Help TTAC Help You

by Edward Niedermeyer

May 17th, 2010 3:31 PM

TTAC Headquarters is experiencing a tiny internet outage thanks to our good friends at the cable company, so our content cadence will be a bit off today. We’ll be back with Monday’s news, review and analysis as soon as the local outage is fixed (I’m assured that top men are on the case), but in the meantime we’d like to take this moment to solicit your burning technical and car-buying advice questions. Struggling to identify that smell/sound coming out of your family truckster? TTAC’s in-house advice guru, Sajeev Mehta is standing by to answer your car-related technical questions in his Piston Slap column. And if the problem’s too big for even Sajeev to solve, he and Steve Lang will get your search for its replacement started right, with their car-buying advice column New Or Used? Begin your voyage of automotive discovery with an email describing your technical problem or car buying conundrum to mehta@ttac.com

#Advice #Housekeeping

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11 comments

PrincipalDan on May 17, 2010

Don't be afraid B&B! They even tolerated my inane question that I had really clarify. Thank you, B&B! This weekend I found out I may be making some big road-trips in the future so I think I chose the right car. http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/new-or-used-analysis-paralysis-edition/

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- 86er on May 17, 2010
  
  Inquiring minds want to know what?
  
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- PrincipalDan on May 17, 2010
  
  So here's my choice and my reasoning. Choice: Late 1990s Lexus LS series with less than a 100,000 miles. It's big, it's comfy, it's as reliable as the rock of Gibraltar cause it's a late 90s Toyota product, just before they started to cheap out on things. Great highway cruiser. I idolize the Cadillacs of the 1960s and the Mercedes Benzs of the 1970s and 80s. What car is the spiritual successor? Lexus. It's old enough to be in my price range and not be too flashy, it doesn't scream ostentatious wealth or shoving my promotion in everyone's face. There's a decent online enthusiast community if I decide what I really need is a new set of headers to free up a few horsepower (the old hot-rod bug in me) or give the exhaust a better "growl." It's V8 powered but gets respectable fuel economy. I've learned that in the next few years my senorita would like to take a few cross country trips including one where we might bring her parents and I think this would be a good long distance car for such things. As far as snow goes, I've heard that as long as you have snow tires, ground clearance would be the only issue with the LS. It fits my needs perfectly right now. What about my sports car dreams? Most of what I was looking at was cheap enough I could pick one up as a project just about anytime. Plus there's always my Dad's 1967 Mustang Convertible that I may be willed or be able to pick up from him for a good "family discount." Thank you everyone for your input. You guys have always felt like true friends!
  
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- 86er on May 17, 2010
  
  No need to 'splain yourself, Dan, you bought what was best for you. Enjoy.
  
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Kericf on May 17, 2010

I have a two year old son who one day will be driving. I also have a father-in-law who is a mechanic and gearhead. My son's name is Case and the obvious vehicular tie-in would be and International Harvester Scout. I want to buy a project car to work on over the next 16 or so years for him to learn about working on cars with and have something at the end of it. It's hard finding one not rusted to hell, but since I'm in Texas it's possible. I guess the questions is, am I crazy, or just stupid?

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- Sinistermisterman on May 17, 2010
  
  A little bit of both. Nice to know you're thinking of your sons driving future. I turned 18 and said "Ok Dad, what car should I drive?" The reply? "A Volvo."
  
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- PrincipalDan on May 17, 2010
  
  I think that is simultaneously the craziest and coolest thing I have heard. The only other thing would be to wait a few years and pick up something from the same year as his birth to be his first car. But you sir win my father of the year award!
  
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Stuart on May 17, 2010

O.K., I'll bite. Back in the '80s, I was impressed with the FIAT 128. It wasn't a fabulous car, but they were fun to drive, cheap to own, utilitarian (space-efficient front-wheel drive), and all FIATs suffered extreme depreciation (i.e. they were cheap to buy). I did all of my own work, so maintenence was cheap. (I'm well aware of the 128s many shortcomings. No need to remind me. :-) I hope to be able to buy another car in the next year or so. Here' s my question: What's the 'spiritual successor' to the FIAT 128?

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- PrincipalDan on May 17, 2010
  
  Ummmmmmmmm. The Chevrolet Cobalt Coupe, bone stock manual window manual trans edition? No hear me out, they're stupid cheap cause of high depreciation. In the review here on TTAC it was called "honest and direct" like the original VW Rabbit. Plus if you do all your own work there is a crap load of stuff for this car! http://cobalt-addiction.com/performance.htm You don't have to rice it out with the body kit, I'm just talking about intake and exhaust, there's even a Flowmaster unit that I'm sure won't sound like a "fart can." Lower the suspension a little, install a short throw shifter, slap a cat back exhaust on there and leave the rest of it stock! You could do a lot worse in looking for (as you put it) "It wasn’t a fabulous car, but they were fun to drive, cheap to own, utilitarian (space-efficient front-wheel drive), and all FIATs suffered extreme depreciation (i.e. they were cheap to buy). I did all of my own work, so maintenence was cheap." http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/review-chevrolet-cobalt-xfe/
  
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- Stuart on May 21, 2010
  
  educatordan, Thank You for your suggestion. I Googled for driving reviews of the Cobalt, and ... well, you're right about cheap. I guess I did a lousy job of explaining what I wanted. Those old FIAT 128s were really fun to drive. If you Google for "FIAT 128 fun to drive," you'll find dozens of folks, all saying the same things. The Cobalt reviews speak in reverential tones about the super/turbo/charged Cobalts, but otherwise, the comments seem to be "forgettable." Not bad, but not very positive either. If you Google "cobalt fun to drive," about 1/4 of the reviews say "Cobalt blanblah... but is more fun to drive." For all its faults, the 128 was voted the European Car of the Year in 1970. It was a lovely, quirky, space-efficient little car that totally failed to catch on in the US. But it was a blast to drive. Recent driving reviews suggest the Honda Fit and the imminent Ford Fiesta do O.K. on the "fun to drive" metric. I suppose the Lotus Elise would also be fun to drive, albeit rather impractical and out of my price range.
  
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Festiva Rob on May 25, 2023

How do you make posts?!
I need to know.

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