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Auto Talk => Jalopies => Topic started by: Vinsanity on January 16, 2013, 12:44:10 AM

Poll
Question: Time for some summertime shenanigans. Choose your ride.
Option 1: Bimmer votes: 7
Option 2: Mustang votes: 1
Option 3: IROC votes: 4
Option 4: Trans Am votes: 2
Option 5: Cabrio votes: 0
Option 6: Jeep votes: 2
Option 7: Miata votes: 6
Title: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Vinsanity on January 16, 2013, 12:44:10 AM
(http://germancarsforsaleblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/1991-E30-convertible-miles.jpg)

(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3009/2800860514_56107afd16_z.jpg?zz=1)

(http://cimages.carsforsale.com/272310/247ABF22-0D57-4B36-AF97-99893D1CE396_2.jpg)

(http://www.allmusclecars.com/projects/1977/dr77se10.JPG)

(http://img.tapatalk.com/a6f8241b-8b9f-5778.jpg)

(http://howtodevelopment.com/careermilitary/auto/images/1992_jeep/1992-jeep-wrangler-yj-phase-1-03.jpg)

(http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Mazda/91-Mazda_Miata_DV-07-PCS_003.jpg)
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: giant_mtb on January 16, 2013, 12:54:07 AM
Of those?  Jeep.  Just pure fun.

Trans Am is a close second place.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Laconian on January 16, 2013, 12:57:21 AM
Where is my LeBaron? (French for "the baron")
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Rupert on January 16, 2013, 01:06:58 AM
Next the LeSabre.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Vinsanity on January 16, 2013, 01:09:45 AM
Quote from: Laconian on January 16, 2013, 12:57:21 AM
Where is my LeBaron? (French for "the baron")

Tell you what, I'll do you one better...
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Gotta-Qik-C7 on January 16, 2013, 01:27:35 AM
One of the biggest POS I ever owned was a Fox Body Drop Top so it gets no love! Neither does that Bitch Basket Cabrio! That generation IROC gets much love and really has aged gracefully! The Jeep would be my choice if Smokey And The bandit wasn't my favorite movie as a young crumb snatcher.....But I'm gonna vote IROC because I'm sure it's the best performer on the list.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Madman on January 16, 2013, 07:32:43 AM
Easiest decision ever.  E30 wins every time.

'Stangs and F-bodies are out because I don't wear wifebeater t-shirts nor do I have a mullet.  :lol:
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Cookie Monster on January 16, 2013, 07:33:17 AM
Miata.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Raza on January 16, 2013, 07:39:40 AM
E30, no question. 
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: SVT666 on January 16, 2013, 07:44:19 AM
Jeep
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Onslaught on January 16, 2013, 09:56:47 AM
I think we know what I's pick. I do like the E30 too however. I'd rather have the M edition in the back over the red one however.

That Fox convertible mustang is a HORRIBLE car.I t's one of the worst convertible jobs ever done that I've been in. To say that chassis is like a wet noodle is a massive understatement. It's like Ford didn't even try. 
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: CALL_911 on January 16, 2013, 10:08:30 AM
Miata, followed by the E30. If we were talking an E30 coupe, my decision would probably be different. I hate 3er verts.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Vinsanity on January 16, 2013, 10:24:11 AM
Quote from: CALL_911 on January 16, 2013, 10:08:30 AM
Miata, followed by the E30. If we were talking an E30 coupe, my decision would probably be different. I hate 3er verts.

Heh. If they never made a 3-series vert, I'd probably be somewhat indifferent toward the rest of the lineup, and to some degree, BMW's in general. Same with the Mustang.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: cawimmer430 on January 16, 2013, 11:05:36 AM
"IROC", because "I Rock!"  :praise:  :lol:

Why is that girl car, the Miata winning? Jesus, the bias on this forum!  :evildude:
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: cawimmer430 on January 16, 2013, 11:06:04 AM
Quote from: Madman on January 16, 2013, 07:32:43 AM
'Stangs and F-bodies are out because I don't wear wifebeater t-shirts nor do I have a mullet.  :lol:

:lol:
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Onslaught on January 17, 2013, 09:23:47 PM
Quote from: cawimmer430 on January 16, 2013, 11:05:36 AM
"IROC", because "I Rock!"  :praise:  :lol:

Why is that girl car, the Miata winning? Jesus, the bias on this forum!  :evildude:
We have a choice of bad American cars and a POS German car. So it's an easy pick.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Payman on January 17, 2013, 09:52:07 PM
Bandit Trans Am.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: 280Z Turbo on January 17, 2013, 10:05:39 PM
Quote from: giant_mtb on January 16, 2013, 12:54:07 AM
Of those?  Jeep.  Just pure fun.

