Bob Connell ran his MG repair shop in Indianapolis for 30 years. (Before that, I serviced Bob's MGs.) Bob's an octogenarian and has closed his operation. He has an absolutely HUGE supply of new and used parts. Bob and his long-time assistant, Adrian VanOsch, will be on site to oversee parts sales this Friday and Saturday, 7->8 June. Bob's shop is located at 6667 East 38th Street, Indianapolis. If you have questions, contact Adrian at 317 459 7572 or on email: avanosh72@gmail.com
I’ll be over here counteracting that macho advertising scheme by continuing to implore the public to avoid Nissan like the plague. I owned a Rogue for a very short run and had to get rid of it quickly because I was seriously at risk of falling asleep while driving because it was the most BORING CAR I EVER OWNED. What the hell was I thinking?? Well, I wanted a Murano, the nicer option, but my ever practical spouse who would daily drive a 1986 Hyundai if he had the option (because he is not a car snob like me…) didn’t want the extra expense. So the snooze fest Rogue it was.
Jeezus, I totally remember the salesman hard selling the CVT transmission like it was a good thing. Regardless, now that I am a smarter car snob we still joke every time we see a Rogue with saying: Do you think they are bored?
The first time I experienced a CVT was in a Nissan. It was a red, auto, maxima coupe rental and at WOT it sounded exactly like a shopvac in the next room. I hated it and will never own one. Maybe a Prius if I ever succumb to that. But that would be it.
To my eternal chagrin, both my parents had CVT-equipped cars and so I learned to drive on them. Mom had a pretty-well-loaded 2005 Nissan Murano SL; Dad had—wait for it—a 2007 Dodge Caliber SXT. Refrigerator white, too. But at least it had keyless access, cruise control and alloy wheels.
Oh, and it was an ex-rental car, too. We bought it in 2008 from the local CJDR dealer.
Really, my dad had been looking for a Matrix XRS with a 5-speed, and settled for the Caliber. The Matrix—especially in that spec—would have been a vastly superior mode of conveyance.
When my Passat TDI got rear ended before I sold it back to Volkswagen the nice people at Enterprise gave me a Jeep Patriot which was the Jeep version of your dad's Caliber and it was the absolute most miserable car I had driven in at least 20 years. If their insurance would have allowed it I would have driven my son's Volvo 850 Wagon and let him drive that crappy Jeep to high school for the three months my Passat was in the body shop.
I learned to drive in my mom's 2006 Ford Freestyle. Two-tone blue over gray. A CVT, 203 hp, and probably over 5000 lbs with my whole family in it. Rental Caliber sounds practically sporty in comparison!
We rented a Nissan Altima with the CVT to drive to Vegas and back to western WA. My wife hated it so much that she fell asleep driving it and ran off the road, taking out a couple of reflector posts but staying on solid earth and not running clear over into the creek. Not a mark on the car though....
It wasn't always so. From my mom's 1978 280z to my 1990 Hardbody truck I drove for a decade to my VQ powered 2004 Quest minivan, I grew up and then grew old driving and enjoying Nissans very much. They were all flawed in some way, but they made up for it by being fun to drive. Everything they've made since then with rare exception is just an appliance. Its a shame.
It totally felt like I was driving an appliance. Maybe like an iron. 😂
And you are absolutely right. Early models were so much better even while being POSs. Had a good friend who had a 80’s something Nissan 4x4 extended cab truck. I rode countless times in the little jump seat crammed behind the passenger seat. We went 4x4ing out in the desert outside of Vegas and around Lake Mead. THAT was not boring.
"They were all flawed in some way, but they made up for it by being fun to drive."
This reminds me of Mazda as well, with various exceptions, altho Mazda has managed to hang on longer to being better than average. Is my perception accurate -- the long-time similarity between Nissan and Mazda, that is?
I've never owned or driven a Mazda so I couldn't say. I always thought their products were just different enough to make them interesting though. I suppose their RX-7 and its descendants have similar historical cachet as the old Z cars. Zoom zoom.
I had a Yaris iA (Second-gen Mazda 2 with Toyota badges) 6MT to balance out a half-ton truck, and that was a wonderful, cheap, fun car. Great seats and visibility, engine was smooth at upper RPMs, floor hinged gas pedal, and all inputs were well matched. I sold it for above MSRP during the peak used car bubble. That was a great, inexpensive, efficient, fun little car.
The engineers at Mazda have too much control of the final product. To the extent that they dictate what the customer must like. You must accept and appreciate seasickness after a drive on a winding road. Soft springing and no roll bar are the right way to corner a car/SUV, or so I am told by Mazda. Touchscreens are dangerous and will not be provided. Mazda knows best? I can appreciate the A, B & C Miata but there's not enough Dramamine in the world that would get me into a D or any other Mazda..... again. The marketing angle seems to be ...... We know best we make the Miata. Shut up and buy our cars. My personal experience is that all levels of the customer facing part of the Mazda experience sucks. From Sales to Service to Parts the Dealers are hamstrung partly due to Mazda's lack of support and partly because they reflect the Manufacturers attitude re the product. No Zoom-Zoom for you.
Mazda gets all the love from me if for no other reason that it builds an affordable two-door, three-pedal sports car with a drop-top. And that's on top of an actual sedan. In this day and age, that makes Mazda a jewel to be cherished and celebrated.
In 1993, the entire Nissan lineup was interesting. Not just the Sentra SE-R, Maxima, and 300ZX...even the base Sentra E and the Hardbody trucks were fun to drive. And everything but the van was available with a manual transmission.
There was a 1985 Maxima in the neighborhood I lived that I walked by every day going to the bus for high school. I loved that car. It was like the full package deal. Having no real concept of car prices at the time (I was bussing it remember…) I was like, I want one of these! Went to the dealer after closing hours to peek at prices. Needless to say I quickly realized that would not be my first car 😂
Instead I got a brand new absolute piece of shit first generation 1986 Hyundai Excel. Stick shift, four speed, with A/C. That car had absolutely no business having A/C. It could barely get going without the A/C on. The only good thing that came from owning that trash heap was I learned to drive a stick. I am forever not a Hyundai fan. Would never own another one. I even deny them as rental cars.
Even my ratty '00 Maxima beater with a swiss cheese core support and rotten flex pipe felt kind of special/fun to drive, ditto the $500 I30t that I revived (with a "404 core support not found" condition). At the same time, those cars, both with their rust issues, their beam rear axles, and messy/packed engine bays felt nowhere as well engineered as a Camry of the same era. Having said that, given the opportunity, I wouldn't turn down a non-rusted 5spd Maxima of that era.
In the mid 90s my first wife and I owned an early 1st gen Pathfinder (5 speed v6 hell yeah) and a 2nd gen 4Runner back to back. Working on them both, the difference in build quality boggled the mind. Case in point - the door speakers in the hardbody are simply screwed into the door with cheap metal backing clips that will disappear the first time you pull it out. The 4Runner speaker was in a well built plastic enclosure with the captive nuts molded into the plastic. The Pathfinder was still more fun to drive.
I came away with the same conclusion after working on the mid-90s Nissan Hardbody my brother briefly owned. We'd both previously owned and worked on Toyota trucks and were used to them. Doing a clutch replacement on the Nissan turned me off the brand forever. Under the covers every where you looked the Nissan used thinner metal, fewer fasteners, and generally poorer construction.
Here's a perfect example of the automotive press' double standards.
The A32 Maxima had that beam rear end and was not immediately and savagely pilloried by the autojournos, a move that would've earned an American company universal condemnation.
I am currently driving a VW Tiguan. Every time I get in to drive I tell my wife to wake me when we get there. The only thing it has going for it is no CVT. I refuse to own one.
I know for a fact that I have rented Tiguans, but absolutely cannot recall anything about the driving experience either negative or positive. That kind of says it all.
I have also rented an Atlas and do remember liking the adaptive cruise control in rush hour traffic on the 401. That’s it.
I love adaptive cruise. Wife's XC90 has it and I appreciate it so much when there is any traffic at all, that I made it a must have during my last car search. Wound up with a Ridgeline.
In 2015 the guy in the office next to me wanted a midsize 4-cyl SUV to commute from Mansfield to Columbus and back and asked me what I thought of the new-for-2016 Rogue. I warned him off about the CVT transmission. He bought it anyway, and it gave him 180k miles of trouble-free commuting. In 2020 he traded it in for a new one because he heard they were coming out with a new generation and he wanted another of "the good ones." That 2020 has given him 160k miles (and counting) of trouble-free commuting.
Did Nissan fix the CVT? Or is it just that so much of his commuting is freeway cruising? Beats me. But I doubt the new turbo 3 will provide the same "change the oil and forget it" experience of my coworker's 2nd-gen 2.5 4-cyl Rogues.
