Your Car : Pros & Cons

[Solotw]

I thought this would be a cool topic...I guess we'll find out soon enough.


So name your car, make, model, year, mods, all that stuff. Then tell us what you like and what you dislike about it.

[jomotopia]

Car: 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi

Mods: Cobb Short Shifter & Bushings, Whiteline steering rack bushings, Rallyarmor mud flaps, Cobb AP Stage 1

Cons:
-gas mileage (worth it for the fun though)
-negative attention due to wing
-ricers messing around on the road
-being lumped in with the fart can, huge spoiler Civic ricers
-stress from worrying about where i park
-the wife can't handle the ride for more than an hour or 2
-no fold down rear seats or trunk pass through
-no trunk pop on key fob
-brake dust like a mofo
-wheels are very hard to clean
-impossible to keep the white paint clean
-cheap paint job chips easily
-lightweight aluminum body panels dent/ding easily
-stock parts are expensive
-cheap interior plastic
-lack of cargo management system in trunk
-horrible cup holders (not a big deal since i don't eat or drink in the car)
-horrendously cheap sun visors, i really want to replace them
-rear strut clunk a common and recurring problem (but just an annoyance due to sound, strut still works fine)
-the wife can't drive it
-people don't understand that it's cherry blossom red, not pink!
-predisposition to traffic offenses

Pros:
+everything else!
but, to be more specific...
+power
+handling
+AWD = all weather fun
+AWD is rear wheel biased (65%)
+Brembos = serious stopping power
+6 speed
+stiff (but not overly), low grabbing clutch
+short, crisp, notchy gear changes
+low, close gearing
+plenty of passing power in any gear without needing to downshift
+boxer rumble
+sexy turbo spool sound
+seats
+nice blue/black interior (despite the cheap plastic) with blue alcantra on doors and seats
+the Suby community
+lots of aftermarket support
+aftermarket upgrades usually cheaper than stock replacement parts
+every drive is fun, even my commute
+the funny things people that don't know about the car or what it is say
+massive hood scoop
+programmable shift light
+gauge sweep on startup
+tach is front and center on dash
+decent size trunk
+HIDs with 4 setting in-car height adjust
+DCCD (though i hardly ever use it, probably would if we got snow though)
+Intercooler sprayer
+reliable
+takes a beating
+holds value well
+very planted and stable at high speeds
+the wife can't drive it
+power
+handling
+power
+handling
+power
+handling

[Johnf514]

Good idea for a topic.

2007 Mazda3i Touring 5-speed
2.0L 4-cylinder VVT, 148 HP, FWD

Mods - ETB grounding, 15% tinting, stubby antenna

Pros: Great fuel economy, plenty of room, light-weight vehicle, inexpensive to purchase and operate, good styling (subjective), decent acceleration, serious stopping power, excellent handling, comfortable ride, plenty of standard amenities like MP3 CD and Aux In port, 60/40 split seats (thanks for reminding me, Jomo ) and easily customizable.

Cons: occasionally underpowered, fuel economy could be better (can't have both, eh?), quality of interior plastics/upholstery could be higher, no trunk release on key FOB, rearward visibility is limited, and too many compliments on the car.

[watkins]

Car:
1999 Saab 9-3 Convertible

Mods:
As of now, only a custom intake

Pros:
-its a stick
-fuel economy isnt half bad; usually 25-26mpg mostly city
-convertible, duh
-incredibly comfortable ride, even after several hours
-HUGE fan base and support system
-relatively quick with a surprising amount of torque (194)
-very easy to modify engine with countless specialty parts available
-luxury; power everything, heated seats, 8-way adjustable driver's seat, etc
-as mentioned on Top Gear, insane 40-70mph acceleration
-Saab quirks such as the Night Panel, ignition location, etc
-ignition location makes hotwiring nearly impossible + stick = almost theft proof

Cons:
-pricey to maintain if theres a problem.
-most bizzare electrical system ever, with electronic locks on every component that complicate modifications (radio, key, ecu)
-torque + turbo steer like a mofo
-several issues stock that the average driver wouldnt care about. i do care. all are easy to remedy, just a bit expensive
-only four seats. I tend to travel with four friends at a time.
-poor pedal placement
-essentiall zero rearward visibility with the top up

[NjSi]

Make: Honda
Model: Civic Si (2 door)
Year: 2007

Mods: Comptech Short Shifter, TMW Shifter Bushings , Fugita SRI , HFP exhaust , Ingals Torque Dampener , Hondata ECU Reflash, REDSHIFT stage 2 supercharger kit, DCRH , Magnaflow high flow cat, Magnaflow cat back exhaust.