Trans Am is a close second place.

The You Pee has corrupted you. Jeeps are unfun.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: cawimmer430 on January 18, 2013, 04:49:18 AM
Quote from: Onslaught on January 17, 2013, 09:23:47 PM
We have a choice of bad American cars and a POS German car. So it's an easy pick.

:lol:
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: MX793 on January 18, 2013, 05:52:39 AM
Quote from: Madman on January 16, 2013, 07:32:43 AM
Easiest decision ever.  E30 wins every time.

'Stangs and F-bodies are out because I don't wear wifebeater t-shirts nor do I have a mullet.  :lol:


Burt Reynolds sported neither.  If you get a Bandit T/A, you grow a moustache and wear a cowboy hat.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: J86 on January 18, 2013, 09:23:02 PM
tossup between that jeep and the bmw.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Colonel Cadillac on January 18, 2013, 10:08:41 PM
I'm drawn to the Mustang. That would be so much fun to put a disgustingly loud exhaust system on and then drive to the golf course.

The Jeep is a close second.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Colonel Cadillac on January 18, 2013, 10:10:57 PM
I love this poll BTW. Great question!
Title: Re: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Laconian on January 19, 2013, 02:17:43 AM
Quote from: Gotta-Qik-G8 on January 16, 2013, 01:27:35 AM
One of the biggest POS I ever owned was a Fox Body Drop Top so it gets no love! Neither does that Bitch Basket Cabrio! That generation IROC gets much love and really has aged gracefully! The Jeep would be my choice if Smokey And The bandit wasn't my favorite movie as a young crumb snatcher.....But I'm gonna vote IROC because I'm sure it's the best performer on the list.

What went wrong on the fox body?
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: FoMoJo on January 19, 2013, 10:12:11 AM
Nothing shrieks GOOMBAH like a second/third generation GM F-body...if that's your taste :nutty:.  The Bimmer is sweet but nothing is sweeter than the sound of a modified small-block Windsor with a set of Flowmasters.  I could listen to that music all day.  Just weld about 500 pounds of reinforcing steel to the chassis of the Fox body and you're good to go :ohyeah:.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Onslaught on January 19, 2013, 10:33:03 AM
Mustangs from that time are shit. I have spoken.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: FoMoJo on January 19, 2013, 10:36:46 AM
Quote from: Onslaught on January 19, 2013, 10:33:03 AM
Mustangs from that time are shit. I have spoken.
Everything from that time was shit. :lol:
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Onslaught on January 19, 2013, 10:45:45 AM
Quote from: FoMoJo on January 19, 2013, 10:36:46 AM
Everything from that time was shit. :lol:
No, German and Japanese had good cars.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: FoMoJo on January 19, 2013, 11:31:12 AM
Quote from: Onslaught on January 19, 2013, 10:45:45 AM
No, German and Japanese had good cars.
Well, Germany always had good cars; maybe a little lapse in the early 70s.  Japan had good engines but didn't produce an, entirely, good car until the late 80s, early 90s...until they improved their rust-proofing. 
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Northlands on January 19, 2013, 04:05:03 PM
IROC.  Hair dries mullets like no other car can.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Gotta-Qik-C7 on January 19, 2013, 06:10:35 PM
Quote from: Laconian on January 19, 2013, 02:17:43 AM
What went wrong on the fox body?
It was just cheaply made. The top wouldn't line up rite, The fog lights would cut off and on after 30 mins of use, and the interior was cheap as they came (even for '89). Easily the worse car I ever owned. And to top it off it caught fire 10/13/95 (yes it was a friday) and burned to the ground..............That mite have been a blessing in disguise!  :mask:
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: FoMoJo on January 20, 2013, 10:01:15 AM
Quote from: Gotta-Qik-G8 on January 19, 2013, 06:10:35 PM
It was just cheaply made. The top wouldn't line up rite, The fog lights would cut off and on after 30 mins of use, and the interior was cheap as they came (even for '89). Easily the worse car I ever owned. And to top it off it caught fire 10/13/95 (yes it was a friday) and burned to the ground..............That mite have been a blessing in disguise!  :mask:
You can say the same for any domestic car of that era.  They were all crap.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Onslaught on January 20, 2013, 11:05:56 AM
Quote from: FoMoJo on January 20, 2013, 10:01:15 AM
You can say the same for any domestic car of that era.  They were all crap.
Not in the late 80's. A Supra, RX-7 or Z car were much better made then a Mustang of that time. You didn't find shims and washers all over the place in a Japanese car back then.  But a Fox Mustang? You probably couldn't find one panel that didn't have 2-3 shims to try and get it fitting close to right from the factory. And even then it fit like shit. You try to put an FC RX-7 together and everything had to be perfect for things to fit. A Fox mustang had half an inch of play in every part to line things up. That's why most body men loved them because nothing had to be right to make them work. But a Japanese car had to be dead on for anything to fit. I measured 3 different Fox Stangs in the showroom one time to figure out the measurements of something I was working on. And all three of them came out with something different on brand new cars.

