What is it with people and their damn pride? (car thread)

[geno]

I was talking to a kid from work the other night and we got into a discussion about cars. For some reason this kid loves Saabs. I think they look nice, but they're not the fastest things around, nor the cheapest. I told him there were a handful of cars I could name off of the top of my head that cost half as much and would rip the doors off a shiny new Saab. I began comparing his Saabs to my CSX. In his mind my car is a 10 year old clunker (that can run sub 15's in the quarter. stock...) and that it can't possibly hang with a Saab. He starts giving me stats about the big daddy of the Saabs (I forget the name), with 230HP. I Asked him how much torque it had, and it had decent numbers. I then asked him how quick it could run the quarter, he responded "2500-4500RPM". I said "wtf?" and asked him again....same response. Ooook, so I then asked him how much it weighed..maybe I could estimate how quick it is, and he says "210lbs"...@%$#%#$??? I said, are you absoultely sure? He says "oops, I mean 320lbs". I stopped him and said "Kid, these cars are up around 3000lbs, what in the hell are you talking about??". He dropped the convo, apparetnly too damn embarrased. Why the hell is it people love something they know nothing about? It's all out of pride for a car that you love, yea I understand that. But why do people insist on trying to prove that it's the best damn thing in the world???

 

[geno]

Oh, almost forgot, this is a $40k German car that's a Turbo and it's FWD. Nothing wrong with the turbo, but for 40k why couldn't there be a 6 under the hood? And as for the FWD? Bwhahaah, cmon, how are you gonna pay 40 grand for a FWD "sports" car???

 

[Windogg]

The same reason laymen say, "I like Intel because a Pentium can beat a Athleteathon anyday. AMD processors suck because Intel makes the best processors." People are just uninformed and repeat what some hack reported crapped out of his mouth.

 

[nickdakick]

<< German car >>


Meaning that Saab is a German car ? Nope now you're on the wrong side. Saab is a Swedish brand.

 

[geno]

Ack, sorry bout that, you're right. The car is meant to run with BMWs and Mercedes, thus trying to yield the same refinement as them. Sorry but I've never known too much about Saabs. I just think it's laughable that it's FWD considering it's competition.

 

[gittyup]

Don't you know that with some guys, a car is an extension of their *&amp;%$$##! Gets very personal.
Ofocurse, he sounds like a little punk!

 

[warcleric]

genocide: have you seen the price tag on a fully loaded accord? it doesnt fall too short of a Saab's, and although I never have like the Saab's design, they are good cars, euro cars put jap crap and american cars to shame in terms of reliability.

 

[Suicidal]

Only guys named Bruce drive saabs if ya know what i mean

 

[StageLeft]

Thats funny...a friend of mine's father bought a nice new convertible saab some years back and the thing is the biggest lemon you ever saw. Maybe he was unlucky but he keeps it in pristine condition and drives it like a goddamned panzy and its been into the shop all the time. The engineers are physically unable to fix the constant electrical problems with it!

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I once had someone argue that his brand new $15,000 toyota pickup was better than my 8 year old $5,500 car. Of course this guy was the god of car knowledge (I don't know alot but I know ALOT more than he did). I one asked him a couple of questions with odvious answers:

#1: Where is the cam on a DOHC engine.
His answer: on the top (when asked to elaborate he couldn't)
Correct answer: ontop of the head (duh)

#2: What is the difference between a pnumatic lifter and a hydralic lifter?
His answer: one has a roller on the bottom and the other is flat
Correct answer: The hydralic lifter exists.

 

[geno]

lmao @ Skoorb, Suicidal, and Demon Xanth!!!

 

[Moonbeam]

The answer to your question is a secret because it's the last thing anybody wants to know.

 

[Engine]

Actually, if you look at the JD Power reliability surveys, Japanese cars are usually the ones at the top. Euro cars are generally better than American cars, sure, but the #1 most reliable car manufacturer(for like six years running) is Lexus, which is really nothing more than a pimped out toyota I think #2 was Porsche (which surprised me), and Toyota and Honda were right there in the top 5, too.

Edit: Whoops, just looked at the website. It looks (to me, at least) that the Japanese cars and euro cars are pretty close.

#1 - Lexus
#2 - Porsche
#3 - Infiniti
#4 - Toyota
#5 - Acura
#6 - Jaguar
#7 - Mercedes
#8 - Honda
#9 - Lincoln
#10 - Buick

Of course, most of the top 10 were pretty expensive manufacturers. I'd guess for reliability versus cost, a Toyota is hard to beat

 

[geno]

Wow, 4 out of the top 5 are Japanese...