Pros: Great MPG with a mixture of city and highway driving around 28mpg avg.
Light Clutch
Vtec
High Rev's
Quick Enough......for a honda or anything!! 321whp 280tq

Cons: Lack of Power( Not Anymore !!!! Supercharged!!!)
FWD
Light Clutch
Vtec Lag
Sound ( i prefer the gurgle of a V-8 )
Huge Blind spot
Torque Steer
Wheelhop

[dshPls]

2007 Honda Civic EX Coupe

Mods: Stock!

Pro's:
+Coupe looks way better than sedan
+Trunk release on my key FOB!
+40+ mpg, I'm at 455 miles on my 13.3 gallon tank with a few bars left
+Awesome interior(opinion) with a digital speedo and matching blue lighting
+Slick styling
+will last forever

Cons:
-Not exactly fast
-People think Civic automatically makes me a ricer
-Pretty small, I had to move recently and it sucked
-The new models arent so new anymore, I'm seeing more and more
-Black gets dirty wayy to fast

[tehfade]

I drive a 2005 GTO. Black on black, and obviously, a six-speed manual. Only about 12,000 miles so far.

Specs:
LS2 engine, 6.0l/364ci 400hp/400tq, redline is 6500 rpm.
T56 transmission, 6 speeds, two overdrive gears
RWD with IRS, 3.46 rear gear
Top speed is limited at ~160
0-60: 4.6
1/4: 13.0-ish.

She's lightly modded so far, with a shifter, full Track II suspension, oil pressure/voltage gauges and some exhaust work. The next round of mods, which I should have in a month or so, will be headers, engine mounts, trans mount, stainless brake/clutch lines, swaybars and subframe connectors.

Pros: Incredible value, great power, amazing handling, and unbelievable comfort. This car could compete in quality with others twice it's price. And it's cheap to mod, with infinite potential. I still wear a SEG every time I drive it. Good gas mileage too, at 18/26

Cons: The WORST dealer support of any car I've owned. Parts are expensive and hard to get. The depreciation is really really harsh, too. And it's not "flashy" at all. Nobody knows what it is, and non-car-people take it for a FWD V6 Pontiac. But if you like stealth, this is a good thing.

[hockeystyx16]

93 mazda probe GT

platform: mazda GE
engine: mazda KLDE 2.5L DOHC 24 valve. 164hp, 156ftlb torque
transmission: mazda G5M
interior and exterior designed by ford. looks damn good for something ford designed

mods:
CAI
ebay stage 2 clutch
NGK wires/plugs
HEI mod
headers split into true duals
solid front and back engine mount
mustang GT 17s, 245/45/ZR17s. nothing but grip

likes:
amazing handling
stiff suspension
looks
shift feel. sloppy shifter bushings, but for some reason i like the feel of the shifter the way it is.
not a honda
impressive gas mileage for a v6 (24-26mpg regularly) concidering i drive it like i stole it, everyday

dislikes
cheapass mazda factory paintjob
clearcoat peeling off on the front bumper
rust bubble on the hatch, every probe has a rusty hatch tho
interior panels are little loose and rattle when on rough roads

but the biggest problem with my probe is: it says ford on it

[Prodigal Son]

2006 VW Jetta

Mods: splash guards, map of Ontario in seat pocket, Canadian Tire roadside emergency kit in trunk.

Pros:

* Ride is perfect balance of comfort and handling.
* Low-end torque perfect for city driving, highway cruising
* Interior quality and ergonomics superb
* Highly responsive without being abrupt
* Very composed road manners. Hard to get it out of shape.
* ESP works really well.
* Much better MPG than advertised.

Cons:

* Rear visibility less than ideal when reversing. (No problems for ordinary driving however.)
* Could use a second overdrive for the highway. Plenty of torque to make it work. Even in 5th you rarely need to change down to pass.
* Can't turn off the heater completely without turning off the air circulation. Can only set the thermostat to 16.
* On certain summer days I wish it was an Eos.

[eaglecatcher]

1998 Ford Mustang V6 5MT

Pros:
-RWD
-Torquey V6 (215ft/lbs!)
-Good Gearing for highway cruising
-Lots of room in engine bay for working on it
-lightweight (~3000lbs)
-good visibility

Cons:
-Ford likes to use lots and lots of loc tite on bolts that will strip when you try to remove them
-Poor braking
-horrendously bad fuel economy
-extreme lack of horsepower
-poor suspension
-poor interior build quality/materials
-open differential in rear
-high insurance prices (its a mustang, what do you expect)
-stock exhaust is very quieting and restrictive
-tiny back seats
-small trunk opening
-very large turn radius
-not chick magnet material
-ugly blue oval badge on rear

I'll update more as I think of them, I'm sure I will...

