I will have 4 cars by the end of today and its just plain impossible to park all these things, and its kinda ridiculous considering I bike to work anyway. So the Lexus needs to go!

Its a 1993 Lexus SC400 with 220,000 miles. Dont let the miles fool ya, this thing runs like a top. I did have the water pump go out in the 12,000 miles I had it so it has a brand new water pump and redid the timing belt as well while I was in there. It also has brand new front and rear brakes, spark plugs, air filter, etc. Sound system is excellent and actually sounds pretty amazing for a 1993. I hardwired in an Ipod so it is direct connected and as well as charges the ipod. It has heated seats, HIDs and new tires were put on the car only a year ago. Interior is nice and clean, although the rear and driver seat has some rips in it that you really dont notice at all when your in the car.

This car is perfect for a daily driver. It gots plenty of power 250hp/260torque and gets pretty good gas mileage when your not pinning the throttle. This is perfect for buying it, driving it a year and two and then selling it for what you bought it for.

So now the price, $2995 or $2500 for MM people. Like usual, I will give a referrral of $100 for anyone that finds a buyer for the vehicle as long as I get the $2995 asking price. Below are the pictures:

So for a few weeks now I've been toying with the idea of upgrading and came across this bike today, went to take a look at it and everything checked out so I decided to bring it home.

The stats
2003 CBR 600rr
~7,500 miles
Frame Sliders
Double Bubble Windscreen
Fender Eliminator
Corbin Seat

Pics

Well, I've got almost 93k on my TL and it's about time to start thinking about doing the timing belt service (usually around 105k)

There's a guy who does timing belt kits for real cheap on Acurazine. Here's what comes in the kit for $295:
Timing belt, water pump, bearing tensioner, hydrolic tensioner, and all drive belts

I asked him what optional parts people are ordering through him for this service and this is what came up:
Spark plugs: $14 each
spark plug seals: $2 each
valve cover gasket: $5.75 each
timing belt idler: $35
cam seal: $4.95 each
crank seal: $5.50

I'm definitely doing the spark plugs, don't think I need the seals. I will likely get the valves adjusted so the gasket is going to be needed, but what about the timing belt idler, cam seal and crank seals? Apparently some folks replace the thermostat too. Any thoughts on the TB idler, seals and Tstat? Necessary or no? I think the thermostat is like $25 shipped.

Well. I'll take delivery today, and I'm not doing anything at the moment, so here goes:

The Gravel Express!

Specs:
2002 WRX Wagon
Color: Sedona Red Pearl
Mileage @ Start: 115,621
Engine: 1994cc 'EJ205'
Rating: 227hp / 217 ft-lbs
Total Cost as of August 12, 2010: $6000

Pictures:








Known Issues:
Rashed up Wheel (writeoff)
Fucked up RF fender
Timing belt is in need of a change.
Left Fog Light is inoperable
Cloudy headlights

Immediate action:
Delivery is going down today. Friday, car will be delivered to mechanic for the following:
Timing Belt
Water Pump
Acc Belt
Fluid change
Spark Plugs
Brake Check
General Health Assessment
Alignment
Fog light repair

When that is complete the first order of business will be sourcing a new stock WRX wheel, and either a new SRP Wagon fender or a pair of SRP sedan fenders. Then I'm gonna try to "ding king" the dent in the hood.

Modification Philosophy:
Reliability combined with tarmac and gravel performance. Power goal is in the 250's (wheel). Goal is something not out of place at a Rally-X, but with good street manners. Drag racing & track days are not required duty for this project

Tentative Roadmap:
Aug 2010: Health check and basic maintenance. Set baseline. Clean interior, address interior deficiencies. (Translation: MOAR Satellite radio) Attempt to address fender situation. Immediate fender action: Large "Band-Aid" sticker.
Oct 2010: Source Subaru 4 Piston brakes & related parts. This will likely necessitate a wheel change. (or a 5mm spacer, at a minimum) Possibility of larger TMIC. Non-stock gauge additions. Boost, oil pressure, ┬┐Wideband?
Dec 2010: Address suspension. Research and purchase "medium-duty" stock height suspension.
Uncharted (2011): Power gains. Focus on reliability over maximum horsepower. At 130k+, turbocharger will likely need replacing. Excellent opportunity for properly sized turbocharger in line with mod philosophy goals.

For those curious about "Gravel Express", basically that's what the turbo Outback Sport was called in Japanland. I think it's appropriate for this project, considering what I want it to do.

I always miss it for a while when I have new PMs because I dont get the email notifications. Any way you can make the "new messages" thing turn red, or flash or some shit to make it more noticeable?

Didn't want to hijack Rex's thread so I figured I'd start my own..


Well I've been contemplating on and off about what car would I buy if I could get rid of the ssat'.. Searching, making comparisons between different cars I finally settled on a 1996-99 Legacy/Outback/GT wagon for numerous reasons. AWD, I love wagons, practical, cargo space, reliable, parts are pretty well priced and they're not too bad to work on.. I know they are notorious for headgasket issues but I feel I'll be able to sort out the good from the bad.. (hopefully) I guess my questions to MM are what are my other options in the AWD wagon area? I don't really want to deal with the passat anymore cause it's a bit of a PITA to work on and VW parts are just $$$.. And I don't have a lot of dough to work with this year at school and I'm afraid something else expensive will conveniently need replacing... And it's getting boring to drive.. I need a manual..

Thoughts/opinions

Bring it on MM!

Any of you homeowners thought about it for your house?

