RX Reven' wrote: You never said exactly how much you want for it. If it has needed all those repairs, it'll probably need more soon so you'll want to think about that before you set your price if you want it to sell quickly.
He's not selling it...
RX Reven' wrote: You never said exactly how much you want for it. If it has needed all those repairs, it'll probably need more soon so you'll want to think about that before you set your price if you want it to sell quickly.
He's not selling it...
MrJoshua wrote: Actually a grand is really high for drive by lowballers.
I suppose you're right. And I'll do you one better...he was on foot. Lol.
My boss will shift from first to second gear before his entire Escape is across the cross walk after a stop sign. He also merges onto the highway at 35 mpg....
RX Reven' wrote: You never said exactly how much you want for it. If it has needed all those repairs, it'll probably need more soon so you'll want to think about that before you set your price if you want it to sell quickly.
Wait...what? Lol
Seriously though...If I were trying to sell it at all it would be one thing. "All those repairs" were a result of waking the car up from a 10 year field nap and upgrading the engine...
It certainly needs lots of other stuff and will soon. It's an '83 GM product fercryinoutloud.
But yeah, I'm not trying to sell it. Seriously the main point of my post was that I thought it was funny that he asked me if the car was for sale and when I said I wasn't trying to sell it (though, I would sell it) he wanted me to put a price on it.
I suppose I could've just said "One Million Dollars!"
Clem
I always say that I'm asking anywhere between 5 and 10 times the amount I'll accept for a car when someone asks me about it. I'll take $7500 for the Honda in my side yard and $12,000 for my pickup 
That way if someone is interested and counter offers, the offer will be worth my while to sign the title over.
RX Reven' wrote: You never said exactly how much you want for it. If it has needed all those repairs, it'll probably need more soon so you'll want to think about that before you set your price if you want it to sell quickly.
Didn't read the post, huh?
mtn wrote:ignorant wrote:The difference is that those innovations Jensenman mentioned don't increase productivity...Jensenman wrote: The majority of us are the laziest damn things ever to breathe.people said the same thing about those who used a car instead of a horse...
I'd argue they do increase productivity. Depends on how you define productivity. Remember, the measure drives behavior, so be sure to make sure you understand what you are measuring.
A few funny stick shift stories. 1. My old roommate is a Navy H60 helicopter pilot. Graduated from the Naval Academy. Smart guy. Can't drive a stick! 2. A buddy years ago was shopping for a new car to replace his V6 Probe and test drove an Integra GSR. The salesman explained the VTEC and how he needed to drive to use it (rev it to 5000 or so when passing). Scared him to death, he was so used to short shifting his V6. 3. At Goodyear my team lead was a former test driver. He took me to lunch twice. Once in his Accord, next time in his Mustang GT. Both times he shifted at 5000 or higher every shift (just the way he drove). No big deal in the Accord, but I thought we were going to get arrested in the Mustang!
I mean some cars just require a different style of driving (like the RSX Type S someone mentioned). My buddy complained his S10 V6 wasn't getting the 0-60 times he had read that it should (while playing with my Gtech). I rode with him only to see him shifting at 3000. I told him, rev it to redline every shift. He resisted (saying it would blow the engine), but then shaved 1.5 seconds off his best time.
The last time I saw him, my grandfather told me about this little news brief he read in the local paper: a pair of wannabe thugs muscled a pizza delivery dude out of his car and tried to steal it...only they couldn't drive manual shift, so they gave up and took the pizza.
I say the pizza guy would be justified in running them down...but I can't condone vigilante justice
And something to add: 90% of the people at my job (about 25 full-time employees) drive manual shift cars as their daily drivers. The company vehicle (a Honda "Smellement") is also manual shift. Sweet, huh?
As long as I am able to drive, all of my kids and grandkids will learn to drive a stick. Even if they never own one that is a skill that I think everyone who drives should have.
skruffy wrote: The thing I find most perplexing is people that have driven manual transmission cars for decades and still suck at it.
