Saturday, October 29, 2016
Mothballed
I don't want to leave the Miata out in the winter, and I don't want to drive a frozen Outback either. Need get them both, as well as the Leaf, into a 2.5 car garage. (October 29)
Sunday, October 16, 2016
More suspicious engine signs...
I cut the filter open after changing it. This has about 5000 miles on it. I picked up the metal flakes with a rare earth magnet: steel.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Three Test Drives
The coming winter has me whining about where to keep the daily driver, especially on snow or even just frosty days. I like having a garage for my car so I don't have to deal with the weather and scrape windows. The Outback lives outside now, as the Leaf and Miata have the garage.
The Miata's advancing age is another thing that is available to worry about. My recent mistake of putting too much oil in it made the usual worry worse. The thing was smoking more than usual, so I went to ever present solution for car woes: the cart lot!
I had been reading about the BRZ, and in fact, the girl who cut my hair yesterday drives one and recommends it. The magazine reviewers are very fond of the car and apologetic for its mere 200 hp. They love the chasis and argue that its lack of power should be forgiven because, like the Miata, it is a special car. One issue that comes up is a flat spot in the torque curve between 3500 and 4500 rpm. I went in with an open mind.
The local dealer had a beautiful 2016 model (the 2017's are already here and have some nicer dashboard gizmos) with leather seats and a sunroof. They also had a 3 year old with 80k on it. I asked to drive it from a salesman I'd met last year and said "hi" to on maintenance runs for our Outback. He was busy, so instead of denying me a ride, apologized he couldn't join me and let me take it around the block.
My first impression was "cool" as I sat in the deep seats and deep cockpit. "This must be what the super cars are like". I fiddled with things for a second and started the engine. It came with a bit of a rumble that suggested power. I'd already forgotten this was just a naturally aspirated 2.0 liter four cylinder! Off I went. Gingerly at first since it wasn't my car, nor was it warmed up. Then I got into it a bit.
Feh. Did I say it was an NA 4-banger? Indeed it is. Worse, the drive-by-wire system has to evaluate your request for power before delivering. The throttle isn't as intimately connected to the engine as you would expect. The flat spot is there, horribly disappointing. So disappointing, I thought I had an inkling what it was like for a woman with a man she just met who turns out to be all talk. Seriously. The chassis is beautiful. It turns as well as the Miata, but is much more planted and solid. It's so solid, you expect some engine behind it. Which it doesn't have.
With my mind clear of that car, I had to relate the story to the salesman. When it ended with a comment about the practicality of the car in Colorado winters, we both knew he had an answer.
I had driven a WRX the year before when the household needed another car. We did not expect the torque or low price of the Leaf and bought one then. It was made easier by the fact that our WRX drive didn't got terribly well. I stalled it, and Mandy had a panic stop in bad traffic on the freeway. WE both noticed how much power it had and how anxious it seemed to be to deliver it. We wondered weather it could be a daily driver. We didn't like it.
This time, I knew what to expect and was able to drive it more mellow. I got a chance to see its nicer sides. To me, the chassis seemed well tuned and eager to turn. Almost as much as the BRZ. The turbo could be managed and the car driven civilly. I particularly liked an on-ramp I took at 45mph. The WRX had been redeemed from its test-ride a year earlier.
I went home and talked to Mandy. While we have snow tires for the leaf, she still wants the security of an AWD car for the bad days. It came out that if the new car were AWD, she would accept trading the Outback in. I was excited. I could have all our cars in the garage, one would be a trusty AWD and one (the same one) would be a blast to drive. AND the payments wouldn't be $500/month.
Once I'd realized that, another load of options opened up. What if we keep the Outback and buy something for $20k instead of $30k? NOt a BRZ mind you but something used. Something, maybe with AWD and a turbo...doesn't have to be a beemer. It could be a responsible hyrid, or a Volvo S60 AWD. These cars aren't kids cars and are likely to have been driven with more care, and might not attract the police as much.
Oh lord, the box has been cracked open again. The S60 would be a used car and might not drive as well. The WRX, while new, isn't perfect and may attract the wrong attention. They also have a rumor of liking to blow up, and it would come with payments. This isn't about improving things, but minimizing hassle.
There is no perfect optimization. The all come with hassle.
Another post describes a leak-down test I was doing with the Miata. At one point something looked seriously wrong. That a engine would need rebuilt. Its something I'm curious about and sort of want to do, but it's also a lot of work. I tested the engine for a second time while my neighbor was watching and everything seemed OK. I wanted to test again and did. It was fine. The engine is fine. Other, smaller problems are an option now.
I took the Miata for a drive around the same part of town where I drove the others. It felt unusually strong. I had the top down as I rarely do. It wasn't smoking as much. Once it heated up either the parts fit more tightly or the catalytic converter as able to do its job better. The car is fine.
