I want:
4 adult seats
mid engine (well, almost rear engine)
turbo diesel
as light and small as is reasonable (spartan Honda Elementish interior), certainly less than 3000lbs
dyed plastic skin, no paint
Pretty much a more reasonable, everyday Lotus Evora. Like if a Jetta TDI and Element and Evora had a 3-way.
From a sketch and some measurements from real cars, I don't see why it can't be done.
VW 2.0 TDI engine/drivetrain, mounted in the rear, with all the guts (radiator and such) back there too. Rear trunk would open sort of normally so you could get to everything pretty well. Would need some thought/aero/fans to keep everything cool, should be do-able. Of course tuned up safely a little, 140HP is pretty unnecessarily weak.
Interior room similar to Jetta or 3 series
Fuel tank down the middle, flat floors are for Camrys
Clamshell (suicide) rear doors likely
Cargo space up front
Hell, maybe it wouldn't even need power steering, but it'll be electric if it does
Don't care WTF it looks like. Shock and awe sports toaster. $25k, certainly less than 30.

I could see buying a couple wrecked cars and stitching the guts together for a prototype, steal interior from another car, but how the hell do you get the doors, cabin structure, skin and glass made?

I know this is a long shot, but I figured id post up hoping to have someone I know at the track :lol:

Its NASA Southeast Road Atlanta March 11-13th. I will be in Time Trials and bringing my usual compliment of way too much crap. Hoping to see some of you guys out there!

Link:
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I am working on some code that was written in C++, but I need to return some results to java in an integrated fashion.

I built out some shared libraries tht give me access to the C++, and generated allt he JNI using SWIG.

The problem is I am having a problem creating a typemap for the return type of one of the functions (unsigned char **), so anyway, if you have ever used SWIG or JNI before, I'd appreciate talking to you for a few.

Thanks!

....Goodspeed

Here she is. A 2002 BMW M3 in SMG. Well cared for be previous owner who took the car to Curry's for servicing (and holy hell overpaid looking through records). Buts its got everything done and has had the main bearing recall done on it, so thats in the past. It is Topaz blue, a color only offered that year with black interior. Originally I went to look at it myself, but my mom was bored so she came along with me. Much to my surprise and chagrin (we tested 30-60 vehicles with her over the past 6 years to find a vehicle she liked), she loved it. Said it was "easier to get into and better visibility than all the other bmws she got into" :dunno: I dont understand but whatever. Anyways onto the pictures, and yes we got it for a ridiculous steal. Here she is before an interior cleanup, but after an exterior wash.

The bad: SMG shift knob is peeling so we will be replacing that.

After 22 years of faithful service to my mom, she has decided to let this car go. Bought new back in 1989, my mom is the original owner of this vehicle. It now was 161,724 (do the math thats only 7,351 miles avg a year) For 19 years of its life it was garage kept, and not in the way you think. It was NEVER out of the garage unless driven to the grocery/errands. It never spent time at a work parking lot for those years. Three years ago my mom decided to go back to work and so it saw work duty then. It has always been hand-washed and waxed by her, and later on in its life by me. It has been in 2 accidents over its life of 22 years and have the documentation about it. You would not be able to tell unless I had told you (and of course carfax :lol: ). It is white exterior with a navy blue interior. The interior has NOT A SINGLE scratch or tear in the seats/door panels/dash etc. The carpet is still in very excellent condition with some dirt/stains in the trunk/hatch area that are hardly noticeable. There are "surface" wave cracks in the wood that is common to these vehicles, but is not nearly bad enough to warrant replacement, see photos for details. Vehicle has a powerful inline six and automatic transmission, rear wheel drive and tires that were replaced only 3000 miles ago. It also just had its belts replaced and new tensioner put in. It receives regular oil changes and inspections by me as well as a certified Mercedes Mechanic, but spent most of its automative repair history at HBL and SilverStar Motors in Vienna. Car drives incredibly well and smooth with no noises. The chrome on the front and emblem are still 100%. My mom has received many a compliment and words of "the last of the good Mercedes" from even Mercedes Dealers. :lol:

The Bad: The radio sucks, welcome to 1989. Its "okay" if you just like background music, but not much more.
In the cold, and only because im probably pretty anal, I notice a slight hesitation at idle.
The driver's side seat, squeaks over speed bumps if your sitting in it just a bit sideways (yes the only squeak/rattle in the car, AMAZING)
Radio Antenna doesnt go all the way down
Sagging "seatback" pockets

Onto the pictures: (My mom complains the interior is dirty so itll have new pics, she never keeps anything in cars, she is kind of a neat freak, should see her her "new car"....doesnt have a single thing in it except her purse and bag she takes to work which she takes out every day)

Let me start by saying I'm not a banking/finance savant, but I do maintain a keen interest in not getting screwed over by the services I elect to use nor the purchases that I make. And this morning's headlines in virtually all outlets (secondary to the AZ shooting) I read talked about how banks are getting ready unleash a new round of BS fees/charges to augment the loss of ridiculous overdraft fees etc.

I mostly looked up BofA as that is currently who I bank with, but Chase, WF/Wachovia, and a few others are mentioned as well (Fun side note: Bank of America is apparently going to be bludgeoned by the next wikileaks reveal)

Coming Soon to Debit Cards Near You - Annual Fees, Fewer Rewards
At Banks, New Fees Replacing Old Levies
Bank of America to Change Fees for Checking Accounts

So, what is one to do if they don't want to get nickel and dimed to death?

I think my temporary solution will be to "downgrade" to a BofA eBanking account - no tellers/personal service - deposit checks through the ATM - no fees, and then consider moving elsewhere. I was treated pretty well by my smaller credit union in Harrisonburg but there are no locations up here - anybody else to consider to get a truly free checking account? I err on the side of avoiding offers/rewards cards/all that crap and I have a great record - I just want a simple, no nonsense outlet to maintain a credit history if nothing else.

Going macro, bailout funding for individual states will dry up this spring, and we might be facing yet another massive crisis that has been fermenting for decades: the collapse of state and local budgets.

Sate Budgets: Day of Reckoning Video

Discuss. :vomit:

InFocus X1 - Make an offer.

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2004 WRX Sport Wagon
123k miles
5-speed
< 1 yr old Sony iPod/Bluetooth head unit
Factory tow hitch
Factory diff protector
Factory roof rack with crossbars
Some spares - oil filters, a couple of extra wheels, the old stereo, floor mats, etc...

Questions, offers, nudie pics to john[dot]chapin[at]gmail[dot]com

Price: $6500 firm

Pictures:







The Good:

VA inspection good through 05/11
Current on maintenance (timing belt done at 105k)
Brake pads/rotors replaced spring 2010
Good tires (Kumho Ecsta ASX)
Never modded

The Bad:

It occasionally throws P1086/1088 codes, which are for the tumble generator valves in the intake. I've replaced one of the TGV sensors, to no effect. This is just stupid emissions crap - the car still runs/drives fine after I clear the code. The best next step would be to get rid of the TGV valves altogether and reprogram the ECU.

The rear driver's side brake rotor rubs on the mechanism for the parking brake. This manifests itself as a muffled grinding or clunking sound on hard right turns. I pulled the rotor and ground some material off with a Dremel, but the noise is still there. This is a known WRX issue, and I can show pictures of the parking brake drum where the brake rotor rubs.

We've also had an intermittent hard start condition - on warm starts after the car has been parked for 20-30 minutes. The engine was turning over, but not firing. After some research, I cleaned the air filter, IACV, and MAP sensor, and the car hasn't had any starting issues since. That work also appears to have cleared up an occasional high idle.

The Ugly:

It has a dent/scratches/rust on the passenger side front fender, thanks to an ambush by a mailbox. It's been like that for 5 years. The bumpers have been used as, well, bumpers, and they look like it. I think all of these cosmetic things fall under the category of "Subaru Character".

To my little brother NTIman. I believe he turns 26 today. Every year, his birthday makes me feel older and older.

2011 Honda Fit Sport, 5-spd, in Polished Metal Metallic.

I know of a WRX wagon that will be for sale very soon, at a very reasonable price... PM/email me if interested, FS ad will be up this weekend.