All things Automobile - THE definitive car thread

[Ursa Major]

Originally Posted by HOT DAMN!

How does one go from a Phaeton to a Jetta?

The JSW's parked between a '12 Range Rover HSE and an '81 300SD that gets more miles than the other two combined.

I have eclectic taste in cars.

[Ursa Major]

Originally Posted by neumie

12k over on the lease...?

I realized pretty early on that it was far and away the best car I'd ever owned (well, leased..). After the dealership's special "Phaeton tech" told me that the list price for the air suspension module at one of the corners was around $4k, I also realized that there was no way in hell I'd own it outside of warranty (I feel the same way about a new S-Class, 7 Series, or RR).

The lease was cheap - I was shopping for an AWD long distance cruiser and I was checking out the Touareg forum on VW Vortex. I checked out the adjacent Phaeton forum and saw a dealer offering a zero down, $599/month lease on a Phaeton V8; it was cheaper than a Touareg V8 so I took it. At $.25 a mile over 36,000, the incremental miles were cheaper than the base miles. I drive a lot, and I timed it so that I turned it in just under the 50k mile warranty expiration. I didn't begrudge writing the $3500 check for a minute - that car was just a pleasure to drive.

The Phaeton was the platform for the first-gen Bentley Continental GT, with the Phaeton's W12 supercharged in the Bentley. A friend of mine who was a conspicuously consuming real estate developer at the time ordered a Bentley, custom specced, blah blah blah for $185k. I always pissed him off when I told him I was leasing the same car for 6 bills a month. I finally got him to sit in the Phaeton's driver seat, and he realized the dash was essentially identical to the Bentley without the wood. I thought he was going to cry..

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by neumie

I will echo prev remarks. Check out the 3. We put 65k on ours in 2.5 yrs before trading it in on a larger car. Got good mpg and fun to drive. The current models front styling is meh however.

Agreed. Their origami crap is definitely not going to be timeless.

[HOT DAMN!]

Originally Posted by Ursa Major

I have eclectic taste in cars.

[Veteran Noob]

Originally Posted by ScottDill

Since this is the ALL things automotive thread, can we at least agree that this is the coolest and best looking racing car of all time?

Alright, where the flock did you take this. I'm a frequent visitor to the Henry Ford Museum (at which this car is on "permanent" display) and for the last year this baby has supposedly been on a temporary trip to the Goodwood Festival of Speed (just how long does GFS last?). Pisses me off as the Lotus 38, the '67 LeMans winning Mark IV and the Allegheny 1601 are my primary reasons for visiting.

Looks wise, I prefer the Lotus 49 over the 38, although the differences are subtle, and I think Gurney's AAR Eagle has them both beat by a fair bit. The Weslake 12 in the Eagle even sounds way better (when it ran) than the glorious DFV too.

[StevG57]

Sure it's a neat car and it changed Indy forever, but it killed the dinosaurs. In my opinion, nothing looks better than a early 60's Offy roadster, just like the ones in the background.

[NSpooner]

Originally Posted by Veteran Noob

Alright, where the flock did you take this. I'm a frequent visitor to the Henry Ford Museum (at which this car is on "permanent" display) and for the last year this baby has supposedly been on a temporary trip to the Goodwood Festival of Speed (just how long does GFS last?). Pisses me off as the Lotus 38, the '67 LeMans winning Mark IV and the Allegheny 1601 are my primary reasons for visiting.

Looks wise, I prefer the Lotus 49 over the 38, although the differences are subtle, and I think Gurney's AAR Eagle has them both beat by a fair bit. The Weslake 12 in the Eagle even sounds way better (when it ran) than the glorious DFV too.

That's at the museum at Indy.

[ScottDill]

Originally Posted by Veteran Noob

Alright, where the flock did you take this. I'm a frequent visitor to the Henry Ford Museum (at which this car is on "permanent" display) and for the last year this baby has supposedly been on a temporary trip to the Goodwood Festival of Speed (just how long does GFS last?). Pisses me off as the Lotus 38, the '67 LeMans winning Mark IV and the Allegheny 1601 are my primary reasons for visiting.

