Hey guys, so I posted a good while back that I was in the market for a used STi in the for sale/trade forum. I had been looking for months and every car I thought would be decent ended up not being as advertised. My parameters were too narrowing and I finally realized the car did not exist(except in Maengs driveway). So around September 16th or so, not sure exactly, I went down to Johnson Subaru of Cary and ordered myself a stripped down 2011 WRX STi Sedan in WRB, no additional options.

Fast forward to around October 20th or so, I get a call from the sales manager car came in that morning with another STi, great news. Bad news was the wing got caught on the clam shell or some shit and got ripped off, mangling the trunk in the process. I go to the dealership after work to check out the damage and there was no way I was driving that off the lot with 6 miles on the odometer and a Carfax report. This is when I place order #2 for the exact same car, I wanted the SPT boost gauge but its back-ordered til at least March.

Fast forward to Monday, I pick up my shiny new WRX STi sedan in WRB after work. Here's my experience so far, things I like that I haven't ever had/haven't had in a while cause the CRX is stripped down:

1. Heated seats/Engine heats up super quick - WOW is all I can say, all these mornings ive been shivering on the way to work cause the little 1.5l couldnt warm up fast enough.
2. Power steering/Power windows/Power Locks/Remote/CD Player/Cushy Suspension/Engine has torque - You know all those little things most people are accustomed to that I've gone without for years
3. Boxer Grumble - The stock exhaust note on the 2011s is noticeably more grumbly than previous years at idle, the dual mufflers setup might have something to do with it, UEL headers FTW!
4. HIDs - WOW, shoulda put some on my cars previously helps so much seeing at night

Things I don't like so much:
1. Hill hold/Incline hill start assist, w/e the hell they're calling it these days: This function is horrible, Ive been in an old Subaru that had this and it was great, the brakes let go as soon as you engaged the clutch and off you went no rolling back. This is some electronic crap and if you're too soon off the brake then engaging the clutch the brakes aren't done holding, caused me to stall twice. Luckily in the STi you can disable this, if I had gotten a WRX I would be stuck with it.
2. Gas mileage: theyre claiming 23 highway, people averaging 18/19 mixed, Ive gotten 120 miles out of a half tank and I'm taking it super easy on the throttle for break in. I've never owned a car that gets less than 30mpg so itll take a little more getting used to but it'll def be worth it

I've only put 120 miles on it since I got it but plan on doing some cruising around this weekend to help with the break-in ensuring to vary rpm and gear consistently. Most of my driving is pretty busy so once its broken in it'll probably be hard to find an open on ramp to really see what its got 0/10-70. My plans with this car are to keep it 100% stock until the warranty is up and to just finally enjoy a decent car since I've been driving piles of rice for as long as I can remember . Also, anyone in the Triangle, NC area that wants a ride post break-in lemme know.


Cliff Notes: Took 3 months but it's here and I'm super excited!!!!

I have two gift cards I am not crazy about that if I could get one of equal value to some place more useful to me I would gladly trade. I would also accept a cash offer I guess, but I am sure I can find some way to spend them so don't hit me to bad.

$25 to L.L. Bean
$50 to Best Buy

Hey Guys,

I was wondering if any of the alumni are working in the finance sector in and around DC? If so, could any of you possibly point me in the direction of some good companies to apply for internships, besides the basic ones covered in recruitaduke. Any input is greatly appreciated.

Friends in town want to watch the Falcons game tonight. It's on ESPN. I don't have cable, I don't watch sports. I'm able to stream everything I care to watch from my HTPC mac mini. Of course, not live though.

Searching around, I find I can't even pay someone to stream it live (or live-ish?)? And there's a few free sports sites... but it seems there's no guarantee of the schedule... it's like, I just have to check around at 8 tonight and see if any of them have it? We'll have made other plans by then.

I'm about to call COX, have them turn it back on then cancel it tomorrow :lol:

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Registration is open, I signed up to instruct. Who's in?

Porsche has some cool videos of their new 911. Click on the below link, choose 911 Turbo S, and then the "responsibility" video. Where is that road?

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Peter

So I've been looking at air compressors pretty closely lately and I'm about to pull the trigger on one, but wanted to get some thoughts from those of you own/have worked with home sized air compressors. I love doing projects around the house, and as far as wrenching on cars I'd rather let air do the work rather than me straining and hitting shit with hammers. I'm lazy. The last compressor I used for any period of time was a 6 gallon unit we toted around when I put down hardwood floors in my moms house. I know I want something bigger than that.

What's the smallest you'd recommend? 20gal? 30gal? 60gal?

Most of the ones I've been looking at are 3-5hp and 155psi. Is that adequate?

Any particular brands you would stay away from? I've been looking at Craftsman and Kobalt, I'm not trying to break the bank on this, I've got a wedding to pay for.

Oil or Oilless?

Thanks in advance!

I'm trying to flesh out a blog post and thought I'd post here to get some more ideas. I was just thinking about ways to pass the time until March and this is what I came up with:

1. Indoor Karting

G-Force has a $110 all you can kart in a day deal that I think I'll do at least once this winter. Only problem is that I'll probably have to do some neck strength exercises (no jokes) so I can last all day. I was having a lot of trouble in my 3rd stint of karting last time.