One of my employees just dumped his wives 2017 Rogue after early signs of CVT failure...for a Hyundai. It says a lot that Hyundai is now a step up from Nissan considering where they both were just 20 years ago.
Ain't that the truth. In the early 90s the Yamaha dealer I worked at shared a warehouse with the Hyundai dealership that anchored the retail center. There was a literal mountain of dead Excel engines in that room. Now I've got a 2023 Sonata in the driveway because the same year Accord felt so cheap and boring in comparison.
Be careful. Family members have had the 2.4 in a sonata blow up on them and their 2.0T in a different sonata which has had a half dozen recalls. Transmissions on both have been fine, though.
My SIL's 2010 Rogue's original CVT crapped out with right around 180k miles of highway/rural commuting. My brother swapped it out for a Nissan reman unit and the Rogue is still going strong at 260k. Aside from the transmission issue (which would have sent it to the crusher had it not been my brother doing the labor) it's been a remarkably robust and trouble-free vehicle.
A couple of years ago I rented a Nissan Altima for a week. Before I could get onto I-70 from the St. Louis airport is was beeping. I went out of my lane without a turn signal. Over the speed limit. Bong. Then following too close. Many bongs. It had the full ex-wife package. By the end of the week I wanted to drive it into a pre-cast concrete block.
OMG I’ve had the very same experience! Absolutely ridiculous and utter bullshit. I am not a kindergartener and I certainly don’t need my car to treat me as such.
Also, used McLarens can be bought at a sizable discount simply by walking up to a dealer and stroking a check. You don’t have to offer to fellatiate the dealer behind the dumpster and buy three of the crappy models first, at a markup. Or pretend you aren’t just driving an Audi with a coke problem.
I’ve no dog in this fight, but that’s all gotta be worth something. I have heard that even the Ferrari guys snicker at McLaren unreliability, and that’s saying something.
that alone would be a draw for a first time supercar buyer
if the appeal of a lambo or ferrari wasnt already much stronger because what dude with huracan money buys a 570s unless they really know what they like
Contemporary Ferraris are very reliable, which is why they are willing to offer their customers generous warranties and SEVEN years of free maintenance.
not sure how well nissan can do the whole masculine car thing especially when dodge (sorta) exists
part of the appeal of the charger/challenger is that you can take a rental spec heap and with some tools either dump the v6 or take the 5.7 to a whole nother level of attention grabbing with an exhaust and cam kit
about the only way the turbo 6 in the 400z could match that level of antisocial aural behavior is with hood dumps
also i tried posting my miata for sale on fb market place yesterday and im wondering if pricing it higher than what i wanted to get was a good idea or not and would appreciate if anyone could steer me in the right direction on that
its only been on the market for a day and i got one dude saying i was asking far too much for a clean one which is why i posted on the ad that offers would be considered
"We're apes living amongst ruins our human ancestors built."
I just found myself looking for another HP RPN calculator for a proctored test. Apparently they are now high-priced collectables (reprouctions of some models are made by swissmicros.com)
Can’t remember if I still have mine. Not sure if I boxed it when I moved to NC. I also had a bunch of HP’s esoteric manuals for complex calculations. Hopefully I’ll come across it some day.
I was about to suggest the HP 35s, which I bought for $60 back in the day. It's kind of nice, but I don't use it much since I use my 12C about 98% of the time.
Then I looked on amazon and nearly had a heart attack -- $600 for NOS. Golly.
Shuttering the HP Calculator Division was another one of Carly Fiorina's wealth destroying initiatives.
in regard to playing the private sale pricing game on a used car, I always used to price fairly but firmly and have generally done well with it, but I think perhaps the smartest move is to work in some wiggle room to negotiate down from, people love "getting a deal." But pricing to the moon will just price you way out of the range of most potential buyers' budgets. The risk of overpricing is that your listing sits, and then to buyers that is subconsciously off-putting IMO. A fresh listing at a decent price gets people excited.
I sold my 315k mile 06 Suburban (rust free but a few dents and scratches) for my $3500 asking price with what turned into a line 10 people deep. Guess I left some money on the table, oh well. Sold two days after listing to a nice older guy who was super easy to deal with who I felt comfortable meeting in my own driveway.
Don't start negotiating from the price you want to get for the good you are selling. As a seller you always want to start high, just as a buyer always should start low. Make sure to put real effort into your add with lots of photos to make it seem worth the premium.
You can't man up the new Corvette either. There is no way to do a burnout or go sideways. It has been engineered out like all the fun of working at General Motors was when Mary and the BLT's took over.
Very modestly higher isn’t the end of the world, but I wouldn’t over shoot it by too much either.
Like, if you want $8500 for it but list it at 8995 or whatever that’s cool. Listing it for 12499 will have people refuse to message you about it because it’s too much or outside of their pricing filters.
Speaking of, less than $10k is the sweet spot on marketplace I’ve found. Hard cut off for many people, especially for a toy/second car like a Miata. YMMV with area and such.
Make sure your pictures are pretty too. REALLY helps. When I sold my 2006 Miata last year, my first photo was a sunset picture taken with the bay in the background with a DSLR. Following photos were staged in an empty parking lot in mid-day showing as much as I could with FBM’s 20-something picture cap.
Also had two videos, one a walk round and another of me driving it.
Ad was deeply honest. Every flaw I could think of. Listed for 9750 or something to that effect, sold it for 9500 to a guy who flew out from Cleveland to buy it and drive back home.
ill change the price on mine then as i was expecting to sell it for about 11500cad or a bit less so i listed it at 13500 but at the same time its only been up a day
regardless i will try to implement your suggestions
Patience would probably do you some good. My experience selling all sorts of stuff on Craigslist is that I'll often get no inquiries for two weeks. Then I'll get a perfect buyer willing to pay 95% of asking.
Rarely has a term captured the utter, incomprehensible insanity of our modern automotive era of joyless, androgynous, all-things-to-all-people transit modules like "Girlbossbox."
Jack, I nearly shit myself laughing when I read the "girlbossboxes" line.
I thought I read somewhere that Nissan was quitting the gas engine thing, who isn't, and going all electric. I like the 240Z idea. Fuck that would make some real competition at the mustang and at a good price.
My rule of thumb is that if I can't get the gasket, I run to the Honda parts counter for a tube of Hondabond. That stuff has saved me in a pinch several times, and in my experience has proven tougher than permatex.
I've been commuting on the giant ST1100 and it is not particularly quick but it is comfortable, compliant, and quiet which leads to speeding without feeling lime it.
I've been commuting 60+ miles to and from work on my ZX14R. It's incredibly easy to turn into the most antisocial person on the road. Something I need to be mindful of as I've already pissed a Honda Pilot driver off while on my way to work....who I didn't realize was a coworker until he pulled into the parking lot a few minutes after me.
I don’t think the name matters to the youngsters. I like your idea to reposition Nissan, but I would also tie in the anime/manga culture and other Japanese cultural cues in addition to the Ken Watanabe male track. You need to draw in the youngsters (anyone not a Boomer LOL) somehow, and the way to do it would be to make the brand as Japanese as possible. The new Nissan ads should even be heavy on Japan language characters, with English being a minor component. Counterintuitive, but the idea would be to rebrand Nissan as The Japanese Car Brand in the US, as opposed to Toyota which is just the new Chevy. The youngsters will totally get it if the ads and marketing look really Japanese. There’s a lot of use of the English language in Japan to brand stores and such to give a product or service some American cachet. Nissan should reverse that logic in the US and give their product Japanese cachet. Really, what have they got to lose at this point?
Yup, might as well leverage Japanese culture being a thing in the US. What’s Fahrvergnügen in Japanese?
Still a mystery to me how they made a cool car in the new Z, yet they are nowhere to be seen. The production and sales and marketing of the new Z is a total fail.
Just look at this young person ad from Wolfsburg. Surely Datsun could pay homage to it. Or at least translate the Trio song to Japanese as an "homage".
I appreciated the relaunch of Datsun as a low-cost brand in India; the Go actually had cool details like an old-fashioned pull-and-twist parking brake. Indians, however, were offended; they didn't appreciate the frugal cool, wanted "normal". - I would like to see Datsun on our markets with cool, boxy, affordable cars, including sporty ones like that Nissan IDx concept of a decade ago. That would have been a nice Datsun halo car.
Indians think of cars as appliances (they often have an idol of their appliance god on the dashboard), and are also very concerned with "prestige." Hence a near monoculture of Appliance White Teslas in Indian-dominated areas.
Change the name back to Datsun, hire Peter Brock to build BRE Datsuns again (he's still very much alive at 87), and bring back the "We Are Driven" commercials.
Speaking of Nissan and high-performance sports cars, I need someone to talk me out of selling my C6 Z06 and ordering a final model year GT-R. The "Gran Turismo" bad-financial-decisions millennial nostalgia demon on my shoulder is whispering that a base model with the MY2025-only blue interior or a T-Spec in Midnight Purple "will never depreciate."