Unpossible. According to internet forums, everone that can drive a stick is Michael Schumacher behind the wheel, with smooth as glass shifts, revmatching and the like on every shift, every time, be it in spirited driving or just on the commute. An automatic can make a car like a Corvette a horrible lifeless void, where a manual will make even the most mundane beige Camry the equivalent of an F1 car every time you're in it.
Poppycock, I say. If I was so closed minded as to require a manual trans in everything, I'd never know the goodness of my 7 series, or a whole slew of big block musclecars. And there were good reasons to use a built AOD behind the 302 in my V8 RX7 autocross car.
mtn wrote: Very first thing I look for on almost every car is if it has a stick shift. If not, I move on.
For me, the only time I require a manual is in a small engine car. I think manual trans in some non-normal applications can be cool (like slapping one behind the Lexus V8 in my Comet), and if the trans ever dies in my 740iL, a manual swap would be unique and thus cool.
But I got over the "look at me, I shifted. Oh, look, I did it again" phase years ago. 
And I have no problem swapping back and forth betwen the manual MGs and Fiats and the automatic BMW and Range Rover.
81gtv6 wrote: As long as I am able to drive, all of my kids and grandkids will learn to drive a stick. Even if they never own one that is a skill that I think everyone who drives should have.
This I agree with.
Chris_V wrote:mtn wrote: Very first thing I look for on almost every car is if it has a stick shift. If not, I move on.For me, the only time I require a manual is in a small engine car. I think manual trans in some non-normal applications can be cool (like slapping one behind the Lexus V8 in my Comet), and if the trans ever dies in my 740iL, a manual swap would be unique and thus cool. But I got over the "look at me, I shifted. Oh, look, I did it again" phase years ago.
Different things here. First of all, notice that I said almost--I will gladly rock a Roadmonster or Crown Vic in an automatic. If I have a truck, I can almost guarantee it will be an automatic (boat ramps are scary, all that water back there). I've also had my dad promise not to sell his auto 525i until I turn 24--hopefully at that point, I will be in a position to own more than one car and will want an "old mans" car.
Second of all, the reason I "require" a stick is two-fold. One, I start getting ADD in an auto--I've had numerous people tell me I'm a really good driver in a stickshift, and a really bad driver in an auto.
Two, its simply more fun-- I'm 20 years old.
Also, if people can tell that I'm shifting, I'm doing something wrong. Unless its at the autocross course. I want the manual because I like it better, nothing to do with the image it has. I'm the guy who has lusted over a Yugo, Miata, E30, and Crown Vic in the same day.
I hope this didn't sound accusatory or inflammatory.
While one of my friends can drive a stick, he no longer does. He actually went from an Escort GT to a Camry. He told me that he was "done with shifting". I remember once taking him out in my Fiat and running it up to redline. He just told me I was "burning up the engine"
I did have one girlfriend who drove a manual... she was DAMN good at it too.
Chris_V wrote: Poppycock, I say. If I was so closed minded as to require a manual trans in everything, I'd never know the goodness of my 7 series, or a whole slew of big block musclecars. And there were good reasons to use a built AOD behind the 302 in my V8 RX7 autocross car.
Interesting insight here. I MUCH perfer a manual trans, but I settled for an automatic when I bought my LS400 because that's the only way they come. I settled for an automatic when I bought my '87 GMC R1500 because it was cheap. Only recently did I buy a car that I truly adore (Classic 900) with an automatic, and admittedly, I only got it because it was cheap... But I have to say, I've found that I like the car, even with the auto. It isn't as fun and it uses a fair amount more fuel, but I don't hate the driving experience like I expected to. It feels odd for me to admit that.
NYG95GA wrote:RX Reven' wrote: You never said exactly how much you want for it. If it has needed all those repairs, it'll probably need more soon so you'll want to think about that before you set your price if you want it to sell quickly.Didn't read the post, huh?
Relax, I was just role playing as a shiny happy person for comedic value.