2. iRacing, GT5, or Forza

Might buy a steering wheel for Forza, only problem is the force feedback ones are pretty pricey. Might try iRacing at some point too here but I don't have a current copy of Windows at the moment. Of course, I could always fire up F355 Challenge again or hit it up at Dave & Busters.

3. Read some Automotive-related books

Recommended:
-Speed Secrets 3
-Secrets of Solo Racing
-The Art of Racing in the Rain
-Fast Company (motorcycle related)
-Mechanic's Tale
-The Unfair Advantage
-Maximum Boost
-Twist of the Wrist (motorcycle related)
-V-Force (motorcycle related)
-Driven Man: David Richards, Prodrive and the Race to Win
-Honda: An American Success Story (out of print but available on Amazon)

Some I'd like to read this winter:
-books on Colin Chapman, Enzo Ferrari, and/or Bruce McLaren
-MotoGP Technology: 2nd Edition
-The Haydens (have it just haven't read it)
-Ring of Fire

4. Watch some Car/Bike-related movies

I've seen all of the following except for Grand Prix. Fair warning, Le Mans is almost like a silent film so don't watch it if you're sleepy.

-Dust to Glory
-Love the Beast
-Faster
-On Any Sunday
-Le Mans
-Grand Prix
-Fast & Furious (drunken marathon)
-Top Gear (UK) marathon

5. Snowboarding/Skiing

I figure snowsports are a natural fit since they involve speed, taking the correct line, and fine motor control. And if you get hurt you'll have enough time to be healed by March or April.

6. Fix all the crap you broke during the season

If you ended the season with a busted pile, don't begin the new season with a busted pile.

7. Ice Fishing

8. Physical Training

Get yourself in shape so that at track days (especially motorcycle track days) and karting you don't get worn out. Cardiovascular fitness, core strength and overall fitness should be emphasized over simply building muscle mass. Recommended workouts: P90X and Crossfit.

Anyone else have any other suggestions or books/movies/shows to add?

Will we see James Madison here?



RSVP here:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=169076729795202

WESTERN VA REGIONAL CAR MEET
April 2nd, 2011 (previously February 5th, 2011)
11:00AM, Drive begins at 12:00PM

Q&A:

WHERE IS THE MEET?
We will meet in Lexington but individual groups will likely meet beforehand to caravan to the event location. Individuals unaffiliated with a group are encouraged to meet with these groups.

90 East Midland Trl Lexington, VA 24450
Directions/Food/Gas: http://mapq.st/10-ZviD

-

WHY LEXINGTON?
Besides Lexington area being surrounded by the best roads on the East Coast, Lexington is also convienently located in between both Virginia Tech and James Madison University. Both colleges have active car clubs that hold annual car clubs and compete in sanctioned races.

Lynchburg, VA - 37.7 mi - 51 minutes
Roanoke, VA - 56 mi - 58 minutes
Harrisonburg, VA - 65.1 mi - 1 hour 11 minutes
Charlottesville, VA - 73.8 MI - 1 Hour 24 minutes
Blacksburg, VA - 84.7 mi - 1 hour 29 minutes

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WHAT ROUTE IS THE DRIVE?
A combination of routes have been chosen but will depend on weather, road conditions, and driver's interests. These routes will be in mountainous areas with a variety of road types and scenery.

-

RAIN DATE?
In a case that bad weather occurs day of or roads conditions are bad; The drive will be postponed to April 16th, 2011.

-

WHAT GROUPS ARE PARTICIPATING?
See below for participating groups. If your group would also like to participate please send a private message with your group name, location, and website (if applicable.)


FIREHOUSE CREW
-9:30AM Departure, Directions: http://bit.ly/ict5ZE

Team DOHC
-http://teamdohc.org/forums/index.php?topic=2900.0

Students of...
VIRGINIA TECH
-http://www.carclubvt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29179

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY


Also posted on...

VADRIVEN.com
- http://www.vadriven.com/forums/showthrea...ost6782501

First off, let it be known that I am a late adopter of all things technology and gadgets just aren't my thing.

My wife and I both have LG Env3 phones with Verizon and are both very happy with them. However, we live out in the country and our internet is provided through this thing that plugs into a USB port on my computer (Verizon USB720 wireless modem). I like it b/c i can move it between the desktop or laptop, and we can take on a trip and have internet pretty much anywhere

My problem: For the same price as our current internet (or potentially cheaper), we could upgrade to one of these fancy phones that makes a wifi hotspot, have our same mobility, and potentially better phones. But I'm an idiot when it comes to this crap and don't even know what I need or am looking for. I know a bunch of you guys are really into this stuff, so I need suggestions/help for the following:

1) How do I set up my desktop to pick up the wifi hotspot from the phone? Do i need to install some new peice of hardware? I know the laptop will pick up wifi, so I'm assuming that one is good to go...

2) Phone suggestions - a tactile keyboard is a huge plus for both me and my wife, I don't really care much about apps (since I've never had them) but it would be really nice to be able to use the phone as a GPS as well. All I really currently use my phone for now is calling, texting, and occasionally the calendar or ability to take notes, so as long as I'm retaining that functionality I'll be happy. A camera is a plus for me, and a necessity for my wife so she can take pictures of our dog. I think it would be cool to be able to use it as an MP3 player and be able to sync with the car (so I don't need CDs any more), but neither of those is a must-have.
Remember, I've never had a phone that does this apps junk, so maybe I'm just in a state of "ignorance is bliss"...