsuccessfully by the Sex Pistols.



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2. The Dodge Charger, (Second generation 1968-70)

To my knowledge, the Dodge Charger was the first muscle car to take off and become a real hit for Chrysler, it was featured in the iconic movie Bullitt, whereby Steve Mqueen's nemesis drove a black 1968 Dodge Charger, but of course it is most infamously remembered as the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard tv sitcom, as a 1969 orange Dodge Charger with a confederate flag on the top. 375 (BHP, 426 Hemi)



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Number 1: The Plymouth Barracuda 1970



The Plymouth Barracuda had been around for awhile, but in 1970 , its sleek new design capable of 390 BHP (425 Hemi) made it a huge hit, and thus it is now one of the most sought after muscle cars by collectors. My late Aunt use to have one RIP.

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Well that's it for Dodge/Chrysler

I found the muscle car section a bit tedious so I'll shorten that in the future. The days of picking one up for 2 grand and refurbishing them yourself, is sadly, coming to an end.

Other notable Chrysler muscle cars, the Dodge Super bee/Dodge or Plymouth Duster and the Dodge Coronet.

My Car List:

1. Dodge Challenger (2009-16)

General Motors

The Corvette Stingray & Z06

The Corvette is by far North America's most enduring and infamous supercar, and with the Dodge Viper going out of production in 2017, and the Ford GT-40 being beyond the reach of but a few select individuals, it will soon once again be the only American supercar on the market.

The Good:

The price, at $56,000 ($80,000 for the Z06) it is cheaper than any other supercar on the market, and yet it can compete with many of the high priced performance cars, which is why we love American cars. We love them because they are the great underdog, the revolutionary rabble of the United States going up against the high brow engineers of Europe, and while the Corvette would most likely get whipped by a Ferrari around the race track, I've got stats on the 2016 Z06, beating the Porsche 911 GT3 around the Laguna Seca raceway, despite having less power on the straight away, which begs the question, how good are American cars getting with their suspension and braking?

Finally for those motor enthusiasts, the super powered ZR1 Corvette will be returning to the market in 2017, but unlike other Corvette's it will have a hefty price tag at ($150,000) still relatively cheap though for a car that will be competing with Ferrari and Lamborghini.

The Bad:

Oversteer; classic American sports cars are known for their oversteer and understeer in comparison to their European counterparts. It's a two seater, so it's a play car, and Z06 is a bit of a gas guzzler, however the regular Corvette's MPG isn't as bad as I would have thought, and both are better than the Viper and GT40.

The Judgment:


Maybe yes for you but no for me. It's more than I would ever want to spend on a car, it's a two seater, and people are probably going to think I'm crazy, but I've never been a big fan of its body shape, the next car on the list however, is one of my favourite cars of all time!!!

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Older Top Gear episodes

I recently saw that exact version of that white corvette and took pictures of it. I will post them once I find them in this thread. The corvette was parked in a disabled spot at a Veterans Hospital. I just had to take pics of it. It was way too sexy.

Go for it! I'm doing GM, so now is a good time to slot them in.

Take your time though, I just realized I've lost about 1000 music files, so the next entry may be awhile, (I might have to have my own name that tune section for everything lost)

If your a fan of the Corvettes style, Psy-Fi posted some classic pics on the original thread. Glad your reading the journal.

I have to say that all the photos and videos of the new Stingray that I've seen yet, don't really give a sense of how sexy it actually looks when you see one up close in person. I saw a yellow one on display at New England Dragway last summer and it really caught my eye and my imagination. I thought it looked like a combination of a Corvette and a Ferrari with a bit of Lamborghini sprinkled in.

https://goo.gl/photos/pzfAfRU4DCEznaoe7

https://goo.gl/photos/t2XjMMNEHNAL1kxu8

https://goo.gl/photos/ew13DZ5ncye7v57v6

Sorry for the crop job but I really didn't want this random person's license plate on the interwebs like that. So if you guys really want to see the tail pipe. I will have to re-do the photos and put a black bar over the plates but this is how they look for now.

Let me know if you guys aren't able to see those three pics.

Well I have to agree with you there, I was walking through the GM dealership the other day, and they had three of them parked in a straight row, and they do look a lot cooler and sleeker in person.


Nice pics, and a convertable to boot to.

The Camaro

The Carmaro; the Ford Mustang's historic rival, and one of my personal all time favourite cars of all time.

The Good:

Of the three major pony cars the Camaro is by far the best performance car. From what I understand (Correct me if I'm wrong) they have taken parts from the Corvette and placed them on the Camaro, it therefore has excellent suspension, braking and overall road handling. In recent years the Z28 did the Nurburgring in 7:37:47 seconds, placing it in the top 50 of all time, and now there has been a bit of a stir that the ZL1 did it in 7:27 seconds, if this is true, than its knocking on the door of Ferrari and Porsche. Not bad for a car worth less than the Corvette. In short, it pulverizes the Shelby Mustang and the Hellcat on the track, not to mention various high performance European cars. Finally at 18mpg (observed) it has better fuel efficiency than both the Mustang and Challenger.

The Bad:

Price, yes you are getting an amazing deal for this car, but be prepared to pay a couple of grand more for it than the Ford Mustang or Dodge Challenger ($38,000 Camaro $56,000 ZL1 and $73,000 Z28) which is currently outselling the Camaro largely as a result. The Camaro may be the best performance car of the three, but as of this year, its slipped behind the Challenger in sales, and is getting absolutely pulverized by the Mustang, which has a sleeker look, and nicer interior. The Camaro's interior on the other hand is apparently pretty plastically, a consequence of trying to keep the cost down with all those expensive parts. Finally the body on the car is quite wide, and there have been complaints that is doesn't look as cool as some earlier modern models, which I have to somewhat agree, but it's hard to beat the 2010 Transformers Bumblebee.

The Judgement:

Yes it's my dream car, but whether I buy one or not is another question, I'd like them to drop the price even if it means it loses some of its performance value, because Ford has this beat where it matters, the bottom line, and it isn't much of a rival if it's becoming too expensive for the average car buyer.

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The one I want. 2010

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My car list so far.

Camaro, Challenger

I stumbled across a gold mine of cars earlier this morning. I guess there is supposedly a car meet up every Sunday morning in the parking lot where I go to the gym. So I took tons of pictures even though I had no idea what I was really looking at. I love cars even though I'm not really a gear head and I'm just getting into them. It's the reason that I keep up with this awesome journal.

Honestly, I bought my first car back in March. It was a 99 Honda Accord and two weeks ago. I upgraded to a 2016 Honda Accord Touring model. I'm really starting to enjoy cars more and more even with my limited knowledge of them.

I will post the pics that I took a little bit later tonight or maybe tomorrow when I'm not so busy if you don't mind me doing so that is.

Maybe you can identify them.

A 2016 Honda Accord, wow! Good for you, don't let the payments kill you and keep the miles down in case you want to flip it.

You might want to sort out those pics, and wait until I get to whichever car company I do next. I think I mentioned that after North America I'm going to hop over to Asia, and will be taking a close look at the Honda's for myself.