Nostalgia demon sez: I live in New England so I can't drive the Vette half the year. Despite me putting all-seasons on it (partially negating the driver's car aspect) I've had a few terrifying aquaplaning incidents in the rain. It's clearly best suited to someplace warm and dry. It may in theory be the better driver's car but does a tree falling in a forest make a sound if the car can't be driven?
Nostalgia demon sez: The Porsche's cost of ownership would be way higher; used Porsche prices are elevated and on a downwards trend, maintenance will be a king's ransom whereas I can get an 8-year, 120K mile factory extended warranty on a new GT-R.
Will you really drive a new GT-R in bad weather is the question. If so, go for it. There will always be low mileage Corvettes available for sale. Midnight Purple or Jade Green sounds good to me.
I doubt the GT-R will be much better in bad weather (maybe the weight would keep it from aquaplaning) and the maintenance will be horrifying compared to the Corvette. If the GT-R does hold value well, how could it possibly depreciate less than the ZO6, which bottomed out four years ago.
I own a very not stock C6Z and recently spent some time including running a ProSolo with a 2013 GTR. My take is unless you're doing autocross/track days/time trials, the GTR is probably a better pick.
0) The GTR is a much rarer car if that matters.
1) The only thing worse than mid/late aughts GM interior is early aughts GM interior. The GTR isn't amazing, but it's still a way nicer place inside than any C6
2) For all the claims about it being a video game car - at least the 2013 was surprisingly... mechancial feeling - especially when compared to modern german cars. It fits a unique nichce similar to the C6Z relative to its more modern counterparts. Not sure if the latest versions have kept that or if they've been made more civilized.
3) It feels way faster on the street, and is more fun to drive at less than 10/10ths. I always felt the C6Z felt pretty sluggish and boring until you were really pushing - at which point if you were on the street you were on your way to jail.
HOWEVER - no way would I spend 130k+ on a GTR when the 2013 is out there for half that.
Thanks for the advice and sharing your experiences. I appreciate it!
Re "HOWEVER": Eh, I could go bargain-hunting for a 13yo one just repossessed from owner 7, aspiring influencer and "street takeover" enthusiast "Maxx Cheddar." But as a wise man once said, and I have learned the hard way (kids, just say no to used Audis), "if you can't afford a new one, you can't afford a used one."
C6 Z06s are not appreciating in value. There will never be another 7 litre LS or LT engine available again but that LS7 has serious issues. The heads wear out valve guides and the connecting rods wear with the titanium coating coming off. Its like getting colorectal cancer and Alzheimers all at once.
Allow me to be childish about your prior comments on how the UJM is superior to modern middleweight naked bikes.... bwahhahahahhahaha said the xsr900 as it got to its destination without smelling funny, overheating and faster.
Nissan DOES have macho ads presented by a square jawed and very serious person. (I'll show myself out).
on to the SERIOUS talk of McLaren:
The stick I give YOU is due to what I see as absolutely unjustifiable fandom from your end. And I MEAN fanatic.
If the notion is empirically that something that is HAIRIER to drive, and less predictable, but makes the same or similar laptimes and general performance envelope as something that is docile and approachable automatically makes its a 'driver's car'; well, I'll be charitable - its as irrational a position as a 50+ year old going to harsh menopause. (the 50+ year old is supposed to be more mature than when she was 15). This is as a 'driver', someone who enjoys driving, especially competitively.
As an engineer, this is a statement worthy of having been uttered by someone with a 60 IQ.
The McLarens are good cars, but they don't do ANYTHING better enough for the dogshit build quality and aftersales services and all the other shenanigans to be worth it.
The irony here is if someone really wanted to be masochistic for 30seconds of REAL driving pleasure they can also suck off someone like Radical, who are also British, for a lot less.
The irony here is that the conditions you describe in which the McLaren becomes 'worth it' were only possible because someone greased the proverbial skids a LOT for it to happen for you in a previous life. No owner is going to come close to experiencing the white glove handjob you got (free car, gas, empty racetrack to yourself, etc.), while they will have to live EVERY day with the piece of shit that it is in real life.
I just don't even understand how "smelly overheating aircooled carb bike" stuff applies at all to Jack's *fuel injected* liquid cooled early 00s Honda having an electrical problem. If anything, I'd point to this scenario as where an old carb bike may have hobbled along for a bit farther(?) owing to not having electronic fuel injection and a lower power ignition system.
You're correct, and I was referring to UJM bikes, NOT the blackbird. The smell and the overheating was referring to leaking oil out from the stopgap fix and the resulting effects.
These bikes from 80s-90s are TREMENDOUS value on their own. My point is one need to take the proverbial shit on modern machinery to enjoy them.
I'll answer the other stuff later but the Blackbird has 47000 miles and 24 years on it. One stator is a reasonable amount of maintenance to do here... and while I adore the XSR900, the Super Blackbird is in a different performance universe, especially above 100mph.
I said I WAS KIDDING... voice not coming across on the internet and all that...
But then you had to make that verifiably false last statement. Edit: I'll concede if you say OVER 130MPH, but where are you sustaining those kinds of speeds again while commuting?
To put it in perspective, that's the same trap speed difference than the new XSR has against my XS1100, which Cycle World ran up to 11.78@114 on the hottest tires you could get in 1978!
Comparing the Bird to the PREVIOUS XSR900, they're in different universes in terms of immediately available power. (Edited to note that I haven't ridden the new one that Boom has, which is why I'm mentioning "PREVIOUS")
Where I think we will agree is that CBR-XX, XSR, *and* XS are all substantially faster in street use than something like a 10.89@129 ZX-6R.
I agree. We should not be striving for British engineering. Radicals are even further down the list than McLarens, as based on Jack's own words they never function, ever.
As a guy who had to scrape black rtv off a Ninja 250 clutch cover which would not budge (protip use violence)... use the real gasket so future you doesn't have that experience. I'm weird like that, though.
MotoAmerica is looking like another free gibs season for Jake Gagne - not because his performance is stellar, but rather because Cameron Beaubier broke his heel in race 1 this weekend. Not terribly exciting. The Yamahas are still struggling for top end speed and Road America saw BMWs draft and just walk on by even if they had .2-.3s split going onto the main straight.
King of the Baggers is still the Wyman vs Herfoss slugfest and it's good to see the two factory teams go at it without one clearly outshining the other.
MotoGP at Mugello continues to be spectacular this season with four series contenders for the title. Jorge Martin made another big blunder during the sprint and crashed, giving Bagnaia a 12 point lift with him taking first. Second went to Marc Marquez who looks solid and continues to churn out points and refine his ride on the Ducati. Third went to Acosta who continues to be the fastest KTM on circuit and must be worrying Jack Miller about his seat next year.
The race started with Bagnaia shuffled back with a grid penalty which made no difference. A perfectly executed start and strategy to set up on the outside to inside for turns 1-2 shot him straight to the front where he would stay most of the race. Jorge Martin sided his time in second until fairly late and then made a move past Bagnaia to lead for a few laps. His grip would fade and Bagnaia had massive pace over him in the last few laps. So did Enea Bastianini who would come back from a long ways to pass Marquez' third place and even catch up to and pass Martin in the last corner of the last lap. Acosta finished fifth.
Ducati is in stride once more and KTM/Aprilia are close but not there. The Yamahas looked considerably better at Mugello with Rins going straight to Q2.
Fingers crossed Herrin or Baz can get the Legend Eraldo Ferracci his first Superbike championship since Corser!
MotoGP:
What a ride by the Beast, who was repaid by being thrown out of the factory team in ‘25. And the silly season stuff is really the big news in MotoGP.
MM93 forced the hand of Ducati with his Pramac snub, and they went against their promise to Martin of a factory bike in ‘25. Martin said goodbye (and signed with Aprilla) thus Marquez also removed one strong rival from the best bike.
Ducati could have forced his hand right back: Pramac is all we can give if you want a current year bike. You have 3 choices: Pramac, Gresini (on a ‘24), or beat us on a different bike.
I was chuckling to myself at the prospect of another couple things Ducati could have said to Marquez to call his bluff:
1. Ok, we’ll get you a factory bike at Gresini— we have enough power over Pramac to change their exclusivity clause. Just sign here and it’s all taken care of!
2. You know what, we can get a factory bike for you at VR46– they have been pushing for current bikes and we have some flexibility in that Pramac deal if a multiple champ goes to that team. Here’s Rossi’s number— get back to us once you have it worked out.
Marquez is such a huge name it's hard to deny him even though he's at the tail end (probably) of his career. I'm hoping he doesn't do the lingering fade of Rossi at this point.
It was a hell of a ride by Bastianini and it showed his strengths big time. The total cluster from the race prior was nigh unforgiveable given his general performance of late.