Anyway, I refer to the six speed transmission in my RX-8 as a “one too many”. After four years and 100K miles of experience with it, I still can’t say the shift pattern is totally second nature to me…when I find myself in a situation where I want to skip a gear, say, go from fourth to second, I have to consciously think about it rather than just seeing my arm automatically perform the action. Perhaps this is due to the 22 years and ~400K miles of experience I have with five speed transmissions or perhaps I’m just not a real sharp guy but in either case, it’s a little annoying.
Does anyone else have this issue?
Clay wrote: A few funny stick shift stories. 1. My old roommate is a Navy H60 helicopter pilot. Graduated from the Naval Academy. Smart guy. Can't drive a stick!
I'd guess thats because he never had the need/opportunity to learn.
mtn wrote: Different things here. First of all, notice that I said almost--I will gladly rock a Roadmonster or Crown Vic in an automatic. If I have a truck, I can almost guarantee it will be an automatic (boat ramps are scary, all that water back there). I've also had my dad promise not to sell his auto 525i until I turn 24--hopefully at that point, I will be in a position to own more than one car and will want an "old mans" car.
Old man's car? Well, yeah, the 740iL is my gentleman's hot rod.
But I had built autoboxes in muslecars in my 20s, and had nothing about them being "old man's cars." In fact my own "old man" project car, the '63 Comet convertible, is getting a 5 speed manual behind an engine never available with a manual (the Lexus V8) in a car that didnt come with a manual trans from the factory.
mtn wrote: Second of all, the reason I "require" a stick is two-fold. One, I start getting ADD in an auto--I've had numerous people tell me I'm a really good driver in a stickshift, and a really bad driver in an auto.
Sorry to hear that you need a manual because you know your mental limitations. 
Hope you don't take any long highway trips in a manual trans car where you don't have to shift for a few hours. I did a 17 hour trip to Orlando from baltimopre in my 5 sped manual trans PT and shifting took up a combined, proabably 5 minutes of that trip. If I needed to push my left leg in and out all the time in order to pay attention to driving, I'd be screwed.
Yeah, how many times I move my left leg has zero bearing on how well I pay attention or control all the myriad other things you control while driving.
mtn wrote: Two, its simply more fun-- I'm 20 years old.
In some instances, yes. But what about those 45 mph indoor karts that you don't shift at all? Are they less fun than a manual trans, 4 cyl Camry? Is a built automatic behind a 400 hp V8 in an RX7 that pulls over 1 G laterally, and barks the tires into every gear including overdrive, and shifts instantly when you want it to, up or down, less fun than a stock Golf with a 5 speed? I daresay not.
Too often the "autos are less fun" crowd simply equates automatics with their dad's Buick or mom's Accord (or worse, some really slow stock 4 cyl car that the stock automatic has sucked all the life out of), and not with the build automatics of powerful musclecars or dedicated race cars, or even remember those fast, fun indoor karts that have no transmission at all.
I prefer a good manual trans. Out of the hundred plus cars I've owned, the only 3 I've ever bought new have had manuals (two because I specifically wanted them and one was the only way it came, and ALL were under 2.5 liters), and as I mentioned, I'm taking extra effort and cost to put a manual in a car that never had one, behind an engine never offered with one.
But I've got enough experience to know that there are no blanket statements of what is or isn't fun when it comes to cars and transmissions. Every combination is unique. And if I can pass on that knowledge to a young enthusiast so they don't become a closed minded fanatic, then I've done my job.
Chris_V wrote:mtn wrote: Different things here. First of all, notice that I said almost--I will gladly rock a Roadmonster or Crown Vic in an automatic. If I have a truck, I can almost guarantee it will be an automatic (boat ramps are scary, all that water back there). I've also had my dad promise not to sell his auto 525i until I turn 24--hopefully at that point, I will be in a position to own more than one car and will want an "old mans" car.Old man's car? Well, yeah, the 740iL is my gentleman's hot rod.
