Horsepower numbers these days are unreal.

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura) 08/15/2019 at 08:23 • Filed to: None

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Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 08:41

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Great on super trumps (no political meaning here)

Tripper > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 08:50

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They really have been for a while IMO. It was nearly 13 years ago when I bought my STi. Even as a young kid I thought “no one needs a car this fast”. That was only a 300hp 4 cyl.

The quickest car I have ever been in (co-pilot) was a modified GTR with a claimed 800 hp, and it was violent! I’d like to say I didn’t like it but I did. Still, loony tunes power.

USUSGTO > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 09:01

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Bought my brand spanking “left over”, Z ero mile, 6.0 LS2 GTO in 2007 for $25,200 - 400 HP.

That was as cheap as it got for me.

Thomas Donohue > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 09:03

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$ 71,295

I’d say horsepower isn’t the only thing that’s unreal.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Tripper 08/15/2019 at 09:10

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I drove a Tesla P85 once, claimed something like 600 horsepower.

I owned an ‘05 Impala for a minute and the V6 in that thing made 300 horsepower.

My ‘97 GMC Safari van with the venerable, bulletproof Vortec 4.3L makes about 160 — or is it 190? — horsepower. And is a damn sight easier and cheaper to maintain... And did I mention reliable?

Note: these are the mus ings of a man who will never have the money, nor much desire, to own any of the aforementioned automobiles...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Thomas Donohue 08/15/2019 at 09:12

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People get themselves into a car like that and later discover that the tires are like $500 apiece and a quick front brake job is like $2,500 and they’re like, Dang ...

M.T. Blake > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 09:15

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Everything is also forced induction. 

Ash78, voting early and often > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 09:19

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I said the same thing when 20"+ wheels became so commonplace. People would buy a pretty basic Dodge Ram for $25k and then say “$1,500 for a set of tires?!” (their last truck was probably $400). It’s a legitimate concern that most people don’t think about.

I never, ever buy the old line of “Well, if you can afford the car, you should be able to afford the upkeep.” Capital cost and operating expenses are two totally different things. And sometimes they are really out of sync.

Ash78, voting early and often > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 09:21

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The great irony is how many EVs and hybrids we have, and how much media coverage over climate change is happening right now.

My ideal reality is that we all buy at least one EV in the next decade to make everyone happy, then nutty muscle cars can continue to exist as a hobby and not go completely extinct through overbearing regulation.

jimz > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 09:28

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1979:

302 cubic inch V8, 140 horsepower . piss poor drive-ability of a carburetor.

2019:

302 cubic inch V8, 480 horsepower . idles and drives smooth as silk.

jimz > M.T. Blake 08/15/2019 at 09:29

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not always.  see my Mustang example above.  I don’t know how old you are, but I grew up in the tail end of the Malaise Era. everything was just pathetic back then.  

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > USUSGTO 08/15/2019 at 09:30

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That’s incredible.

GTO, then G8 GXP?, now SS? 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > M.T. Blake 08/15/2019 at 09:44

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Which to me speaks of complexity and blown head gaskets.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Ash78, voting early and often 08/15/2019 at 09:46

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Cost of upkeep is the first  thing I think of. Then again, I maintain my own -- except when I can’t -- and I am responsible for a personal fleet of six vehicles.

USUSGTO > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/15/2019 at 09:55

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Yes, its incredibl e. GTO was

- a leftover sitting for a year

- it was an au toma t ic

- dealer was going under (closed down a few m ont hs later)

- got a discount for financing wi th GM

- B ought 2 GTO’s same day - same dealer. Got my boss involved, muscle car guy, he was hooked. Asked me to find him one. I found 8 sitting at the dealer. negotiated on F riday. On 2 cars. B rought my boss to dea l ership on S aturday. took deliveries of 2 GTOs. He paid cash.

then G8-GXP

then C63 P31

n ow SS

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 09:58

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We live in glorious times.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > USUSGTO 08/15/2019 at 10:02

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Ha! That’s awesome that you got your boss to buy one, too.

Love those Holdens... 

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Tripper 08/15/2019 at 10:06

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“ Need” is the key word here. And that’s the biggest disconnect with a lot of people and their car purchases. Not discounting myself in that group either. I once had a discussion with my wife about the, then new CTS-V second gen cars and she was asking how much faster is it and then how often can you use that power? And of course my answer was just a few seconds, and Always, because always is the right answer.... :). But seriously, no one needs that kind of power, but do we want it? Hell yes! But it’s really diminishing returns at this point. Eventually you just can’t get it to the ground, unless it’s something like that modded Godzilla with computer craziness and AWD. My current car has AWD and 450hp, and it’s probably enough, but would I take another hundred or two, in a heartbeat. But I have a sickness.....