It'll be interesting to see if Martin can lift another manufacture to Ducati level. Vinales is solid but never rose to the level of Marquez when they were dueling, and I guess Aleix must have been a good development rider because I don't recall him being a serious threat for the championship at any point in his career. (I watched 2013-2020 over fall and winter).
Marquez is a generational talent, and arguably the best rider ever (at least top 3-5). I just don’t like going back on your word— you told Martin that red bike was his. Stick with it. Also, would Marquez really have gone to Aprilla or KTM vs a factory Duc at Pramac? Ducati should have the confidence to say: this is what we can do, if it doesn’t meet your expectations, sorry. I’m a Ducati guy through and through— but I will find it rather funny if Martin eats their lunch on that Aprilia. The Ducati was crap during Rossi’s time there, he hadn’t faded yet.
Vinales is easily the most wildly inconsistent rider ever. How he remains in MotoGP is a complete mystery to me. (Herrin just did a fantastic Vinales impression in MotoA— not even in the picture Saturday; torches the field Sunday.
AE has always gotten the most out of sub par packages. Honda did good signing him as a test rider.
Two years ago I would have bet a large sum of money against the possibility of both Marquez and Hamilton wearing red in ‘25.
Not too many years prior to that there is no telling how much I would have bet against it.
That brings up another point: imagine if this Marquez soap opera was playing out at Ferrari during Enzo’s reign! MM would have been standing outside the gates at Maranello with an Italian boot in his ass.
Jack, the reason Nissan isn’t selling is because the cars are known to be not as well-made as either Honda or Toyota. My buddy bought Sentras for over 20 years, then suddenly stopped buying them. So I asked him, “why aren’t you buying Nissans anymore?” He replied, “Because they’re built like crap.” back in the 60s and 70s Dawson was famous for cars that were equal in quality to Toyota. Not anymore. Most people don’t want to spend all their time getting their car repaired. This is reflected in all the negative reviews at carcomplaints.com.
Nissan absolutely should take your advice, they have no marketing for the sports car. My local Nissan dealer runs radio ads nearly constantly, telling me people aren’t beating the door down to buy a Rogue.
Nissan does have some decent product , not saying it’s the best out there, wrap it in a halo of Z cars or something.
My main thought when I see a newish Nissan on the road is not that it’s a bad car just that because of money/credit issues it wasn’t the first or even fourth choice for the person who ends up buying (financing) one.
As for my views on McLaren I can only comment that having been there when one of the first 720s in North America got delivered to the dealer back in 2017 that nothing else around looked like it. It’s Ferrari 488 and Lamborghini Huracan rivals look down right boring by comparison. In a valet heavy city like LA imagine the doors alone were a huge selling point as well.
I suggested someone to buy a Versa Note as their first (and still only) car. Still puttering along 8 years later - they don't do tons of miles nor do they much outside of city driving.
Perfect for their needs. Honda Fit was the other option but he had no credit history.
I needed a new to me car to replace a gifted to me 5.3 Trailblazer back in 2022 as I knew I could pay for the car with the savings on fuel. Had the choice of a 2014 Note with 88k and a 2012 Fit with 131k. The Versa isn't bad with a 5 speed but I would have never bought a CVT.
The Nissan perception of being for credit criminals and people with no other choice is more damaging than any empirical aspect of their product. Thus the suggested rebrand.
The President of Datsun USA does a commercial, shows the car, shows a roll of duct tape and says "You won't need duct tape 5 years into ownership to hold the bumper on". Throws the roll away.
Doesn't mention anything about the headlights yellowing and frosting over worse than any other manufacturer in existence.
Kinda reminded me of that time a pretty cool young man said to an even younger and cool JB; JMC's are for people who know how to race. Now I know where you got the idea for this story, and I like it.
**GENERAL BULLETIN** (from John Twist)
Bob Connell ran his MG repair shop in Indianapolis for 30 years. (Before that, I serviced Bob's MGs.) Bob's an octogenarian and has closed his operation. He has an absolutely HUGE supply of new and used parts. Bob and his long-time assistant, Adrian VanOsch, will be on site to oversee parts sales this Friday and Saturday, 7->8 June. Bob's shop is located at 6667 East 38th Street, Indianapolis. If you have questions, contact Adrian at 317 459 7572 or on email: avanosh72@gmail.com
Saw this. I am currently disassembling an MGB, and could use some parts, but I’m too far from Indy.
There are pieces of my old Quest scattered along the Texas highways, stuff just falls off.
I assumed they shipped from the factory with three bald tires and the donut spare already on them.
"Zip Ties". Fancy...... Duct Tape. Lots of it.
I’ll be over here counteracting that macho advertising scheme by continuing to implore the public to avoid Nissan like the plague. I owned a Rogue for a very short run and had to get rid of it quickly because I was seriously at risk of falling asleep while driving because it was the most BORING CAR I EVER OWNED. What the hell was I thinking?? Well, I wanted a Murano, the nicer option, but my ever practical spouse who would daily drive a 1986 Hyundai if he had the option (because he is not a car snob like me…) didn’t want the extra expense. So the snooze fest Rogue it was.
Jeezus, I totally remember the salesman hard selling the CVT transmission like it was a good thing. Regardless, now that I am a smarter car snob we still joke every time we see a Rogue with saying: Do you think they are bored?
CVTs are so good on paper but like big-L Libertarianism, just faceplant in the real world.
The only thing worse than a CVT is a CVT with simulated gearshifts. And Libertarianism, of course.
The first time I experienced a CVT was in a Nissan. It was a red, auto, maxima coupe rental and at WOT it sounded exactly like a shopvac in the next room. I hated it and will never own one. Maybe a Prius if I ever succumb to that. But that would be it.
To my eternal chagrin, both my parents had CVT-equipped cars and so I learned to drive on them. Mom had a pretty-well-loaded 2005 Nissan Murano SL; Dad had—wait for it—a 2007 Dodge Caliber SXT. Refrigerator white, too. But at least it had keyless access, cruise control and alloy wheels.
Not the White Dodge Caliber!! 😂🤛🏻
Oh, and it was an ex-rental car, too. We bought it in 2008 from the local CJDR dealer.
Really, my dad had been looking for a Matrix XRS with a 5-speed, and settled for the Caliber. The Matrix—especially in that spec—would have been a vastly superior mode of conveyance.
When my Passat TDI got rear ended before I sold it back to Volkswagen the nice people at Enterprise gave me a Jeep Patriot which was the Jeep version of your dad's Caliber and it was the absolute most miserable car I had driven in at least 20 years. If their insurance would have allowed it I would have driven my son's Volvo 850 Wagon and let him drive that crappy Jeep to high school for the three months my Passat was in the body shop.
I learned to drive in my mom's 2006 Ford Freestyle. Two-tone blue over gray. A CVT, 203 hp, and probably over 5000 lbs with my whole family in it. Rental Caliber sounds practically sporty in comparison!
We rented a Nissan Altima with the CVT to drive to Vegas and back to western WA. My wife hated it so much that she fell asleep driving it and ran off the road, taking out a couple of reflector posts but staying on solid earth and not running clear over into the creek. Not a mark on the car though....
“But what if the drivetrain consents?”
my privately owned H-bomb would sort it out
Like an EV with simulated V8 sounds.
If it's got an electric powertrain, sell it on that and be proud of that fact.
right? I don't understand the piped in sounds.
Rented a Malibu with a cvt. Didn't hate it. Cars inputs and feel were better than any fleet bmw I've rented.
Unless it is a cvt attached to a Dodge Viper @jackbaruth
It wasn't always so. From my mom's 1978 280z to my 1990 Hardbody truck I drove for a decade to my VQ powered 2004 Quest minivan, I grew up and then grew old driving and enjoying Nissans very much. They were all flawed in some way, but they made up for it by being fun to drive. Everything they've made since then with rare exception is just an appliance. Its a shame.
It totally felt like I was driving an appliance. Maybe like an iron. 😂
And you are absolutely right. Early models were so much better even while being POSs. Had a good friend who had a 80’s something Nissan 4x4 extended cab truck. I rode countless times in the little jump seat crammed behind the passenger seat. We went 4x4ing out in the desert outside of Vegas and around Lake Mead. THAT was not boring.
That’s basically the one! But his was silver. And had chronically squeaky brakes and countless other issues but it was FUN!
That is a Toyota.
This is Nissan: https://cdn-fastly.thetruthaboutcars.com/media/2022/06/30/8783190/rare-rides-a-preserved-1983-nissan-datsun-720-king-cab.jpg?size=720x845&nocrop=1
Aren’t we all. I thought that link was a Nissan as well. And we owned a Toyota truck nearly identical to the one in the link 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
Looks better than anything new on sale today.
The old Hardbodies were a blast! I could effortlessly hang the tail out in slow corners before we knew what "drifting" was.