This is the only thing I have a qualm about in your post... Have you ever driven an E34 525 automatic? It really is a dog, an old-mans car. The 4.0? Not-so-much.
In reply to Chris_V:
I don't think your auto rx7 is less fun than a manual golf, but I do think an auto golf would be less fun than a manual golf. Just like the rx7 may be even more fun with a manual...
Joey
In reply to mtn:
I think the yugo, miata, e30 and crown Vic doesn't make you weird, it makes you a pretty typical GRMer!
Joey
We have an old Tracker sitting behind the barn, but you can see it from the road. I got a call from a grandma aged woman last night, wanting to know if I wanted to sell it. She told me her husband was going in for an operation, and she was looking for something to drive. It took me a while to convince her that it was a bush buggy, and not what she was looking for. Even then, she still wanted to talk price.
I prefer a manual transmission in any car I drive, and if it doesn't come with one from the factory I'll take a look around the internet and find out how hard it is to swap one it. And yes a mercury zephyr with a straight six or a crown vic will willingly accept a manual trans.
I have also taught many of my friends how to drive a manual transmission car and now they are all hooked and won't drive anything else. First was my buddy with a four cylinder fox body, I found him a $200 parts car and besides blowing up an airbag in his face the swap went great. He finally parked the heap and bought an integra gs-r.
My second friend needed to replace his rusty 4runner and I found him a nice 5spd cougar. He didn't know how to drive it and I brought it home for him. Taught him how to drive that day and he won't touch anything else.
Most surprisingly is my little sister, tiny little girl. She asked me to teach her so her next car can be a manual. Very smooth for someone I never thought would be interested. Im trying to get her in a celica gt/gts.
Oh, and my last two girl friends could drive stick too.
So there are still people out there who can do it, and a lot of the other ones just want a willing teacher.
In my driver's ed class back in the day, the school had a car with a manual and one with an automatic, and you had to split time between the two. Talking with my peers over the ages, leads me to believe that was a pretty rare occurance, as most were taught only on an auto. Somewhat understandable in a city situation, but I grew up far from anything I'd call urban.
Still remember my first day in the manual drivers ed car. My previous experience had been with my dad, who certainly like to use the whole rev range. I did the same preparing for my first up shift when the instructor hammered his brake, and lectured me on taking it easy.
mtn wrote:Chris_V wrote:This is the only thing I have a qualm about in your post... Have you ever driven an E34 525 automatic? It really is a dog, an old-mans car. The 4.0? Not-so-much.mtn wrote: Different things here. First of all, notice that I said almost--I will gladly rock a Roadmonster or Crown Vic in an automatic. If I have a truck, I can almost guarantee it will be an automatic (boat ramps are scary, all that water back there). I've also had my dad promise not to sell his auto 525i until I turn 24--hopefully at that point, I will be in a position to own more than one car and will want an "old mans" car.Old man's car? Well, yeah, the 740iL is my gentleman's hot rod.
Actually if you read all of my post, you'd see that I adressed that very thing. Notice that the 525 is a small engine car (in my sub 2.5 liter range where I've specified manual transmissions). I davise anyone commenting on automatics not to use small engine cars with stock automatics, especially heavy small engine cars with ouatmatics, as tehbenchmarks for what an automatic fgeels liek to drive.
Hell, that's why I picked the 5 speed manual in my PT Cruiser vs the automatic: the manual behind the 2.4 liter made the car over 3 seconds quicker to 60 mph. Yeah, thats a bunch. But the 540s and 740s that have manuals are barely quicker than their automatic counterparts.
While I agree that backing a powerful V8 with an automatic often ends in acceptable results, and it is preferable for some applications, I still prefer a manual in cars I buy. That's just personal preference. If I spent more time stuck in gridlock traffice, or did a lot of drag racing, I'd look for an auto, but otherwise I like rowwing gears. (The automatic in a truck at the boat launch is a very compelling argument as well.) Once again, that's just my preference, but it does greatly affect cars I consider buying.
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