My dislike for American cars came from working on the junk they put out in the late 80' and early 90's. My love for Japanese cars came from working on their cars from the same time and how much better they built cars. Sure they're full of hard plastics and stuff then but back then everything was.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: FoMoJo on January 20, 2013, 11:34:19 AM
Quote from: Onslaught on January 20, 2013, 11:05:56 AM
Not in the late 80's. A Supra, RX-7 or Z car were much better made then a Mustang of that time. You didn't find shims and washers all over the place in a Japanese car back then.  But a Fox Mustang? You probably couldn't find one panel that didn't have 2-3 shims to try and get it fitting close to right from the factory. And even then it fit like shit. You try to put an FC RX-7 together and everything had to be perfect for things to fit. A Fox mustang had half an inch of play in every part to line things up. That's why most body men loved them because nothing had to be right to make them work. But a Japanese car had to be dead on for anything to fit. I measured 3 different Fox Stangs in the showroom one time to figure out the measurements of something I was working on. And all three of them came out with something different on brand new cars.

My dislike for American cars came from working on the junk they put out in the late 80' and early 90's. My love for Japanese cars came from working on their cars from the same time and how much better they built cars. Sure they're full of hard plastics and stuff then but back then everything was.
I agree.  Late 80s was when imports started to improve and the domestics were still nickelling and diming their suppliers.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Onslaught on January 20, 2013, 11:47:08 AM
I went into working on cars with an open mind. I didn't really know all that much about cars when I was 19 and just wanted a job to make some money. I didn't know much of a difference between a Toyota or a Ford.  I found the US cars so inferior that to this days I still don't forgive them for making stuff like that. If I was older and worked in the 60's and 70's it's possible I'd have the same feelings about Japanese cars. 
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: MX793 on January 20, 2013, 12:05:36 PM
Quote from: Onslaught on January 20, 2013, 11:05:56 AM
Not in the late 80's. A Supra, RX-7 or Z car were much better made then a Mustang of that time. You didn't find shims and washers all over the place in a Japanese car back then.  But a Fox Mustang? You probably couldn't find one panel that didn't have 2-3 shims to try and get it fitting close to right from the factory. And even then it fit like shit. You try to put an FC RX-7 together and everything had to be perfect for things to fit. A Fox mustang had half an inch of play in every part to line things up. That's why most body men loved them because nothing had to be right to make them work. But a Japanese car had to be dead on for anything to fit. I measured 3 different Fox Stangs in the showroom one time to figure out the measurements of something I was working on. And all three of them came out with something different on brand new cars.

My dislike for American cars came from working on the junk they put out in the late 80' and early 90's. My love for Japanese cars came from working on their cars from the same time and how much better they built cars. Sure they're full of hard plastics and stuff then but back then everything was.

