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Post up your other toys or hobbies ..... AGAIN

Vikingstaff said:
I hit 100 mph with it on Houghton lake, straight line sprint.  That's where I lost my nerve and let go of the throttle to slowly decelerate.  It excelerates very fast up to 90 mph. I'm not sure where the yellow ski-doo would top out, but that 100 mph was probably close to it. 


Our other one sprints up to about 70 mph quickly, and then slowly climbs and tops out between 80-90 mph.  Frankly, anything above 60 mph starts to make me nervous, but every now and then I like to just punch it.  Of course, all of this is on open, flat, and smooth snow on the lake...NOT on a trail or deep powder.
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Someone down near me was racing across the lake on his sled and tried to go under a bridge. Instead he crashed into the viaduct at a high rate of speed resulting in an explosion and instant loss of life. I'm all for going fast but there is a time and place for it. Wide open Houghton, you can get away with it. Small lake with a tight bridge....not so much. The older I get the more I think about my little one growing up without a dad etc. and I slow down. I've almost out ran my guardian angel a couple times and was lucky. Being a passenger in a car doing 165mph on the highway at night is a prime example.   
 
Yeah I've done some spirited runs in my Fiero and Solstice and afterwards think .... what if a tire blew out. There'd be no second chance. The only good thing about them is the low center of gravity, but riding next to an 18 wheeler adds 50 points to the "pucker factor"....  :blink:
 
Just the other day I took the wife's Honda Mini van to get washed. Back when I was a kid we'd do the 100 mph dry after we washed our cars. For some crazy reason I decided to do it again. Hit 120 in the mini van. WTF was I thinking, and why does a mini van go that fast?!?!?
 
Kind of how I felt...I opened up the throttle on a straight clear stretch (which on Houghton Lake goes for miles).  It jumps up to that speed amazingly fast.  It is pretty freaky getting up that fast, nerve racking, and even unsettling getting back to a safer speed.


Don't misconstrue that post as an endorsement of those speeds.  It is not.  It was scary, and not recommended.  More of a quick moment seeing what it could get up too, and quickly realizing it gets up faster than you feel safe, quicker than you think.  Also a quick moment of not realizing how easy it is to get up to an unsafe speed on a quick and fast sled.  
 
My "unholy trinity" are cars, guns, and watches. Here are some of the cars currently in the garage. 


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I'm a sucker for those red cars. :)
 
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WOW!!!
 
As much as I love my Solstice, I hardly drive it, as it is just too seems too nice, but also kills my back after 30 minutes. I put maybe 500 miles a year on it. My plan to use as the "lake runner" never materialized due to space. So I've decided to trade it ....... this is what I'm going after, a Mini Cooper "S". I've always liked Mini Coopers, especially the originals, but talk about small ....  :blink:   This should save wear and tear and mileage on the Jeep .... and gas, lots and lots of gas ...  :lol:


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Wow Steve, that is quite impressive!!  Heck I'd be thrilled just to DRIVE one of those once, but everyday, you are doing something right!! 


Dave, the wife (and I guess me too) really like that Mini Cooper Countryman. Since we are in the north, having 4 wheel drive is a big deal!!  Did you see the video of the one doing a back flip in the snow??? Crazy cool!
 
BulldogsCadillac said:
Wow Steve, that is quite impressive!!  Heck I'd be thrilled just to DRIVE one of those once, but everyday, you are doing something right!! 


Dave, the wife (and I guess me too) really like that Mini Cooper Countryman. Since we are in the north, having 4 wheel drive is a big deal!!  Did you see the video of the one doing a back flip in the snow??? Crazy cool!
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Derrick,


   Yes, that was what Red Bull or Monster Energy?? That guys nuts!!! I like the Countryman too, but want something a little more "sporty" .... gonna throw some graphics, different wheels and tint the windows if and when I get one. Will miss the Solstice, but she deserves to be enjoyed more. 
 
A buddy of mine in NJ is a service manager at a Mini store. He said they are the biggest overpriced pieces of $hit he's ever seen. Just sayin' Smitty. He used to work with me at Mercedes. Why don't you look at an Audi tt? At least you can use the trunk with the top down.  :p /gallery/album_457/gallery_1200_457_2135095.jpg
 
Steve J said:
My "unholy trinity" are cars, guns, and watches. Here are some of the cars currently in the garage. 





I'm a sucker for those red cars. :)
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My dream car has always been the Testarossa.  More than any other car in the history of the automobile.  You have a hardtop AND the coupe!  Beautiful.
 
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I don't like the body lines of the convertible Audi, but the hardtop, I love it. The Mini is about the only vehicle that catches my eye, in my price range, that I'm interested in. If I don't find what I want, I'll just keep the Solstice and stretch my back every 1/2 hour ..... :lol:  
 
Steve J, those are some beautiful vehicles. As a Ferrari guy what were your thoughts when Gas Monkey Garage did the flat black F40?