I’m sorry, what were we talking about?  Oh yeah “need”. If we all prescribed to what we needed, we wouldn’t even be looking at these crazy power numbers.  Or new cars for that matter, but that’s a whole other thing.  Evaluating what is needed and what is just a want is largely overlooked nowadays.  But in the end, I’m glad there are enough people out there buying these stupidly overpowered vehicles so I can snatch one up in a few years after depreciation has done its work on the cost.  

USUSGTO > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/15/2019 at 10:07

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yeah. Th anks. I also love the look at people faces or the question ing / curious glances i get at stop lights.

i thought it’ll get old. it hasn’ t, not yet.

Took the car for inspection (emi ssions) and 5 of the garage crew walked to the car asking what was it. And then they all bet among themselves what it was.

- Peugeot

- Alfa Romeo

- Vauxhaul

One guy knew exactly what it was - a ch evy SS.  

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 10:07

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We all know it's not how much power a car has but how well you use it.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 10:13

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This is the one drawback to buying old German luxobarges. The maintenance costs are still based on that original MSRP and parts are vehicle specific at times. But as long as you understand going in, then so be it. I will say the cost difference from 18” tires to 20” tires is pretty silly. But then again, when the brake discs are nearly as big as the inside of an 18” wheel, I see why they bump up the sizes. But I can see a lot of folks being caught off guard by some maintenance costs for sure.

The way I always justify it is if I’m doing the work, and even if the parts are expensive, I am saving the labor costs....  which I hear now are almost $200 and hour at a dealership... ouch.  

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > USUSGTO 08/15/2019 at 10:16

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LOL

Are there no Chevy badges left on/in the car? I thought the steering wheel was a challenge.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 10:21

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HP numbers don’t really do anything for me, it’s the torque and where the power comes in that are important to me.

I’ll take something with 400 hp/550 ft-lbs over something with 600 hp /450 ft-lbs any day of the week.

It may not feel as “fast” but it will be far more livable and far more fun to rip out of corners with, while likely being quicker.

USUSGTO > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/15/2019 at 10:23

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1) M y keyfob has a chevy badge.

It can be changed to Holden, but involves procurement of

- a Buick key fob  

- a holden sticker

reprogramming the key fob to chevy

2) The radio starts with a Chevy m y link screen. there’s a guy who’s bee n reprogramming these u ni ts in GTOs, G8s and SS since 2004 so they show Holden just as Auswsie versions do. he’s great and reliable,. it’s me who lacks the balls to take the unit off and send to him.

3) The heads-up dispay also has the chevy mylink at start up. And as above, it can be changed but the fucking dash needs to be taken apart. fuck that noise.

The most expensive part of the conversion is the holden airbag. $550 or so. And I am not technically, mechani cally inclined enough t o replace the airbag wit hout the fear of triggering the airbag, messing stuff off.

I have Holden floor mats, and holden door sills, as well. But GM sold all that at the C hevy dealer. ha!  

The car should have come as a Holden unit from Austra lia.

BeaterGT > USUSGTO 08/15/2019 at 10:28

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I have the pleasure of passing a 200 4 purple GTO on my daily commute home. It’s glorious.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > USUSGTO 08/15/2019 at 10:28

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I’m guessing the safety stuff is just different enough that they couldn’t (so stupid that there’s no agreed-upon standard for safety regs among modern nations). 

USUSGTO > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/15/2019 at 10:31

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what safety stuff? what am I missing. I think the cars are 100% similar mechanically, structurally, and even software wise. even the l ights. 

they spent effort to put chevy ba dges on and we (here in the US) are s pending time and money and effort going back to ori gina l and GM is selling all the co nversion stuff at their online and retail stores.

what fuckery is that.  

Tripper > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc 08/15/2019 at 10:31

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I’ve kind of gone the other way with power. I went from a few FWD cars under 200 hp to a WRX, then an STi, then an E46M3, then an E90M3. I had a lot of trouble with the E90 but the rest of the time I was barely getting to use all 400+hp outside of highway on ramps. After that I bought an Audi S3 which I liked but didn’t love, so I sold it to a colleague when he asked to buy it.

I replaced it with a 1975 BMW 1502 which I’m guessing has just a touch over 100hp in it’s current configuration (cammed, twin W e ber DCOEs , hi comp pistons, clutch & flywheel)  Annnnnnnnd it’s the most fun car to drive that I have ever owned!