I work for an energy efficient / green company so it's something I'm obviously into, but I'm starting to get more serious about it...I think it would be a great way to take advantage of the tax credits out there right now and to save money on my bills. I don't even know where to begin though. My electric bill at most is about $150/month in the height of the summer so if I had a good enough system I'm wondering if I could pay for my entire energy bill and then some.

Thoughts? Anyone done research on this? My father installed a solar hot water heater a long time ago in the house we grew up in but he removed it. I'm not sure why, I'll have to talk to him about it...I'd imagine that solar power has come a long way since they 80's though.

Many moons have waxed and waned since I last bought a car. My Mazdaspeed 3 has been most excellent transportation. Lots of cargo room, subtle styling, good radio...and it scoots like God's Own Chariot.

But now is the time to put away childish things. I'm closer to 30 than 20, and my student loans mock my financial liberty. So as any of you who can read the FS threads know, I'm selling my Mazda.

Probably to Carmax, because people are assholes.

Anyway. I need a new car. I'm not in any huge rush, as I have a car to drive until I find the right thing...but what is that thing?

That's where you guys come in: I want to hear all of your terrible suggestions. All your bad ideas. I'll probably reject most of them for one reason or another, but hey! that's the fun, amirite?

So let's begin.

First, things to not bother with:
SUV's of any kind. (Save two: Supercharged XTerra or Nice XJ. Because fuck you, that's why.)
Convertibles of any kind.




Apart from the above, I'll entertain any suggestion. The above, however, are non-negotiable.

My budget:
$7500 and not a penny more. If they can't be talked down that low, I just can't do it. The whole point of this exercise is to own a car outright, so I can pay off bad debt. Increased financial freedom. Wisdom and maturity. etc, etc. Less would always be better of course, but 7.5 is the max. Sorry, no Grandaddilac-V. :?

What I'm looking for:
A good blend of practicality, luxury, and performance. If it ran on kitten kisses it'd be even better.

Things I'd like:
Wagons would be cool, but not a requirement
Sedans are perfectly acceptable.
Keeping my "OMG TRBO" plate would be a plus.
Manual transmission is highly desirable.
A high degree of reliability. I don't want something I am going to HAVE to wrench on constantly.
A nice interior. Leather would be nice, but not a requirement. Moonroof, same. But I don't want ash burns and seat tears and lovestains and street people ass smell.

Things I don't really like:
Coupes are undesirable, but not an automatic disqualification.
Likewise, Automatic transmissions are undesirable, but again...not an automatic disqualification.
I really don't like rust. Rust is my enemy. Rust is the car killer. Rust is the embodiment of the inherent evil and hostility of the universe.
FWD V8's. Seriously, who thought that was a good idea?

Things I could not give two hoots about:
Fuel economy. (My commute is short. I just don't' give a fuck.)
Blemishes in paint. I understand you can't have anything nice up here. So dents and dings and scratches, meh. Crumbled body panels and bent frames, that I care about. Cosmetic stuff? Whatever.
FWD. I'm not bothered by this like I used to be. AWD is more better, but FWD is fine.

My perfect car would be this:


However I have been unable to find one in my budget. Saabaru, or Bugeye wagon or something, they're all just above my price limit. However, I'm eternally impressed at MM's ability to find a good deal, so I leave it to you.

Themes I've considered:
VIP: GS400 + Lots of tint. Reliable, comfortable, powerful, stylish. Nice cozy dick from the heated leather dick warmers. See also: E39, E46, ┬┐CTS?
Boy Racer: FWD Hondacura with a stock suspension. Cheap, fairly reliable, won't bore me to tears. Do TL's come in Manuals? Manual Maxima? Altima 3.5, how cheap are those?
Gravel Express: AWD Wagon. GC8 (or newer) Outback Sport. Megasquirt is hard at work on a plug and play for Subies, so possibility of modification down the road. I really like Julie's Subaru, just not sure if I can live with the P/W ratio.
Swedish Meatball: Saabs are cheap. I can get leather, 200horsepower, 4 doors and a hatch for well within my budget. Should be mostly GM parts, don't know if that's good or bad! Tank on Empty, whippin my momma Volvo. I had an old Volvo 930, and I liked it. S40 maybe? Can I get a Turba Volvo for my budget?
Fuzz: Are ex-Police Chargers in my budget yet? I don't think I could drive a Crown Vic, but I could be real tempted by a Charger.
Jag: Please someone help me to not buy an S-Type. Cheap, V8, cushy, and all Ford parts.

So. Team MM: Assemble! Form of: Car Finder!

I'll be driving my Grandmother's KIA in the meantime, so hubba hubba chop chop.

Warn 3700 lb. electric winch. It would be perfect for an ATV, trailer, or for straight pulls on a small SUV. Hooked it up yesterday and it works great. Retails for over $400 <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.quadratec.com/products/92100_127_07.htm">http://www.quadratec.com/products/92100_127_07.htm</a><!-- m --> . $220 obo.

Posting this early so you alumni's can plan your weekends now.

Basically, Ray Schumin approached me a while back and said "We have the Verona lot in September, we want to do a college autocross, and we want you and MM to plan it."

So, here's what we're doing. The actual event is Sunday, September 19th at the Government Center as usual. Since most people will be coming from far away - and the early Sunday morning drive will suck - we'll host a BBQ on Saturday afternoon/evening and find couches and floor space for people to crash on.

Schools invited so far - Virginia Tech, UVA, Old Dominion, William & Mary, VCU, and George Mason. I haven't heard back from VCU yet, but everyone else has replied with a "yes, we're definitely interested" sort of thing.

There is a Facebook event here, and the other details are on our site here.
If you want to come down on Saturday and BBQ/trash talk/crash on someone's couch, you need to register - do that here.

I will post the link to MotorsportReg once the BRR guys make it available.