Looks wise, I prefer the Lotus 49 over the 38, although the differences are subtle, and I think Gurney's AAR Eagle has them both beat by a fair bit. The Weslake 12 in the Eagle even sounds way better (when it ran) than the glorious DFV too.

That's the Indy museum at the track in Speedway. Worth a visit if you're passing through....

Looks are subjective of course adn I had no personal attachment to the front engine Indy cars.

JC's Lotus appeals to me for it's mechanical design, color, layout, proportions even memories of toys as a child. Most importantly, it predates the ground effects that have uglied up open wheelers. There are lots of significant race cars, I am just singling this one out for pure viceral appeal. The beauty of the exhaust header alone is worth the trip to Speedway.

[ducnut]

So I started having problems with my Stihl power products. I'd had some intermittent starting, idling, and high-rpm running issues. My Kombi experienced all three and got to where it wouldn't even start. I pulled the carb apart, cleaned it, and reassembled. While in there, I noticed a parafinn-looking substance, but, thought nothing of it. The thing ran great, the next day. However, it resorted to the same non-start issues as before. Talked to the local dealer and found there's an encased "valve" within the carb that can't be cleaned and a new carb is the only way to fix it ($29-no big deal). He stated that in his Stihl classes, they've taught that minimum grade fuels are actually made out of the leftover refinements from higher grades of fuels and, then, mixed with ethanol to create something that can be ran in an automobile. The residual from these fuels is the parafinn looking substance I found. He recommended using only AV gas, as it's pure. I noticed that AV gas, after it dries on the skin, leaves no nasty smells. In fact, I can hardly tell anything was ever on me. Why is that? Is it that gasoline's nasty fumes are all the chemicals put into it to make something burnable? Educate me.

[Anorak]

Originally Posted by ducnut

So I started having problems with my Stihl power products. I'd had some intermittent starting, idling, and high-rpm running issues. My Kombi experienced all three and got to where it wouldn't even start. I pulled the carb apart, cleaned it, and reassembled. While in there, I noticed a parafinn-looking substance, but, thought nothing of it. The thing ran great, the next day. However, it resorted to the same non-start issues as before. Talked to the local dealer and found there's an encased "valve" within the carb that can't be cleaned and a new carb is the only way to fix it ($29-no big deal). He stated that in his Stihl classes, they've taught that minimum grade fuels are actually made out of the leftover refinements from higher grades of fuels and, then, mixed with ethanol to create something that can be ran in an automobile. The residual from these fuels is the parafinn looking substance I found. He recommended using only AV gas, as it's pure. I noticed that AV gas, after it dries on the skin, leaves no nasty smells. In fact, I can hardly tell anything was ever on me. Why is that? Is it that gasoline's nasty fumes are all the chemicals put into it to make something burnable? Educate me.

You probably should avoid too much contact with AVgas due to the high lead content.

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by Anorak

You probably should avoid too much contact with AVgas due to the high lead content.

I'll double-check, but, I believe it's 100LL.

[Bueller]

Originally Posted by ducnut

I'll double-check, but, I believe it's 100LL.

100LL is only "Low Lead" compared to other blends of avgas. But it still has lead, and you really don't want it being absorbed through your skin - something that occurs quite easily with gasolines.

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by Bueller

100LL is only "Low Lead" compared to other blends of avgas. But it still has lead, and you really don't want it being absorbed through your skin - something that occurs quite easily with gasolines.

Oh, I know. My little 1-gal jug didn't like the excessive pressure the pump unleashed. The pump hadn't done that, in the past, so I ended up getting it on my hand and ground.

I was born, in '68. We thought nothing of using gasoline and bare hands to clean parts, get road oil off vehicles, etc. I wear gloves, anytime I work on anything, now. Funny, how things change.

[jdiaz]

BG44K gas treatment will dissolve the paraffin stuff, won't it? I think that is one of its claims.

[Bueller]

Originally Posted by jdiaz

BG44K gas treatment will dissolve the paraffin stuff, won't it?

That's good stuff, but I don't know for sure if it will.

Believe it or not, I've been quite impressed with Pine-Sol for carb dunking.