 

[Daniel]

Like yesterday, it's dumping heavy snow outside and traffic is crawling, I'm in a 4wd jeep, and some guy trying as hard as he can to look cool goes around everyone (in his porsche 968 convert)then proceeds to get stuck in the middle of the road spinning his tires. It felt sooo nice to drive back around him along with the whole string of cars he tried so hard to get around in the first place.

 

[warcleric]

Engine: JD Powers tests reliability within the warranty period. I am talking 200,000 miles and beyond type reliability. I have seen Honda's go 200,000 miles, but you KNOW they are high mileage cars when you drive them. They just feel worn out, a Mercedes/Jaguar/Saab can still ride and feel nearly new with that amount of miles.

Demon:

Q: What is the proper way to spell &quot;hydralic&quot;?
Your answer: Hydralic
Correct Answer: Hydraulic

Q: What is the correct way to spell &quot;pnumatic&quot;?
Your Answer: pnumatic
Correct Answer: pneumatic

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I find the owner also has a lot to do with the reliability, someone driving on 2 lane roads in the hills and taking corners and enjoying the drive is gonna run through a car faster that someone who sticks to highways and flat suburban roads. With pickups it's even more evident because we do stuff with our trucks that could break even the newest toyota (ie: 75MPH w/ 9000Lb trailer and the back filled). For me I could make my car last longer by not taking the backroads so much or slowing down in the corners, but for me that's what makes driving enjoyable. Freeways are boring.

 

[Stallion]

Not quite the same topic but the thing I hate is when people walk up to me and say, &quot;Nice Chevelle&quot;. I can't tell you how many times I have heard that in the past 19 years. Even before I had the emblems shaved off people still would call it a Chevelle..

I bought it just for the reason that it was something other then a Chevy or Ford or Pontiac.

Oh well..

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Stallion: let me guess, Dodge Challenger, Buick GSX, or Olds 442?

 

[Stallion]

Olds 442.

 

[Stallion]

This one to be exact.

 

[SuperGroove]

Who cares? I drive a Volvo...and I absolutely love the thing. Because it was the car I learned to drive in, I've developed a strong love for all things that are Volvo. My Volvo's been there when I needed to just drive my angers away, it always gets me from point a-b no questions asked, can be mistook for a tank on radials, will do donuts all day, and it's a bitchin car considering it's age(18 years old). The way it acts towards me...it's like it has a soul. I dunno...it's hard to explain.

I would like to consider myself a dub-head...but I only like A2 Golfs, B3 Passats, A2 Jettas and Corrados(A2). A Corrado means so much to me already because it's unique, fast, stylish and is considered one of the best FF cars ever produced. Another car that would quickly become an extension of me. It's just a personal thing.

I just spent 2 hours waxing the car I drive primarily, my friend's Mazda Protege LX(he's off at college and doesn't want to pay parking.). It's kept me safe from harm(got into an accident), comfortable and loads of fun in the twisties(it's small and nimble...plus that rear end goes everywhere). It's another car that makes me feel good after a hard day. I still hate the car...don't get me wrong. I just have a new respect for Mazda, is all.

So who cares if the kid likes Saabs? He's attached to it...let him be. It's personal preference. BTW...Saabs are not just for &quot;Bruces&quot;. Ever heard of the 9-3 Viggen? 9000 Aero? Yea...0-60 faster than you can say, &quot;OH sh*t, there goes Bruce!&quot;

 

[Static911]

my family only buys lexus...

we have like 4-5 cars (i think we are all time high at the dealership)

But, the service is great, my mom doesn't speak the greatest english, but they are very courteous to her and the price is comparable/cheaper and the car is great

we have 2 LS-400, 1 LS 430, 1 RX-300 and i'm gonna buy the IS-300 and my sis gonna buy GS-400. 1 of the LS-400 has 160,000 and it can still haul @$$...

Static911

 

[SuperGroove]

Static911,

A Corrado VR6 will MESS YOUR LEXUSES(Lexii?) UP!

 

[Zenmervolt]

<<I have seen Honda's go 200,000 miles, but you KNOW they are high mileage cars when you drive them. They just feel worn out, a Mercedes/Jaguar/Saab can still ride and feel nearly new with that amount of miles.>>

Depends upon the maintenance. Mercedes &amp;c. are generally taken better care of than a Honda because the owner is more affluent. My Honda at 197,000 miles, while it does not feel new, ceratinly does not feel &quot;worn out&quot;. Whenever something breaks I get it fixed with an OE part, and I don't cheap out on any mechanical work. In my year long tenure as a valet parking attendant I saw plenty of &quot;worn out&quot; Mercedes/Jaguar/Saabs with only 50,000 or so miles. Of course I saw more of them in great condition, but my point is that a car's feeling &quot;worn out&quot; has much more to do with how well the car is maintained than with the car's brand.

Zenmervolt