Supra, RX-7, and Z were also a lot more expensive than the Mustang.  In '87, cars like the Supra Turbo, RX-7 turbo and 300ZX Turbo were all $20K+.  A Mustang GT of the same vintage was $12K and change ($15K for the 'vert).  Even a non-turbo 300ZX was $18.5K  I sure as hell would hope those cars were a lot better built.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Gotta-Qik-C7 on January 20, 2013, 12:08:09 PM
Quote from: MX793 on January 20, 2013, 12:05:36 PM
Supra, RX-7, and Z were also a lot more expensive than the Mustang.  In '87, cars like the Supra Turbo, RX-7 turbo and 300ZX Turbo were all $20K+.  A Mustang GT of the same vintage was $12K and change ($15K for the 'vert).  Even a non-turbo 300ZX was $18.5K  I sure as hell would hope those cars were a lot better built.
True! Those were all Corvette competitors (turbo versions)
!
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Onslaught on January 20, 2013, 12:27:35 PM
Quote from: MX793 on January 20, 2013, 12:05:36 PM
Supra, RX-7, and Z were also a lot more expensive than the Mustang.  In '87, cars like the Supra Turbo, RX-7 turbo and 300ZX Turbo were all $20K+.  A Mustang GT of the same vintage was $12K and change ($15K for the 'vert).  Even a non-turbo 300ZX was $18.5K  I sure as hell would hope those cars were a lot better built.
A 1989 Miata was better built then the Mustang.An 80's MR-2 was better built. The MX-6,celica or Prelude was better built.
Even a 1985 RX-7 GSL-SE was better built then a 1990 Mustang.


I could go on and on and on with lists of cars put together then the Mustang or Camaro back then. All you got out of those two cars was an engine and a good sound. The rest was crap. Absolute crap.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: MX793 on January 20, 2013, 12:31:28 PM
Quote from: Onslaught on January 20, 2013, 12:27:35 PM
A 1989 Miata was better built then the Mustang.An 80's MR-2 was better built. The MX-6,celica or Prelude was better built.
Even a 1985 RX-7 GSL-SE was better built then a 1990 Mustang.


I could go on and on and on with lists of cars put together then the Mustang or Camaro back then. All you got out of those two cars was an engine and a good sound. The rest was crap. Absolute crap.

I don't disagree that the Mustang was poorly built, just pointing out that using the Supra, RX, and Z as comparison points isn't exactly fair since all of those were higher end cars that cost considerably more money.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Onslaught on January 20, 2013, 01:40:47 PM
Quote from: MX793 on January 20, 2013, 12:31:28 PM
I don't disagree that the Mustang was poorly built, just pointing out that using the Supra, RX, and Z as comparison points isn't exactly fair since all of those were higher end cars that cost considerably more money.
Well the top of the line ones with turbo's cost much more. The base non turbo cars cost much closer and are made the same as the top of the line ones.


I just have a very strong dislike for 80's -90's American cars. It got to the point at work that I told them not to give me any to work on. I'd rather go home and not make money then stay at work and fix them.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Gotta-Qik-C7 on January 20, 2013, 01:44:14 PM
Quote from: Onslaught on January 20, 2013, 12:27:35 PM
A 1989 Miata was better built then the Mustang.An 80's MR-2 was better built. The MX-6,celica or Prelude was better built.
Even a 1985 RX-7 GSL-SE was better built then a 1990 Mustang.


I could go on and on and on with lists of cars put together then the Mustang or Camaro back then. All you got out of those two cars was an engine and a good sound. The rest was crap. Absolute crap.
I think the fact that the pony cars were on decade old chassis had a lot to do with it too. But I agree they were not well buit cars but the Camaro was tons better than the Mustang!
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: MX793 on January 20, 2013, 02:24:02 PM
Quote from: Onslaught on January 20, 2013, 01:40:47 PM
Well the top of the line ones with turbo's cost much more. The base non turbo cars cost much closer and are made the same as the top of the line ones.


I just have a very strong dislike for 80's -90's American cars. It got to the point at work that I told them not to give me any to work on. I'd rather go home and not make money then stay at work and fix them.

Not really.  Like I said, a base 300ZX cost ~1.5x what a Mustang GT cost, and the Supra was similar.  Not sure about the non-turbo RX-7s of that time, but I find it hard to believe they'd be much less than the base Supra or 300ZX.
Title: Re: Open-top Goodness
Post by: Onslaught on January 20, 2013, 04:08:39 PM
Quote from: MX793 on January 20, 2013, 02:24:02 PM
Not really.  Like I said, a base 300ZX cost ~1.5x what a Mustang GT cost, and the Supra was similar.  Not sure about the non-turbo RX-7s of that time, but I find it hard to believe they'd be much less than the base Supra or 300ZX.
From my RX-7 book


1988 all models had a mid year price increase
SE - $15,480
GTU - $17,350
GXL - $19,160
SE 2+2 - $ 15,980
GXL 2+2 - $19,660
Covertible - $20,500
Turbo - $21,800
10th Anniv. - $24,650

1989
GTU - $17,300
GTUs - $19,600
GXL - $21,600
2+2 GXL - $22,100
Turbo - $22,750
Convertible - $25,950