Kawasaki is holding demo rides next Saturday and Sunday at Ft. Meade. They'll have the full line up there, and you can sign up to ride more than one bike. I'm signed up to ride a Ninja 250, ZX-10, and ZX-14.

You've gotta call Coleman Powersports up or go visit them in person to sign up. I'll be there at 1-4 pm on Sunday. If anyone else wants to go maybe we can go get something to eat afterwards (or before).

Got a stellar deal at Alexandria VW. $2k less than even the best deals I've seen reported on other forums. I was between this and the MS3. While the power of the MS3 is silly awesome, it's a much less refined car... Pretty much everywhere you look. I was concerned the 200hp wouldn't be enough, but it definitely is; great powerband/scoot whenever. Funny, I always said I'd never own a new car, and I'd never own a VW. I pray to the Bavarian gods that I got a good one.

Specs:
2010 VW GTI
Color: Candy White
Options: Bluetooth, Sunroof, iPod Kit (wasn't supposed to have this... I didn't pay for it... just happened to notice it after about 30 miles of owning it), Mat kit, and HIDs.

Put 50 miles on it tonight (odometer now reads 60). Can't wait to start going on road trips and not hating driving to the store.

No modification plans. I originally thought the 17" base wheels would be a temporary thing (the 18s are ugly), but they've grown on me. Regardless, there are a million options out there, and all sorts of wheels seem to look great on these things (saw C4 wheels on one... looked great). I like the idea of a chip, but again, the 200hp is plenty for now. I'm sure, though, that +50hp and +100ft-lbs for $600 will slowly eat at me.

Anybody want a track-ready Civic on the cheap?

Alright I simply have no space for these. They need to be gone this weekend. I will be bringing them to Hyperfest. They still hvae the brand new stickers on them, $550 picked up or buyer can arrange shipping. Get em now at a sick deal. 285/30/18 r-comps, your not going to find anything else near this price brand new.

On the way to work this morning I blew a 15A fuse for my head unit + oil pressure gauge on my Talon. It's a custom circuit run directly off of the battery. The wire is 10ga from the battery to the head unit, then 16 or 18ga from the head unit to the oil pressure gauge, with the fuse directly hooked to the battery. Is there any chance that the 2 simply draw more than 15 amps (I really don't think that's likely....)? I probably have a short somewhere, but I can't find any info on how much power a head unit can draw :dunno: I'm probably going to re-do the oil pressure gauge circuit on it's own 5amp circuit just to make sure that it doesn't overdo that tiny wire.

We're at ~117k miles on the stock suspension. Are there any interesting options out there for < $500, or should I just throw some GR-2's on it and walk away? The car is a daily driver, no longer subject to the rigor of autocross or track days.

I'd be on NASIOC, except it makes my eyes bleed.

TGhe wife and i picked up some pedal bikes to get a little more excercise and now need a way to transport them. Anyone got a Yakima/Thule roof rack laying around the dont want. the Focus/GSX are both Gutterless and have no mounts on the roof. Website suggests the 400xt, so whatever was the 400xt in the past should work.

ALL SOLD... but I will leave Ken for your viewing pleasure.

Amazing what a little vision and a whole lot of cash can do.

VIR circa 1998:

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Now that the Miata is sold and the S2000 is currently getting track prepped, I'm looking to get a "practical" car to replace the STi. I'd like to keep my options open so lets hear some ideas. My requirements:

-AWD (already have a RWD and I'd prefer not to have a FWD turd. It better be awesome for FWD to even consider it)
-4 doors (Jenn and I will probably talk about having kids in 2-3 years which is why I need a "practical" car. It can be a wagon, hatch or even an SUV but see the additional rqmts)
-budget $9000 (can maybe do $10000 but it better be a great value)
-its gotta be "fun" ie: available in manual transmission (I know "fun" is subjective but I prefer a sportier car)
-no VW/Audi (I don't have a high tolerance for electrical issues)

I have been leaning towards a Forester XT (available in turbo since 2004) but I'm open to other suggestions. Other cars I've considered:
-E46 325 or 328 or 330 Xi sedan or wagon
probably not gonna happen in my budget. I doubt I'll be able to find one in decent condition and it probably won't be very cheap to maintain.
-G35 AWD sedan
the AWD sedan isn't available in manual (argh!) I'd love to have this car but I can't stand the idea of auto. That and its also probably out of my budget unless I get one with crazy high miles on it.
-WRX sedan or wagon
can I really go from an STi down to a WRX? I'd prefer not to but its not out of the question.
-Mazdaspeed6
I think they're too new to fit in my budget.

So MM, what car should I get?