Back when drifting was called fishtailing 😏
Powersliding!!!
The term "four wheel drift" dates to at least the '70s.
50s. See pictures of Fangio four wheel drifting his Maserati 250f.
"They were all flawed in some way, but they made up for it by being fun to drive."
This reminds me of Mazda as well, with various exceptions, altho Mazda has managed to hang on longer to being better than average. Is my perception accurate -- the long-time similarity between Nissan and Mazda, that is?
I've never owned or driven a Mazda so I couldn't say. I always thought their products were just different enough to make them interesting though. I suppose their RX-7 and its descendants have similar historical cachet as the old Z cars. Zoom zoom.
Both my 2001 Mazda Protege and 2009 Mazda5 were a (relative) blast to drive. Really liked them both. Drove them into the ground, they deserved better.
I had a Yaris iA (Second-gen Mazda 2 with Toyota badges) 6MT to balance out a half-ton truck, and that was a wonderful, cheap, fun car. Great seats and visibility, engine was smooth at upper RPMs, floor hinged gas pedal, and all inputs were well matched. I sold it for above MSRP during the peak used car bubble. That was a great, inexpensive, efficient, fun little car.
Mazda still seems to be dominated by actual auto engineers and not bean counters or consumer product marketers.
The engineers at Mazda have too much control of the final product. To the extent that they dictate what the customer must like. You must accept and appreciate seasickness after a drive on a winding road. Soft springing and no roll bar are the right way to corner a car/SUV, or so I am told by Mazda. Touchscreens are dangerous and will not be provided. Mazda knows best? I can appreciate the A, B & C Miata but there's not enough Dramamine in the world that would get me into a D or any other Mazda..... again. The marketing angle seems to be ...... We know best we make the Miata. Shut up and buy our cars. My personal experience is that all levels of the customer facing part of the Mazda experience sucks. From Sales to Service to Parts the Dealers are hamstrung partly due to Mazda's lack of support and partly because they reflect the Manufacturers attitude re the product. No Zoom-Zoom for you.
Mazda gets all the love from me if for no other reason that it builds an affordable two-door, three-pedal sports car with a drop-top. And that's on top of an actual sedan. In this day and age, that makes Mazda a jewel to be cherished and celebrated.
In 1993, the entire Nissan lineup was interesting. Not just the Sentra SE-R, Maxima, and 300ZX...even the base Sentra E and the Hardbody trucks were fun to drive. And everything but the van was available with a manual transmission.
There was a 1985 Maxima in the neighborhood I lived that I walked by every day going to the bus for high school. I loved that car. It was like the full package deal. Having no real concept of car prices at the time (I was bussing it remember…) I was like, I want one of these! Went to the dealer after closing hours to peek at prices. Needless to say I quickly realized that would not be my first car 😂
Instead I got a brand new absolute piece of shit first generation 1986 Hyundai Excel. Stick shift, four speed, with A/C. That car had absolutely no business having A/C. It could barely get going without the A/C on. The only good thing that came from owning that trash heap was I learned to drive a stick. I am forever not a Hyundai fan. Would never own another one. I even deny them as rental cars.
I sold those Excels. Not sure I could even convince myself to buy a Genesis.
I wouldn’t. And no one, even Jack or Mark, can convince me to reconsider 😂
Kyree's experience with the G90 has really put me off the idea of ever owning one, unfortunately.
With a hood flatter than Black Rock Desert!
Try driving your Mom's Chevette with A/C. I always turned it off at the bottom of every increase in grade. At least it was a 4 speed.
I turned the A/C on and off so frequently in my four-speed 1990 Fox, the printing was wiped from the button by Year 3.
Much like every AC switch in a 240D!
Even my ratty '00 Maxima beater with a swiss cheese core support and rotten flex pipe felt kind of special/fun to drive, ditto the $500 I30t that I revived (with a "404 core support not found" condition). At the same time, those cars, both with their rust issues, their beam rear axles, and messy/packed engine bays felt nowhere as well engineered as a Camry of the same era. Having said that, given the opportunity, I wouldn't turn down a non-rusted 5spd Maxima of that era.
In the mid 90s my first wife and I owned an early 1st gen Pathfinder (5 speed v6 hell yeah) and a 2nd gen 4Runner back to back. Working on them both, the difference in build quality boggled the mind. Case in point - the door speakers in the hardbody are simply screwed into the door with cheap metal backing clips that will disappear the first time you pull it out. The 4Runner speaker was in a well built plastic enclosure with the captive nuts molded into the plastic. The Pathfinder was still more fun to drive.
I came away with the same conclusion after working on the mid-90s Nissan Hardbody my brother briefly owned. We'd both previously owned and worked on Toyota trucks and were used to them. Doing a clutch replacement on the Nissan turned me off the brand forever. Under the covers every where you looked the Nissan used thinner metal, fewer fasteners, and generally poorer construction.
The Kawasaki of Japanese trucks.
SIR!
Nissan is the SUZUKI of Japanese trucks.
The 1989-1994 Nissan Maxima was one of my favorite sedans from that era.
The 4DSC!
Even now I'd love a nice, clean one - though I doubt any exist.
People drove the wheels off them. One of the finest sedans to ever exist.
Another car Nissan should recreate. But do they even remember how to market and sell cars to people with good credit scores?
Here's a perfect example of the automotive press' double standards.
The A32 Maxima had that beam rear end and was not immediately and savagely pilloried by the autojournos, a move that would've earned an American company universal condemnation.
I chose a Taurus SHO over it. Can't recall why but was not dissatisfied with my choice.
Loved those cars as well! 4DSC for sure - you never see them anymore.
I am currently driving a VW Tiguan. Every time I get in to drive I tell my wife to wake me when we get there. The only thing it has going for it is no CVT. I refuse to own one.
I was a bit harsh. The Tiguan is smooth and comfortable at 80 MPH on the highway while getting 30 MPG. It’s not all bad, just boring.
Absolutely no need to explain. I’ve been exactly where you are. Unfortunately 😂
I know for a fact that I have rented Tiguans, but absolutely cannot recall anything about the driving experience either negative or positive. That kind of says it all.
I have also rented an Atlas and do remember liking the adaptive cruise control in rush hour traffic on the 401. That’s it.
I love adaptive cruise. Wife's XC90 has it and I appreciate it so much when there is any traffic at all, that I made it a must have during my last car search. Wound up with a Ridgeline.
Good thing is that they are slow, so you'll get enough sleep that way.
In 2015 the guy in the office next to me wanted a midsize 4-cyl SUV to commute from Mansfield to Columbus and back and asked me what I thought of the new-for-2016 Rogue. I warned him off about the CVT transmission. He bought it anyway, and it gave him 180k miles of trouble-free commuting. In 2020 he traded it in for a new one because he heard they were coming out with a new generation and he wanted another of "the good ones." That 2020 has given him 160k miles (and counting) of trouble-free commuting.
Did Nissan fix the CVT? Or is it just that so much of his commuting is freeway cruising? Beats me. But I doubt the new turbo 3 will provide the same "change the oil and forget it" experience of my coworker's 2nd-gen 2.5 4-cyl Rogues.
One of my employees just dumped his wives 2017 Rogue after early signs of CVT failure...for a Hyundai. It says a lot that Hyundai is now a step up from Nissan considering where they both were just 20 years ago.
Ain't that the truth. In the early 90s the Yamaha dealer I worked at shared a warehouse with the Hyundai dealership that anchored the retail center. There was a literal mountain of dead Excel engines in that room. Now I've got a 2023 Sonata in the driveway because the same year Accord felt so cheap and boring in comparison.
Well good luck. The mid 2010s+ H/K engines seem to be earning a hell of a reputation for spun bearings from what I've seen.
Be careful. Family members have had the 2.4 in a sonata blow up on them and their 2.0T in a different sonata which has had a half dozen recalls. Transmissions on both have been fine, though.
My SIL's 2010 Rogue's original CVT crapped out with right around 180k miles of highway/rural commuting. My brother swapped it out for a Nissan reman unit and the Rogue is still going strong at 260k. Aside from the transmission issue (which would have sent it to the crusher had it not been my brother doing the labor) it's been a remarkably robust and trouble-free vehicle.
The newer Nissan CVTs are honestly fine if you do the 40K-mile fluid changes.
Ah, the Mansfield-to-Columbus commute!
I'm not enjoying it.
A couple of years ago I rented a Nissan Altima for a week. Before I could get onto I-70 from the St. Louis airport is was beeping. I went out of my lane without a turn signal. Over the speed limit. Bong. Then following too close. Many bongs. It had the full ex-wife package. By the end of the week I wanted to drive it into a pre-cast concrete block.
OMG I’ve had the very same experience! Absolutely ridiculous and utter bullshit. I am not a kindergartener and I certainly don’t need my car to treat me as such.
“Ex-wife package.” 😂🤣😂🎯
The older I get the less I like shit beeping at me.