I still have the E46 M3 and probably always will. I’ve got a VW Alltrack for daily duty, but as long as its under 90 degrees and dry, I’m driving the old bimmer.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Tripper 08/15/2019 at 10:37

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I tend to think of the turning point being right around 2010 when all of a sudden, a Base mustang/Camaro/charger   had   300 horsepower. Once car companies could economically provide people 300hp; then it took a pretty big number to differentiate higher models and special cars had to be crazy.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 08/15/2019 at 10:39

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Hmmm...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 08/15/2019 at 10:40

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...that keeps you not wrapped around a telephone pole ..

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc 08/15/2019 at 10:42

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I doubt the car salesmen are providing the cost numbers of brakes and tires to potential customers.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 08/15/2019 at 10:43

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Either of those would be a lot faster than anything I'll ever own or drive. It's all irrational numbers to me.

USUSGTO > BeaterGT 08/15/2019 at 10:44

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Purple was an 04 only car.

One day I would like to buy back my 06 Torrid GTO. pics coming:

In Garage, with my 08 E-550.

Parked next to a Ferrari. matching Red. My GTO was with complete SAP (sports appearance package)

My 600RR

I loved that bik

You can see the rear of the GTO . and my then DD. A 2012 C-250. Gutless.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Ash78, voting early and often 08/15/2019 at 10:44

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I’ve been looking hard at a Camaro SS lately but I decided to wait un ti l I save enough that I don’t have to trade the Cruze in on it. That way I have the Camaro for fun time and the Cruze for 36+ MPG.

Then when the Camaro is paid off in a couple years I’ll be looking to replace the Cruze with a Bolt or Volt or something even more efficient.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 10:46

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 No doubt.  

Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore > Ash78, voting early and often 08/15/2019 at 10:49

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Fun ny you mention that. A friend called me crazy because the first thing I do when I see a car on classifieds is: quote insurante, quote tyres and brake pads.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Tripper 08/15/2019 at 10:53

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I can appreciate that. I’m looking to get a toy Miata or older gen corvette to have for a 3 season fun car, but for now, I’ve got to have a jack of all trades car that will handle the kiddos. I’m surprised you didn’t care for the S3. I had an S4 with the 6 speed and it was a hoot. I put an intake on it so I could hear the blower whine and that was a blast. But it didn’t really handle kiddo duty all too well. I have looked at a couple older BMW 2002s as well, those would be great fun as well. So light and tossable.

Some day, when my boys get old enough to wrench with me and we need a “project”. :)

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Ash78, voting early and often 08/15/2019 at 10:53

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That’s a whole thing right there. And that 800-hp Shelby probably still gets 25 mph on the highway.

BeaterGT > USUSGTO 08/15/2019 at 10:56

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Yeah, I know all about the purp! Was heavily considering a GTO before I picked up a C5Z.

Don’t know if I ever noticed the offset colored Pontiac grill though , was that part of the appearance package ?

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Ash78, voting early and often 08/15/2019 at 11:00

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I foresee the self driving car being the true threat to enthusiasts. Once they get them to be consistent and safe, I can see insurance companies driving the bus as they jack up rates for non autonomous cars and drive demand to the self driving future. And I wouldn’t doubt that the bulk of those cars will be EVs to boot.

Heck, I’d buy an EV if I could afford it, was nice to look at, and was made by a true OEM.  I’m still not a Tesla fan, but I’m glad they are out there to drive the market.  I’d be more interested in the Porsche and Audi EVs, but then there’s that whole affordability thing.  Maybe in a few years after there are some used ones out there.  I’ll take some instant torque for my daily commute.    

USUSGTO > BeaterGT 08/15/2019 at 11:02

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Yes. Th ose were called SAP Grills.

You could have them part of the SAP package or standalone.

T hey were $250-300 or so at the dealer. But once they discontinued, they shot up in price. R ep roductions were selling for 500 plus. The OEMs hiit 1 00. lol. I had mine done at the dealer. before I picked the car. for ~ $250.

I t was ridiculous.

Tripper > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc 08/15/2019 at 11:25

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The S3 was amazing but like most modern cars, it did all of the work. Which is ok but without the third pedal, the novelty of the DSG eventually wore off. 

The 02 was a decade long search that culminated with me buying and importing the perfect 02 (for me) from a guy in The Netherlands. My little girl has already shown an affinity for cars (as if she had a choice) hopefully she keeps that as she gets older. I’m already looking at go karts. The 02 community is really fantastic.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > USUSGTO 08/15/2019 at 11:26

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I mean stupid stuff like reflectors, blinker color, etc., but maybe there really is no difference between the Aussie and US models besides badging. 

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 11:26

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And one funny thing is the most powerful car I’ve owned to date has only had 185HP (2000 Saab 9-3)

A nd my current car has only 109HP... my least powerful car in over 10 years. And the last car I had that had this amount or less power was a 1995 Ford Escort Wagon (88hp). And the least powerful car I’ve had was my first car... a 1.3L Ford Festiva... 63HP. But the Festiva wasn’t the slowest car in the 0-60 run (10 seconds) because it was light. But it was the slowest in terms of top speed (~155 km/h)

And the most powerful car I’ve driven is the 292HP AWD Dodge Charger GT AWD... which I thought was plenty fast for day to day use.

