So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Bye. And Also, Hello!

"That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms" (thatbastardkurtis5)
08/12/2017 at 17:55 • Filed to: None

It’s official, the Land Cruiser is sold. I drove it to its new owner in Maine with my dad this morning...about 180 miles each way. New owner is a great guy, I’m sure he’ll be happy with it.

But the real story of today is this guy:

I brought home the Miata. I actually took off my shoes and drove it in my socks, which increased effective legroom an inch and made the car legitimately comfortable for a man of my sizable size. It runs and drives great, needs brakes and tires, which reminds me:

These followed me home from Maine. The guy who bought the Cruiser used to have a Miata, and mentioned he had these brand new wheels and tires in his basement. The wheels are Toyota 15s off something (he thought a Prius), the tires are Falkens with tags still on them. He wanted $700, I offered $500, we settled on $550.

My dad had an interesting perspective on buying them, too. I sold the Cruiser for $6500, but I’m in Maine and don’t want to drive it home. If he offered me $6000, I would have taken it to not have to drive the truck home...so in that weird Twilight Zone way, I paid $50 for the wheels and tires.

Monday I pick up the second half of this whole thing, a 2000 GMC Yukon Denali. That’s the real ‘replacement’ for the Land Cruiser in that it will fulfill daily driving and baby moving duties. That said, I’m going to be driving the Miata whenever I can. Thing is a riot.

DISCUSSION (16)

dogisbadob > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
08/12/2017 at 18:01

Falken tires are awesome! I have those same tires on my car

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > dogisbadob
08/12/2017 at 18:04

My dad has a set on his Chrysler 300C and loves them, so I’m glad he was there to recommend them, haha.

AestheticsInMotion > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
08/12/2017 at 18:07

Glad to have you in the Miata family! That’s a looker

Captain of the Enterprise > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
08/12/2017 at 18:30

Congrats!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
08/12/2017 at 18:37

Kinja'd!!!

Welcome to the club! Any plans to autocross? I’m fully addicted to autocross. Just finished day 2 of 3 at this awesome airport about 4.5 hours from home. I have too many tires and all I think about are what mods are next.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
08/12/2017 at 18:55

Congratulations!

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
08/12/2017 at 19:11

Thanks! Yeah totally, I want to do everything the Miata has to offer. I need to make a couple more little changes to the inside to get really comfortable in it (no shoes is a great start, haha), but then I mostly want a fun street car I can track as well. Hell, I’ll take it drag racing too, why the hell not? I’ve got so little money in it that it almost doesn’t matter what it does, everything I get from it is a plus.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
08/12/2017 at 19:25

Kinja'd!!!

Seats! Tall people mods are always nice to have. Also, the foamectomy is supposed to work really well if you want to keep the stock seats. It’s nice that my head fits inside the car now and my knees have a little bit of extra space. Added bonus of not using the steering wheel to keep me in the car during hard turns.

Also, just notice you scored a hard top too. So really, you bought the car for like $1000 less lol.

Sam > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
08/12/2017 at 20:21

I have those same tires on my BMW. They are great for an all season tire.

daender > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
08/12/2017 at 20:59

Looks like a solid 1.6L NA, especially since I see factory cruise control and the radiator end-tanks are a healthy shade of black! Is it a black and tan combo or is that BRG paint I see?

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > daender
08/13/2017 at 07:26

Black and tan...the soft top appears to be tan as well, which is cool. It seems to have been taken care of, lots of miles on it but definitely not beaten on.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Sam
08/13/2017 at 07:27

I’ve heard good things. I was going to buy something like that in that size anyway, so while maybe not my first choice they were too convenient to pass up.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
08/13/2017 at 07:30

I’m looking into a seat that’ll fit me, since I’m a pretty wide dude as well. I’ve heard about doing the foamectomy, I wouldn’t mind sitting lower in the car so that’s a likely mod for me...I like the look of the factory seats, so I’d like to keep them for now.

Last night I ordered a new-used steering wheel (Personal Grinta, 340mm) that has the same kind of patina as the rest of the car, that should give me some more room as well. Thing has been at my house 16 hours and I’m already spending all the money on it, haha.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
08/14/2017 at 07:33

Make sure you note that aftermarket steering wheel places you in CSP in autocross, not that it really matters though. But yeah its nice to get rid of that giant bloaty thing in the NA anyways. I never realized how much I like the steering wheel in my NB until I drove an NA one day and was totally offput by it. The aftermarket ones are quite nice though as well.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
08/14/2017 at 08:24

I figure I’ll just get the car where I like it and they can put me in whichever class they want...at least for now I don’t care about where I place so much as enjoying doing it, and that huge stock steering wheel kills me. I would have gone smaller, but I’ve heard 330mm wheels will block your gauges. I think the 340mm will be nice in there, give myself a little more room and won’t block anything.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
08/14/2017 at 10:35

Haha yeah I guess that works. It just sucks to be stuck in a crazy class for silly reasons like that. But yeah no point in compromising on daily comfort. I do still think its odd that like almost my number one reason for picking NB vs NA was just the steering wheel. Seeing as I could have just put the same exact steering wheel into the car, that was kind of dumb. But im also happy with real headlights and the little bit stiffer chassis and extra power.