Or telling me what to do.
So, if I understand, you speed, change lanes without signalling, and follow too closely. And you blame the car?
Also, used McLarens can be bought at a sizable discount simply by walking up to a dealer and stroking a check. You don’t have to offer to fellatiate the dealer behind the dumpster and buy three of the crappy models first, at a markup. Or pretend you aren’t just driving an Audi with a coke problem.
I’ve no dog in this fight, but that’s all gotta be worth something. I have heard that even the Ferrari guys snicker at McLaren unreliability, and that’s saying something.
that alone would be a draw for a first time supercar buyer
if the appeal of a lambo or ferrari wasnt already much stronger because what dude with huracan money buys a 570s unless they really know what they like
"you aren’t just driving an Audi with a coke problem" may well be the best description of a Lamborghini yet written.
Contemporary Ferraris are very reliable, which is why they are willing to offer their customers generous warranties and SEVEN years of free maintenance.
not sure how well nissan can do the whole masculine car thing especially when dodge (sorta) exists
part of the appeal of the charger/challenger is that you can take a rental spec heap and with some tools either dump the v6 or take the 5.7 to a whole nother level of attention grabbing with an exhaust and cam kit
about the only way the turbo 6 in the 400z could match that level of antisocial aural behavior is with hood dumps
also i tried posting my miata for sale on fb market place yesterday and im wondering if pricing it higher than what i wanted to get was a good idea or not and would appreciate if anyone could steer me in the right direction on that
will check that out thanks
thats the same thought i had
its only been on the market for a day and i got one dude saying i was asking far too much for a clean one which is why i posted on the ad that offers would be considered
i can afford to wait a month or so to sell it
if i can get even close to what im asking i can make a few grand easy
Also look at Miata.net
Specifically: https://forum.miata.net/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=123
completely forgot about that
by the looks of the first few pages im not all that far off in my pricing
appreciate it
Nissan used to do so well. S-, Z- and of course BNR-chassis cars that guys WANTED to buy, LUSTED after.
It's been like watching a tyrannosaurus turn into an iguana.
its absurd just how much of their back catalogue id love to have in my driveway
same with toyota but less so
A 30-year-old car should NOT be some kind of aspirational vehicle. We're apes living amongst ruins our human ancestors built.
yeah but the gtr is awesome but not 250k awesome
i get your point however
its not so much that we cant make the cars anymore (but its kind of that) its that we cant buy them like we used to
No, not $250,000 awesome.
You know how many people would love to buy a BRAND-NEW 1996 Civic coupe? Or an '88 Trans Am GTA? Or a GMT400 K2500?
I’d be at the Honda dealer today writing a check for a new ‘96
2 door civic Si in Aztec green with a NA motor and 5 speed transmission of Manuel.
Or an original Neon, Mustang LX5.0, Escort GT, 16v GTI…. Aaaarrrrggghhhh…just frustrating myself…
Yes! I would LOVE a new GMT 400, but I'd also probably try to do something stupid, like shove a Duramax in it.
Give me a 89 Pontiac Indy pace car.
I'll take 1 of each Z car from every generation and a clean 240sx please.
"We're apes living amongst ruins our human ancestors built."
I just found myself looking for another HP RPN calculator for a proctored test. Apparently they are now high-priced collectables (reprouctions of some models are made by swissmicros.com)
Sweet baby Jesus!
Can’t remember if I still have mine. Not sure if I boxed it when I moved to NC. I also had a bunch of HP’s esoteric manuals for complex calculations. Hopefully I’ll come across it some day.
I was about to suggest the HP 35s, which I bought for $60 back in the day. It's kind of nice, but I don't use it much since I use my 12C about 98% of the time.
Then I looked on amazon and nearly had a heart attack -- $600 for NOS. Golly.
Shuttering the HP Calculator Division was another one of Carly Fiorina's wealth destroying initiatives.
Still use both of my 15Cs! One at work and one at home.
Dm me the miata link
in regard to playing the private sale pricing game on a used car, I always used to price fairly but firmly and have generally done well with it, but I think perhaps the smartest move is to work in some wiggle room to negotiate down from, people love "getting a deal." But pricing to the moon will just price you way out of the range of most potential buyers' budgets. The risk of overpricing is that your listing sits, and then to buyers that is subconsciously off-putting IMO. A fresh listing at a decent price gets people excited.
I sold my 315k mile 06 Suburban (rust free but a few dents and scratches) for my $3500 asking price with what turned into a line 10 people deep. Guess I left some money on the table, oh well. Sold two days after listing to a nice older guy who was super easy to deal with who I felt comfortable meeting in my own driveway.
understood, will adjust accordingly
thanks bro
Don't start negotiating from the price you want to get for the good you are selling. As a seller you always want to start high, just as a buyer always should start low. Make sure to put real effort into your add with lots of photos to make it seem worth the premium.
ill take more pics then
thanks
You can't man up the new Corvette either. There is no way to do a burnout or go sideways. It has been engineered out like all the fun of working at General Motors was when Mary and the BLT's took over.
few things more american than doing burnouts in a corvette
i still dont really know why they they decided to focus on things like laptimes when the majority of customers wont ever visit a track
just make the thing loud and fast and easy to live with and youre golden
Very modestly higher isn’t the end of the world, but I wouldn’t over shoot it by too much either.
Like, if you want $8500 for it but list it at 8995 or whatever that’s cool. Listing it for 12499 will have people refuse to message you about it because it’s too much or outside of their pricing filters.
Speaking of, less than $10k is the sweet spot on marketplace I’ve found. Hard cut off for many people, especially for a toy/second car like a Miata. YMMV with area and such.
Make sure your pictures are pretty too. REALLY helps. When I sold my 2006 Miata last year, my first photo was a sunset picture taken with the bay in the background with a DSLR. Following photos were staged in an empty parking lot in mid-day showing as much as I could with FBM’s 20-something picture cap.
Also had two videos, one a walk round and another of me driving it.
Ad was deeply honest. Every flaw I could think of. Listed for 9750 or something to that effect, sold it for 9500 to a guy who flew out from Cleveland to buy it and drive back home.
ill change the price on mine then as i was expecting to sell it for about 11500cad or a bit less so i listed it at 13500 but at the same time its only been up a day
regardless i will try to implement your suggestions
thanks man
Patience would probably do you some good. My experience selling all sorts of stuff on Craigslist is that I'll often get no inquiries for two weeks. Then I'll get a perfect buyer willing to pay 95% of asking.
Rarely has a term captured the utter, incomprehensible insanity of our modern automotive era of joyless, androgynous, all-things-to-all-people transit modules like "Girlbossbox."
I chuckled.
thats why i wont drive nothing but a truck, its all thats worth buying these days
Jack, I nearly shit myself laughing when I read the "girlbossboxes" line.
I thought I read somewhere that Nissan was quitting the gas engine thing, who isn't, and going all electric. I like the 240Z idea. Fuck that would make some real competition at the mustang and at a good price.
Hold on...don't you have other bikes to ride while you wait AN ENTIRE WEEK for the gasket?
Must be SUPER indeed!
Permatex THEN proper gasket.
This is the way.
My rule of thumb is that if I can't get the gasket, I run to the Honda parts counter for a tube of Hondabond. That stuff has saved me in a pinch several times, and in my experience has proven tougher than permatex.
I've been riding the ZX14R to lunch, which is dangerous because 110 on a 2 lane road feels like 70 on the Bird and 40 on the Midnight Special.
I've been commuting on the giant ST1100 and it is not particularly quick but it is comfortable, compliant, and quiet which leads to speeding without feeling lime it.
I've been commuting 60+ miles to and from work on my ZX14R. It's incredibly easy to turn into the most antisocial person on the road. Something I need to be mindful of as I've already pissed a Honda Pilot driver off while on my way to work....who I didn't realize was a coworker until he pulled into the parking lot a few minutes after me.
GET FUCKED CAGE CUCK
OH HI MARK
Sounds like I need to find a used dickhead bike er ZX14R
Assuming you survive ownership, you won't REGRET ownership.
I had the same thought. Jack, don't you have a whole barn full of vehicles you could use for all of one week while waiting for proper parts?
Nevermind any drips of oil,If the red permatex doesn't work well you have to find time to do the repair again.
That's very true. I just happened to have two free evenings to work on it THIS week.
Change the name back to Datsun. Anyone 65 or older (like me) will remember Datsun as a BMW and Corvette competitor. Just market to senior citizens.
They're probably already doing that though.
Datsun was a great brand and sounded more prestigious than Nissan IMO.