And the most powerful vehicle I’ve driven is probably a moving van with the Ford 6.8L V10

However the most powerful car I’ve ridden in is a friend’s Dodge Charger Hellcat.

And the most powerful vehicle of any type I’ve ridden in is probably a Boeing 747.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 11:31

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“and I am responsible for a personal fleet of six vehicles.”

Oh man... that’s a part time job right there.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 11:31

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Or rather , we at least live in a glorious time of automobiles.  

USUSGTO > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/15/2019 at 11:33

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I have been wrong before, but I doubt there is.

GM fucking know when to screw up the perfect business case. make things expensive and spend undue amount on things that don’ t make sense.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 08/15/2019 at 11:37

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And the most powerful vehicle of any type I’ve ridden in is probably a Boeing 747

And the fastest you’ve probably ever traveled on wheels was the takeoff or landing roll on that 747.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 08/15/2019 at 11:39

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Between that and all of the cell phones and laptops that people in my family use... It saves us all a bunch of monthly expense* , but it’s also a lot of work.

Family subscriptions: T-Mobile, Netflix, Spotify, liability insurance for two of my daughters...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 08/15/2019 at 11:39

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Lots of technology things have advanced astoudingly in recent years.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 12:18

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Our F250 was around 400 hp/650ft-lbs, that’s the most power I’ve ever owned and that thing pulled like a freight train.

Most powerful driven, Hellcat Challenger.

Scariest driven, 1979 Malibu Wagon with a built 502 ( 650 hp, over 750 ft-lbs ), 4-speed, and the factory V6 suspension.

Of my current vehicles, the 2018 GC is the “most powerful” at 283hp , but thanks the the high rev V6, our 92 still feels more drive- able despite having 1/2 the power .

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Tripper 08/15/2019 at 12:25

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Gotcha, yeah an automatic wouldn’t be as much fun.

Kids and go carts sound like a perfect recipe for fun times.  I’ve been reading Adrian Neweys book, how to build a race car, and he talks about his childhood and wanting to race carts.  His dad made him pony up half the cash to buy a cart.  Gave him some skin in the game.  Pretty cool idea.  I’m hoping one of my boys will want to race carts.  It’d be a great time.  

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 08/15/2019 at 12:31

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There was a guy at my high school Vo-Tech who had a Vega with a built 327 in it and I hope he never killed himself in it.

My ‘71 GMC van, Rusty, is going to get its 250 inline six rebuilt one of these days and it may push 180 HP at that point. I’ll probably seek out a dyno somewhere for a simple before and after pull.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/15/2019 at 12:40

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I’m honestly surprised I never did anything overly stupid in that Malibu. That damn thing would dangle the front wheels off the ground off the launch.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 08/15/2019 at 12:44

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I agree with you, to a degree. I’d prefer a light car that’s slightly underpowered because I genuinely prefer the “slow car driven fast” kind of car instead of having 700+hp that remains unused 99% of the time.

Fo r daily use 200hp/200lb-ft is more than enough for me. 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > gin-san - shitpost specialist 08/15/2019 at 12:46

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3 of my dailies are under 200 hp, all near/over 200ft-lbs though with the exception of the 2018 ( which needs that 283 hp to cart it’s fat ass around ), none of them have ever felt lacking.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc 08/15/2019 at 12:53

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I think another way it could go is insurance has to rely on drivers as the need due to increased safety  for insurance for AV drops substantially.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc 08/15/2019 at 22:40

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I have 2 cousins that each have a luxobarge  addiction and it gives me so much anxiety. 1 pays out the ass to the dealer and the other uses cheap parts and then complains when shuff start wearing out 

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Ash78, voting early and often 08/15/2019 at 23:00

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My cousin ran into that a few months into his mercedes ownership, 1200 for tires and a double dose of reality when he realized summer performance tires are shit below 30 degrees and he need to get a set of snows and rims.

M.T. Blake > jimz 08/15/2019 at 23:26

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They won’t be going much higher than they are without forced induction or if people spent a lot more. NA engines are expensive if you want to make a lot of power >550-600hp. 

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 08/16/2019 at 07:26

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I split the difference.  I use the best parts I can, but install myself.  It is truly a nice place to be while driving.  Even my 10 year old car is more comfortable and capable than the newer offerings that one could buy for similar money.  Ze Germans really do make a fine automobile and for highway drives and even zipping through traffic, it’s tough to beat.