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Convertibles are a hassle on the track. I've had a couple events I couldn't go to as I didn't have a hardtop or roll cage. That wasn't even on a track-ready car. Pretty much bone stock S2000. Perfectly fine stock for taking to the track on a weekend, but then so is your mom's Camry. If you really wanted to run hard though, it's not.
My first track day in the S2000 with it was more impromptu and done on less than 12 hours' notice, including a four hour drive. I didn't even do the basic prep, just ran it straight from the showroom so to speak. Hello brake fade. Second track day with the normal essentials (SS lines, high-temp fluids, street/track pads, OEM street tires). Cracked a rotor, they aren't made for that abuse. I never got around to dealing with the cooling, just kept an eye on the temps and run a couple easy laps when they got too hot. With a bit of prep work, it's track ready enough to go out and have fun. If you want to push things more you really need the cage, brake work, cooling work, address the oil starvation issues.
I was thinking more of Auto Cross rather than serious racing. Of course the faster you want to go the more expensive and competative it gets, and yes, most convertibles I know of would need a roll bar and more, if they are doing anything beyond Auto Cross.
We could argue what you "need", depending on the class, but I think you covered all the issues you would need to address sooner or later depending on how serious you wanted to get, but I appreciate your post. You obviously know what you're talking about, which is refreshing here on CD, where so many don't.
Men who own trucks are no different than men who own coupes/muscle cars
Both are considered masculine regardless if you need them for extracurricular activities. In my office doing a quick poll, a man either owns a coupe or a truck. Sedans aren’t that common like they used to be for men.
Men who own trucks get things done. Just part of the givers/takers of our society.
I constantly see posts and hear conversations where people deride pickups owned by suburbanites. I once had that viewpoint myself. I bought an old beater pick up to use while we moved and restored out house and I got hooked. I now ascribe to the viewpoint that if you cannot understand the utility of a pickup, you simply have never owned one.
What did you do recently that made your pick up useful?
Next weekend, I will pick up a load of large rocks at my Dad's house to replace the rocks in our fire ring that burst due to the heat. Probably some other things too.
Lots of threads on this in the past, or at least several of-interest. Not sure why brought up again, can't understand the "utility" of this question. But I'll bite anyway.
I am a suburbanite. When I had a townhome, I used my pickup(s) to haul motorcycles. That use was immediate and obvious. Nice to have for moving furniture, too.
Now that I have a home, the uses have expanded. Obviously no other way to haul garden supplies, tools, mowers, all that sort of thing. The motorcycle need is still there. It needs to be hauled, I can and do. I have a tonneau cover, mine is a sport truck but that does not diminish the utility for a suburbanite. Would be worthless for real work or offroad, though. Tacoma X-Runner.
Downsides are lack of ability to move others, back seats are for midgets only. Too, it's crap in the winter due to traction so I took to sand bagging the bed. Now I have an AWD as an alternate, nor does Seattle get much snow, so I get by. But yet again, for real weather or offroad, 4WD is the right move.
If it ever gets wrecked or I somehow decide to consolidate from sport to utility, two sport vehicles to one practical, I'm buying a 100K mile used Lexus or Toyota Land Cruiser. They run hundreds of K miles w/o problems, the Lexus being more-interesting to me. Can still haul stuff, though bikes will need to go on a back rack instead.
The next logical purchase after a pick up to assist your construction goals on your property is the purchase of a tractor. Preferably w/a back hoe. You can't set docks, raise poles, load and move wood and steel and equipment, maintain grounds and driveways safely or easily with out one. Plus they get your truck unstuck.
The next logical purchase after a pick up to assist your construction goals on your property is the purchase of a tractor. Preferably w/a back hoe. You can't set docks, raise poles, load and move wood and steel and equipment, maintain grounds and driveways safely or easily with out one. Plus they get your truck unstuck.
If you got your truck, then you either made a bad decision, a mistake, a miscalculation, or some combination.
I constantly see posts and hear conversations where people deride pickups owned by suburbanites. I once had that viewpoint myself. I bought an old beater pick up to use while we moved and restored out house and I got hooked. I now ascribe to the viewpoint that if you cannot understand the utility of a pickup, you simply have never owned one.
What did you do recently that made your pick up useful?
Last week, (13th) I loaded 47 American flags and poles and three other people into my truck and drove around putting up the flags as part of our Kiwanis flag program fundraiser. Other teams putting out a simlar number of flags used a minivan or an SUV, but they had to make multiple trips and one guy scratched his dash with flag poles. Then on Saturday, we drove around and picked them up again. Because they are so much easier to put in the truck and because we only had to make one trip, we were able to collect our flags in hours less time than the other crews. I also took my bicycle and my sons into the bike shop. Then my wife borrowed the truck to move some large things for work.
This weekend. I helped my daughter and her new roommate move into a new apartment. No possibility any of her furniture woudl fit into her Sonic, and her rented U-haul could not hold enough to complete the move in the four hours she had it rented. In the evening we took 16 loads of laundry to the Laundromat, then I went to Meijers and Home Depot (and Petsmart) and bought some large things as well as a lot of groceries and stuff which would not fit into a typical car or SUV. We also picked up my bicycle from the repair shop. Sunday, I helped my wife haul the Library books and displays and tent etc back to the library from a town festival where they had a display booth/used book and video sale. No one else at the library had a large enough vehicle. Today (Monday) I tossed my bicycle into the bed of my truck so I could ride in Detroit's Slow Roll (but I forgot today is fireworks day and even if they did not cancel Slow Roll I need to get out of town before 4 p.m.).
Next weekend, I will pick up a load of large rocks at my Dad's house to replace the rocks in our fire ring that burst due to the heat. Probably some other things too.
Agreed. Not sure why anyone needs the monster sized F150's and Silverados though. If you live on a farm, maybe. In a suburb? Not sure I get it.
Last edited by GearHeadDave; 06-25-2018 at 01:31 PM..
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldjensens
I do not have much trouble parking my truck, especially since you do not have to worry about curbs like cars do.
It's definitely bigger and higher, but I drive mine to work sometimes in downtown Seattle and our parking garage has many spaces big enough, the clearance is 6'7' and truck is 6'5" so no problem.
Agreed. Not sure what anyone needs the monster sized F150's and Silverados though. If you live on a farm, maybe. In a suburb? Not sure I get it.
People who drive pickups and live in the burbs use their pickups for lots of things picking up a new gas grill, landscaping materials, a new 65 in flat screen tv. Not everyone has the money to pay for delivery or pay a landscaper, I made money when I had my pickup in the burbs I pulled more than one car out of a snow bank, and my friend had a plow on his pickup and when it snowed allot he had neighbors come over to beg him to plow their driveway, pickups are a very handy vehicle no matter we’re y live. When I had mine I got bugged every weekend to use my truck to haul something for someone, finally I told people to go get their own pickup. Like I said before some people say a pickup is a waste of money but when they want something moved or hauled then they want to be your best friend if you have a pickup.
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