I don’t think the name matters to the youngsters. I like your idea to reposition Nissan, but I would also tie in the anime/manga culture and other Japanese cultural cues in addition to the Ken Watanabe male track. You need to draw in the youngsters (anyone not a Boomer LOL) somehow, and the way to do it would be to make the brand as Japanese as possible. The new Nissan ads should even be heavy on Japan language characters, with English being a minor component. Counterintuitive, but the idea would be to rebrand Nissan as The Japanese Car Brand in the US, as opposed to Toyota which is just the new Chevy. The youngsters will totally get it if the ads and marketing look really Japanese. There’s a lot of use of the English language in Japan to brand stores and such to give a product or service some American cachet. Nissan should reverse that logic in the US and give their product Japanese cachet. Really, what have they got to lose at this point?
Yup, might as well leverage Japanese culture being a thing in the US. What’s Fahrvergnügen in Japanese?
Still a mystery to me how they made a cool car in the new Z, yet they are nowhere to be seen. The production and sales and marketing of the new Z is a total fail.
Just look at this young person ad from Wolfsburg. Surely Datsun could pay homage to it. Or at least translate the Trio song to Japanese as an "homage".
https://youtu.be/KmQvOT1Sxkg?si=dJ7wuERg0IHtLPpV
Datsun 280 z 1978 way outstanding looking mean
They need to reincarnate Yutaka Katayama.
Major Motion from Nissan!
although I'm more likely to buy a Datsun than a Nissan, I'm also more likely to buy a Fuji Heavy Industries than a Subaru.
Toyo Kogyo sounds like a character in Akira. I'd totally buy a Toyo Kogyo Miata
I'd be interested in a Eunuch Roadster or whatever they called it!
youd think with a name like fuji heavy industries they would sell trucks
imagine a japanese f450
the irony is they'd made kei trucks!
fuji featherweight industries
I appreciated the relaunch of Datsun as a low-cost brand in India; the Go actually had cool details like an old-fashioned pull-and-twist parking brake. Indians, however, were offended; they didn't appreciate the frugal cool, wanted "normal". - I would like to see Datsun on our markets with cool, boxy, affordable cars, including sporty ones like that Nissan IDx concept of a decade ago. That would have been a nice Datsun halo car.
That IDx was cool, but you, I and 10 other people would have bought it unfortunately
Not so sure. Priced right it might have done very well. A budget M2, a modern Sentra SE-R.
It would have done better than BRZ volume, being as interesting as the BRZ without that horrifying engine.
Indians think of cars as appliances (they often have an idol of their appliance god on the dashboard), and are also very concerned with "prestige." Hence a near monoculture of Appliance White Teslas in Indian-dominated areas.
Do not offer my god a peanut!
Change the name back to Datsun, hire Peter Brock to build BRE Datsuns again (he's still very much alive at 87), and bring back the "We Are Driven" commercials.
And the “Dogs love trucks!” commercials.
Maybe they can hire Joe Isuzu. I hear he may have some time on his hands.
Ha.
Maybe.
I'd like one BRE Datsun 510 please.
Speaking of Nissan and high-performance sports cars, I need someone to talk me out of selling my C6 Z06 and ordering a final model year GT-R. The "Gran Turismo" bad-financial-decisions millennial nostalgia demon on my shoulder is whispering that a base model with the MY2025-only blue interior or a T-Spec in Midnight Purple "will never depreciate."
A real driver’s car traded away on what is, basically, the opposite of that? That’s a no for me dog.
Nostalgia demon sez: I live in New England so I can't drive the Vette half the year. Despite me putting all-seasons on it (partially negating the driver's car aspect) I've had a few terrifying aquaplaning incidents in the rain. It's clearly best suited to someplace warm and dry. It may in theory be the better driver's car but does a tree falling in a forest make a sound if the car can't be driven?
Fair, but OTOH your “the GTR won’t depreciate” goes out the window if you drive the pants off of it in all weather.
If you want an all season supercar, spend ~half of GTR money on a 996TT or 997TT.
Nostalgia demon sez: The Porsche's cost of ownership would be way higher; used Porsche prices are elevated and on a downwards trend, maintenance will be a king's ransom whereas I can get an 8-year, 120K mile factory extended warranty on a new GT-R.
Will you really drive a new GT-R in bad weather is the question. If so, go for it. There will always be low mileage Corvettes available for sale. Midnight Purple or Jade Green sounds good to me.
Also, the final GT-R is a lot closer to being a "Driver's car" than a 2008 intro model.
midnight purple is likely to be a far more desirable colour on the secondhand market if r34 prices are anything to go by
Not on purpose but the weather here can change on a dime.
I doubt the GT-R will be much better in bad weather (maybe the weight would keep it from aquaplaning) and the maintenance will be horrifying compared to the Corvette. If the GT-R does hold value well, how could it possibly depreciate less than the ZO6, which bottomed out four years ago.
I say DO IT.
It's what you want. And you'll be able to put a lot of mileage on it with relatively little cost.
You own Peak Corvette. PLEASE COME DOWN, WE LOVE YOU
In for deets on the z06.
I own a very not stock C6Z and recently spent some time including running a ProSolo with a 2013 GTR. My take is unless you're doing autocross/track days/time trials, the GTR is probably a better pick.
0) The GTR is a much rarer car if that matters.
1) The only thing worse than mid/late aughts GM interior is early aughts GM interior. The GTR isn't amazing, but it's still a way nicer place inside than any C6
2) For all the claims about it being a video game car - at least the 2013 was surprisingly... mechancial feeling - especially when compared to modern german cars. It fits a unique nichce similar to the C6Z relative to its more modern counterparts. Not sure if the latest versions have kept that or if they've been made more civilized.
3) It feels way faster on the street, and is more fun to drive at less than 10/10ths. I always felt the C6Z felt pretty sluggish and boring until you were really pushing - at which point if you were on the street you were on your way to jail.
HOWEVER - no way would I spend 130k+ on a GTR when the 2013 is out there for half that.
Thanks for the advice and sharing your experiences. I appreciate it!
Re "HOWEVER": Eh, I could go bargain-hunting for a 13yo one just repossessed from owner 7, aspiring influencer and "street takeover" enthusiast "Maxx Cheddar." But as a wise man once said, and I have learned the hard way (kids, just say no to used Audis), "if you can't afford a new one, you can't afford a used one."
C6 Z06s are not appreciating in value. There will never be another 7 litre LS or LT engine available again but that LS7 has serious issues. The heads wear out valve guides and the connecting rods wear with the titanium coating coming off. Its like getting colorectal cancer and Alzheimers all at once.
Allow me to be childish about your prior comments on how the UJM is superior to modern middleweight naked bikes.... bwahhahahahhahaha said the xsr900 as it got to its destination without smelling funny, overheating and faster.
Nissan DOES have macho ads presented by a square jawed and very serious person. (I'll show myself out).
on to the SERIOUS talk of McLaren:
The stick I give YOU is due to what I see as absolutely unjustifiable fandom from your end. And I MEAN fanatic.
If the notion is empirically that something that is HAIRIER to drive, and less predictable, but makes the same or similar laptimes and general performance envelope as something that is docile and approachable automatically makes its a 'driver's car'; well, I'll be charitable - its as irrational a position as a 50+ year old going to harsh menopause. (the 50+ year old is supposed to be more mature than when she was 15). This is as a 'driver', someone who enjoys driving, especially competitively.
As an engineer, this is a statement worthy of having been uttered by someone with a 60 IQ.
The McLarens are good cars, but they don't do ANYTHING better enough for the dogshit build quality and aftersales services and all the other shenanigans to be worth it.
The irony here is if someone really wanted to be masochistic for 30seconds of REAL driving pleasure they can also suck off someone like Radical, who are also British, for a lot less.
The irony here is that the conditions you describe in which the McLaren becomes 'worth it' were only possible because someone greased the proverbial skids a LOT for it to happen for you in a previous life. No owner is going to come close to experiencing the white glove handjob you got (free car, gas, empty racetrack to yourself, etc.), while they will have to live EVERY day with the piece of shit that it is in real life.
"as it got to its destination without smelling funny, overheating and faster."
Ah, I see someone's nuts still haven't dropped.
I was 98% joking, but if that comment makes you feel better about yourself, Good Day Sir! Hurl all the insults you can.
I just don't even understand how "smelly overheating aircooled carb bike" stuff applies at all to Jack's *fuel injected* liquid cooled early 00s Honda having an electrical problem. If anything, I'd point to this scenario as where an old carb bike may have hobbled along for a bit farther(?) owing to not having electronic fuel injection and a lower power ignition system.
You're correct, and I was referring to UJM bikes, NOT the blackbird. The smell and the overheating was referring to leaking oil out from the stopgap fix and the resulting effects.
These bikes from 80s-90s are TREMENDOUS value on their own. My point is one need to take the proverbial shit on modern machinery to enjoy them.
Exactly. I'm taking a shit on modern machinery because I'm a hater and controversialist, not because I need to enjoy the old bikes more :)
That take was more towards gt than you fyi.. since there is more misunderstanding than understanding around here...