Semp, our friends down the street have a cooper s convertible roadster like the one below. Since it's just you and the wife you can get away with a 2 seater! After driving it the other day for about 40 miles here are my observations;

  • Quick
  • Great exhaust note/ pops when down shifting
  • Solid drivetrain
  • Tiny
  • Cheap feeling and quirky interior
  • So much road noise with the top up you have to keep looking up to see if the top is actually up and closed.

I'd get another beetle convertible (turbo) before I would go the mini route but that's just me.


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tcpip95 said:
My dream car has always been the Testarossa.  More than any other car in the history of the automobile.  You have a hardtop AND the coupe!  Beautiful.
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Ever since Miami Vice, I was also in love with the TR. Mine is a '92 512 TR, and the convertible borrowing design cues from the TR is actually a '94 348 Spider -- essentially the 8-cylinder little sister of the 12-cylinder TR. The weather here in the Pacific NorthWET has been terrible this Winter and Spring, and there has been very little opportunity to go anywhere "topless." I hope that changes soon!
 
SEMPERFI8387 said:
As much as I love my Solstice, I hardly drive it, as it is just too seems too nice, but also kills my back after 30 minutes. I put maybe 500 miles a year on it. My plan to use as the "lake runner" never materialized due to space. So I've decided to trade it ....... this is what I'm going after, a Mini Cooper "S". I've always liked Mini Coopers, especially the originals, but talk about small ....  :blink:   This should save wear and tear and mileage on the Jeep .... and gas, lots and lots of gas ...  :lol:


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Semp, last year I got a Mini Cooper convertible for my wife as a warm weather car. I've got to say,it's one of the most fun vehicle I've ever driven.It's almost like driving a go cart.  The car stays in the garage in OC during the winter. 


One thing for sure,if you don't like talking to people.You shouldn't drive one! Everyone waves and talks to my wife when she's driving the Mini. 
 
SemperFi - What a bummer on the Solstice seats! I have always LOVED the look of both the Solctice, and its sister vehicle, the Saturn Sky. I always thought the Pontiac Solstice GXP or the Saturn Sky turbo would be neat summer convertibles.  


Perhaps not based on your comments about the poor comfort of the seats.  Do you know of the its sister vehicle, the Saturn Sky, has the same issues with it seats when behind the wheel for any duration of tie?


Heck, I was recently online tire kicking Saturn Sky turbo prices on autotrader.  Not that I'd get a green light on it from my admiral after getting the Bennington, but a boy can dream...   ^_^
 
Vikingstaff said:
Heck, I was recently online tire kicking Saturn Sky turbo prices on autotrader.  Not that I'd get a green light on it from my admiral after getting the Bennington, but a boy can dream...   ^_^
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Boy,sounds like someone has the same issue as I do! Speaking of the toys I would like.


Told I have a chance after college bills are paid off. I say,"I'm not holding my breath"
 
lakeliving said:
Steve J, those are some beautiful vehicles. As a Ferrari guy what were your thoughts when Gas Monkey Garage did the flat black F40?
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I died a little inside. They ruined a classic that should have been restored, not adulterated. There was a huge thread on a Ferrari forum about it:


http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/288gto-f40-f50-enzo-laferrari-sponsored-bradan/403113-f40-fast-loud.html


The thread showed that the prices thrown around for the show were ridiculous, and totally fake.


So my thoughts? They should stick to American muscle. :)
 
Vikingstaff said:
SemperFi - What a bummer on the Solstice seats! I have always LOVED the look of both the Solctice, and its sister vehicle, the Saturn Sky. I always thought the Pontiac Solstice GXP or the Saturn Sky turbo would be neat summer convertibles.  


Perhaps not based on your comments about the poor comfort of the seats.  Do you know of the its sister vehicle, the Saturn Sky, has the same issues with it seats when behind the wheel for any duration of tie?


Heck, I was recently online tire kicking Saturn Sky turbo prices on autotrader.  Not that I'd get a green light on it from my admiral after getting the Bennington, but a boy can dream...   ^_^
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Do it when you can!!!   ;)


I think the seats are fine for some people. I think as I've gotten older, my back reminds me of my younger antics. At 18 I was humping bombs onto planes. At 25-30, I was humping drywall and shingles. I think it's finally catching up ....   :blink:  


I'm still fighting the urge to trade, but again, function vs. form. I went through the same battle on GCW vs RCW. The GCW won, and I haven't regretted it a second. My wife said it best. I have strong sentimental attachments to certain things. Hell, I got sand in my eyes last fall, after the final run in our R, and we put the cover on and said our last goodbye. That's just the memories coming to the surface.  
 
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