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comment by goobster
goobster  ·  1344 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: August 19, 2020

I must be older than you. Because holy crap I hated the "marshmallow curves" design trend that you seem to have loved. I honestly can't see any difference between the Fourth Gen Camaro you despise and the Mustang you revere. And that Celica was just the most ridiculous thing I'd ever seen... I thought the design had gotten melted in the oven, and nobody bothered to fix the droopyness.

Born in the 60's, I came into cars in the 1970's, so my idea of the perfect cars was way pointier. The Dodge Dart is still the one I'd do almost anything for today. My grandmother drove this very model - same color and everything - and there was a chance it would go to me. But I already had a car when she stopped driving, and my cousin didn't, so she got it, and destroyed it in a year.

Despite being brought up in the 70's with a Dad who was a (retired) race car driver, the muscle cars weren't my thing.

My first car - and it was AWESOME - was the GMC Jimmy.

It was better than the Chevy Blazer in every functional way... but just didn't get the cachet that the Blazer did. The back seat was raised 4 inches, so the people in the back had a GREAT view. The tailgate and rear window worked better (and more reliably) than the Blazer. The top came off more easily - and more importantly, it went back ON better, and reformed a watertight seal between the removable top and cab, unlike the Blazer which would leak.

There's a photo of me somewhere from High School, where I am sitting inside the engine compartment, ass on the radiator, feet on the opposite wheel wells, adjusting the carbs or whatever. There was plenty of room to work under the hood, and everything just made sense in there.

When I blew up the original 350, we dropped in a 400 ci engine, and it just got better.

Oh. And after I moved out and got married, my wife had a Mazda Miata that was an amazing little vehicle, and I'd have another one in a second. No question at all.

Finally, we agree on the Nissan 300zx. The Z32 model was kleinbl00's Porsche, but done RIGHT. Every line is perfect on that 300zx, while the Porsche always looked... odd to me. I hope never to ever drive the 300zx, because it can't match up to my idolization of it.

Nowadays, I am utterly thrilled with my Chevy Volt. Haven't used any gas since, like February, and the batteries are getting better and better. My model - the 2015 Volt Premier in white - is the epitome of the Volt design. The other models - Gen2 specifically - have some klunker elements that just gak the design, like the black trunk lid, or non-contrasting interior colors. (The contrast colors look amazing.)

But mine looks like it came directly out of the Apple design studio that built the original iPod. It's gorgeous.





kleinbl00  ·  1344 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I am saving this comment to succinctly discount any aesthetic choice you champion at any point in the near or distant future.

    The Dodge Dart is still the one I'd do almost anything for today.

mmmmmmmmmdelicious.

Me and my done-wrong Porsche aren't even offended because you had a damn MGB GT in the carport and you're here pining after a - say it with me - Dodge Dart.

goobster  ·  1344 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Something about that ridge down the front fenders, the grille, and the bench front seat. Oh, and that straight-6 motor. I also love the way it sits... a little tall... a little proud...

And I'm not saying anything about your lovely little Porsche that you didn't already know...! :-)

kleinbl00  ·  1344 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Slant 6 love is the QAnon of car fandom. It's a joke that grew out-of-hand and became a cult.

And I mean... I made fun of friends with Ford Mavericks. You could get those with V8s. I made fun of friends with AMC Javelins which, in retrospect, wasn't a wretched car. I had a friend with a Pacer - he wasn't entirely rational and it was best to let it be. And I was saddled with a Falcon Futura, one of the least-appealing deathtraps to emerge from Detroit.

But do please go on. I would love to see an image of your platonic ideal of Dodge Dart. Remember, this is for posterity.

goobster  ·  1344 days ago  ·  link  ·  

That straight-6 in the Dart is just a good engine to work on. Simple, straightforward, ubiquitous parts, aftermarket upgrades galore, reliable, and can be worked on with basic hand tools. A good friend of mine in high school had the Dodge Dart Swinger, and we were always monkeying with it... and no matter what we screwed up, the engine forgave us, told us what we did wrong, and let us fix it before blowing up anything expensive.

I just have an affection for that motor....

kleinbl00  ·  1344 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    That straight-6 in the Dart is just a good engine to work on. Simple, straightforward, ubiquitous parts, aftermarket upgrades galore, reliable, and can be worked on with basic hand tools.

This is true of literally every American V8 made between 1948 and 1990 with the notable exception of the Cadillac 8-6-4.

    I just have an affection for that motor....

Clearly. So long as we both agree that it doesn't make it objectively good.

user-inactivated  ·  1343 days ago  ·  link  ·  

The 305 in my El Camino ran like a top. The alternator, distributor, radiator, and a bunch of other do-hickies on the other hand . . .

Project cars are money pits. I know this. That said The Tercel sold for less than three grand. If there wasn't an impending economic apocalypse, that's a pretty decent starting point leaving enough financial room to make a mistake or two.

kleinbl00  ·  1343 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I mean tercels aren't exactly coveted. I found a '97 for $2300 in Florida just now. Keep your eye out and you could probably get one for $400.