Just keep the miata in the garage. Put up with icy windows on the Outback and don't let driving an older used car hold your self esteem back! Save the money and go on vacation. It won't be long before the car you really want is up for sale (in 2019): the Tesla 3.
The Miata's advancing age is another thing that is available to worry about. My recent mistake of putting too much oil in it made the usual worry worse. The thing was smoking more than usual, so I went to ever present solution for car woes: the cart lot!
I had been reading about the BRZ, and in fact, the girl who cut my hair yesterday drives one and recommends it. The magazine reviewers are very fond of the car and apologetic for its mere 200 hp. They love the chasis and argue that its lack of power should be forgiven because, like the Miata, it is a special car. One issue that comes up is a flat spot in the torque curve between 3500 and 4500 rpm. I went in with an open mind.
The local dealer had a beautiful 2016 model (the 2017's are already here and have some nicer dashboard gizmos) with leather seats and a sunroof. They also had a 3 year old with 80k on it. I asked to drive it from a salesman I'd met last year and said "hi" to on maintenance runs for our Outback. He was busy, so instead of denying me a ride, apologized he couldn't join me and let me take it around the block.
My first impression was "cool" as I sat in the deep seats and deep cockpit. "This must be what the super cars are like". I fiddled with things for a second and started the engine. It came with a bit of a rumble that suggested power. I'd already forgotten this was just a naturally aspirated 2.0 liter four cylinder! Off I went. Gingerly at first since it wasn't my car, nor was it warmed up. Then I got into it a bit.
Feh. Did I say it was an NA 4-banger? Indeed it is. Worse, the drive-by-wire system has to evaluate your request for power before delivering. The throttle isn't as intimately connected to the engine as you would expect. The flat spot is there, horribly disappointing. So disappointing, I thought I had an inkling what it was like for a woman with a man she just met who turns out to be all talk. Seriously. The chassis is beautiful. It turns as well as the Miata, but is much more planted and solid. It's so solid, you expect some engine behind it. Which it doesn't have.
With my mind clear of that car, I had to relate the story to the salesman. When it ended with a comment about the practicality of the car in Colorado winters, we both knew he had an answer.
I had driven a WRX the year before when the household needed another car. We did not expect the torque or low price of the Leaf and bought one then. It was made easier by the fact that our WRX drive didn't got terribly well. I stalled it, and Mandy had a panic stop in bad traffic on the freeway. WE both noticed how much power it had and how anxious it seemed to be to deliver it. We wondered weather it could be a daily driver. We didn't like it.
This time, I knew what to expect and was able to drive it more mellow. I got a chance to see its nicer sides. To me, the chassis seemed well tuned and eager to turn. Almost as much as the BRZ. The turbo could be managed and the car driven civilly. I particularly liked an on-ramp I took at 45mph. The WRX had been redeemed from its test-ride a year earlier.
I went home and talked to Mandy. While we have snow tires for the leaf, she still wants the security of an AWD car for the bad days. It came out that if the new car were AWD, she would accept trading the Outback in. I was excited. I could have all our cars in the garage, one would be a trusty AWD and one (the same one) would be a blast to drive. AND the payments wouldn't be $500/month.
Once I'd realized that, another load of options opened up. What if we keep the Outback and buy something for $20k instead of $30k? NOt a BRZ mind you but something used. Something, maybe with AWD and a turbo...doesn't have to be a beemer. It could be a responsible hyrid, or a Volvo S60 AWD. These cars aren't kids cars and are likely to have been driven with more care, and might not attract the police as much.
Oh lord, the box has been cracked open again. The S60 would be a used car and might not drive as well. The WRX, while new, isn't perfect and may attract the wrong attention. They also have a rumor of liking to blow up, and it would come with payments. This isn't about improving things, but minimizing hassle.
There is no perfect optimization. The all come with hassle.
Another post describes a leak-down test I was doing with the Miata. At one point something looked seriously wrong. That a engine would need rebuilt. Its something I'm curious about and sort of want to do, but it's also a lot of work. I tested the engine for a second time while my neighbor was watching and everything seemed OK. I wanted to test again and did. It was fine. The engine is fine. Other, smaller problems are an option now.
I took the Miata for a drive around the same part of town where I drove the others. It felt unusually strong. I had the top down as I rarely do. It wasn't smoking as much. Once it heated up either the parts fit more tightly or the catalytic converter as able to do its job better. The car is fine.
Just keep the miata in the garage. Put up with icy windows on the Outback and don't let driving an older used car hold your self esteem back! Save the money and go on vacation. It won't be long before the car you really want is up for sale (in 2019): the Tesla 3.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)