[NonChalant]

2002 Ford Mustang GT Premium Edition
4.6L V8 Producing 260hp and 302ft-lb of torque

Mods: Small sound system in the trunk, CAI from when I bought it, 20% tints all around.

Pros:

• The torque
• The exterior body styling. This is my favorite generation Mustang when it comes to looks
• The sound and feel of the huge engine.
• The gearbox
• I love the sound system and the 6 cd-changer.
• The Premium Edition Package. Love the leather power seats and the upgraded head unit and other small things.
• The green gauges. Still sporty, but not red like every other car
• The back seat is a lot bigger than most coupes and way bigger than I thought it would be. I regularly fit 3-4 others in the car with me
• Traction control

Cons:

• The gas mileage =\ but it's worth it.
• The interior and dashboard are made out of some cheap plastics and knobs. They could've done a LOT more with it. I especially dislike the steering wheel. I wish there were some volume controls on it
• The handling. It isn't really as bad as I thought it would be but I have to be careful not to give too much power through the wheels otherwise i find myself in a drift
• Despite the small cabin, the car is humongous so the turning radius is bad as eaglecatcher said and it's hard to pull into some spots sometimes in one smooth motion. My previous car was a tiny sentra that fit everywhere
• The fact that all they could get out of a 4.6L V8 was 260 measly horsepower. The torque is good though. The newer generation stang's get 300 hp out of the same engine
• I want HID headlights, but obviously I won't get those for the price of this car
• It's hard to drive this car smoothly. But then again it's not really meant for that
• Could use a 6th gear to save on gas mileage

My biggest con is the interior. I'm REALLY an interior person and I dislike the Stang's interior. But then again, I get what I pay for and when I get out of college I'll pay more and get better

Note: it may look like there are more cons that pros with this car but I'm really glad I bought it and I love it The pro's definitely outweigh the cons and the cons are mostly just pet peeves of mine

[.insane]

1993 Toyota Tercel

Mods:
ACT Clutch Kit
K&N Air Filter
Mobil 1 Synthetic Oil and Oil Filter

Pros:
Great Gas Mileage
Indestructible
Dirt cheap to maintain and repair
Cheap Parts
Easy to work on and repair

Cons
Old
Doesn't look all that great
Small 2 door
4 speed gear box
Slow
Not easy to tune

[DrNick]

1997 Ford Taurus LX.
3.0 Duratec 24V DOHC V6 - 200HP/200 ft. lb. Torque.

Mods: None - bone stock.
Fully loaded too, except for a moonroof.

The good:
- Lots of room (both passenger-wise and cargo-wise)
- Awesome traction (although I may have to attribute some of that to my Michelins. )
- Stable at pretty high speeds (I can go 80-90 with no problems, I've been in cars that shake above 55.)
- Reliable (10 years old with 38,000 miles, regular oil changes and the like, the most major problem my family has had is a dead battery after leaving it alone for a few weeks.)
- Sweet stock sound system.
- Good visibility all around.
- Comfortable ride, even with slightly higher tire PSI.

The bad:
- Auto
- Weird gearing/shift points.
- Low ground clearance. I've scraped the bottom more times than I want to remember.
- Awkward dimensions. Parking it was a pain in the ass in the beginning, even with the pretty good visibility.
- Not-so-responsive steering and throttle. I'll attribute the second to the tranny.
- Gas mileage. My mother usually gets about 14-15 city, and I tend to get 17 with 50/50 city/highway. Straight highway is a little more acceptable at 23-24, but less than I'd like. At the very least, it's using 87 gas.

It's been good to me, but I want a new car.

[jomotopia]

FYI, i think this is a cool subject, so i've added it to the Tranny Talk Threads of Interest

[El Beefo]

1985 RX-7 GSL-SE
1.3L 13B 135hp

Only mod is an upgraded alternator.

Pros:
It's a rotary!
Decent low end power (for a rotary)
Good handling
RWD!
Light
The 7 can't lose
It's a rotary! (It has to be said twice)


Cons:
It's a rotary
Needs to be in the high rpms before it makes most of its power
Tires suck
Small inside, very small
Gas millage
Good luck finding a cheap mechanic for it