I'll answer the other stuff later but the Blackbird has 47000 miles and 24 years on it. One stator is a reasonable amount of maintenance to do here... and while I adore the XSR900, the Super Blackbird is in a different performance universe, especially above 100mph.
I said I WAS KIDDING... voice not coming across on the internet and all that...
But then you had to make that verifiably false last statement. Edit: I'll concede if you say OVER 130MPH, but where are you sustaining those kinds of speeds again while commuting?
I love a bit of magazine racing, so using CW:
New gen XSR900 10.97@126
CBR1100XX 10.35@137
To put it in perspective, that's the same trap speed difference than the new XSR has against my XS1100, which Cycle World ran up to 11.78@114 on the hottest tires you could get in 1978!
Comparing the Bird to the PREVIOUS XSR900, they're in different universes in terms of immediately available power. (Edited to note that I haven't ridden the new one that Boom has, which is why I'm mentioning "PREVIOUS")
Where I think we will agree is that CBR-XX, XSR, *and* XS are all substantially faster in street use than something like a 10.89@129 ZX-6R.
I can't comment on the accuracy of what was said here, but I fully approve of the ranting nature of it.
It's great, right? A total antidote to our daily corporate conversations.
I agree. We should not be striving for British engineering. Radicals are even further down the list than McLarens, as based on Jack's own words they never function, ever.
As a guy who had to scrape black rtv off a Ninja 250 clutch cover which would not budge (protip use violence)... use the real gasket so future you doesn't have that experience. I'm weird like that, though.
MotoAmerica is looking like another free gibs season for Jake Gagne - not because his performance is stellar, but rather because Cameron Beaubier broke his heel in race 1 this weekend. Not terribly exciting. The Yamahas are still struggling for top end speed and Road America saw BMWs draft and just walk on by even if they had .2-.3s split going onto the main straight.
King of the Baggers is still the Wyman vs Herfoss slugfest and it's good to see the two factory teams go at it without one clearly outshining the other.
MotoGP at Mugello continues to be spectacular this season with four series contenders for the title. Jorge Martin made another big blunder during the sprint and crashed, giving Bagnaia a 12 point lift with him taking first. Second went to Marc Marquez who looks solid and continues to churn out points and refine his ride on the Ducati. Third went to Acosta who continues to be the fastest KTM on circuit and must be worrying Jack Miller about his seat next year.
The race started with Bagnaia shuffled back with a grid penalty which made no difference. A perfectly executed start and strategy to set up on the outside to inside for turns 1-2 shot him straight to the front where he would stay most of the race. Jorge Martin sided his time in second until fairly late and then made a move past Bagnaia to lead for a few laps. His grip would fade and Bagnaia had massive pace over him in the last few laps. So did Enea Bastianini who would come back from a long ways to pass Marquez' third place and even catch up to and pass Martin in the last corner of the last lap. Acosta finished fifth.
Ducati is in stride once more and KTM/Aprilia are close but not there. The Yamahas looked considerably better at Mugello with Rins going straight to Q2.
Honda remains in trouble.
MotoA:
Baggers, ugh!
Fingers crossed Herrin or Baz can get the Legend Eraldo Ferracci his first Superbike championship since Corser!
MotoGP:
What a ride by the Beast, who was repaid by being thrown out of the factory team in ‘25. And the silly season stuff is really the big news in MotoGP.
MM93 forced the hand of Ducati with his Pramac snub, and they went against their promise to Martin of a factory bike in ‘25. Martin said goodbye (and signed with Aprilla) thus Marquez also removed one strong rival from the best bike.
Ducati could have forced his hand right back: Pramac is all we can give if you want a current year bike. You have 3 choices: Pramac, Gresini (on a ‘24), or beat us on a different bike.
I was chuckling to myself at the prospect of another couple things Ducati could have said to Marquez to call his bluff:
1. Ok, we’ll get you a factory bike at Gresini— we have enough power over Pramac to change their exclusivity clause. Just sign here and it’s all taken care of!
2. You know what, we can get a factory bike for you at VR46– they have been pushing for current bikes and we have some flexibility in that Pramac deal if a multiple champ goes to that team. Here’s Rossi’s number— get back to us once you have it worked out.
Domenicalli needs to grow a set.
Marquez is such a huge name it's hard to deny him even though he's at the tail end (probably) of his career. I'm hoping he doesn't do the lingering fade of Rossi at this point.
It was a hell of a ride by Bastianini and it showed his strengths big time. The total cluster from the race prior was nigh unforgiveable given his general performance of late.
It'll be interesting to see if Martin can lift another manufacture to Ducati level. Vinales is solid but never rose to the level of Marquez when they were dueling, and I guess Aleix must have been a good development rider because I don't recall him being a serious threat for the championship at any point in his career. (I watched 2013-2020 over fall and winter).
Marquez is a generational talent, and arguably the best rider ever (at least top 3-5). I just don’t like going back on your word— you told Martin that red bike was his. Stick with it. Also, would Marquez really have gone to Aprilla or KTM vs a factory Duc at Pramac? Ducati should have the confidence to say: this is what we can do, if it doesn’t meet your expectations, sorry. I’m a Ducati guy through and through— but I will find it rather funny if Martin eats their lunch on that Aprilia. The Ducati was crap during Rossi’s time there, he hadn’t faded yet.
Vinales is easily the most wildly inconsistent rider ever. How he remains in MotoGP is a complete mystery to me. (Herrin just did a fantastic Vinales impression in MotoA— not even in the picture Saturday; torches the field Sunday.
AE has always gotten the most out of sub par packages. Honda did good signing him as a test rider.
Two years ago I would have bet a large sum of money against the possibility of both Marquez and Hamilton wearing red in ‘25.
Not too many years prior to that there is no telling how much I would have bet against it.
That brings up another point: imagine if this Marquez soap opera was playing out at Ferrari during Enzo’s reign! MM would have been standing outside the gates at Maranello with an Italian boot in his ass.
Jack, the reason Nissan isn’t selling is because the cars are known to be not as well-made as either Honda or Toyota. My buddy bought Sentras for over 20 years, then suddenly stopped buying them. So I asked him, “why aren’t you buying Nissans anymore?” He replied, “Because they’re built like crap.” back in the 60s and 70s Dawson was famous for cars that were equal in quality to Toyota. Not anymore. Most people don’t want to spend all their time getting their car repaired. This is reflected in all the negative reviews at carcomplaints.com.
Datsun not Dawson
datsuns creek
Relaunch it as a nostalgia brand with that as the ad campaign
[sound of a CVT entering its death throes]
Ah, let me take a swing.
I don't want to wait
For my parents' Range Rover
I want my generation's Nissan Z
I don't want to wait
For a box full of boredom
I'll change the way the future's gonna be
The Datsun 400Z. It's more crunk than creek.
The most solid piece of metal on the last Nissan Sentra I rented was the license plate bolted to the trunk lid.
Nissan absolutely should take your advice, they have no marketing for the sports car. My local Nissan dealer runs radio ads nearly constantly, telling me people aren’t beating the door down to buy a Rogue.
Nissan does have some decent product , not saying it’s the best out there, wrap it in a halo of Z cars or something.
And shit-can the stupid CVTs!
My main thought when I see a newish Nissan on the road is not that it’s a bad car just that because of money/credit issues it wasn’t the first or even fourth choice for the person who ends up buying (financing) one.
As for my views on McLaren I can only comment that having been there when one of the first 720s in North America got delivered to the dealer back in 2017 that nothing else around looked like it. It’s Ferrari 488 and Lamborghini Huracan rivals look down right boring by comparison. In a valet heavy city like LA imagine the doors alone were a huge selling point as well.
https://youtu.be/_ih1ptOguaM?si=V_ylq78jiQlLfMsj
(NSFW audio)
I suggested someone to buy a Versa Note as their first (and still only) car. Still puttering along 8 years later - they don't do tons of miles nor do they much outside of city driving.
Perfect for their needs. Honda Fit was the other option but he had no credit history.
I needed a new to me car to replace a gifted to me 5.3 Trailblazer back in 2022 as I knew I could pay for the car with the savings on fuel. Had the choice of a 2014 Note with 88k and a 2012 Fit with 131k. The Versa isn't bad with a 5 speed but I would have never bought a CVT.
The Nissan perception of being for credit criminals and people with no other choice is more damaging than any empirical aspect of their product. Thus the suggested rebrand.
datsun - no brokies allowed
“Finally, an Altima with the same color body panels!”
The President of Datsun USA does a commercial, shows the car, shows a roll of duct tape and says "You won't need duct tape 5 years into ownership to hold the bumper on". Throws the roll away.
Doesn't mention anything about the headlights yellowing and frosting over worse than any other manufacturer in existence.
They DO sell the Altima, the Official Car of I Ain't Drivin' No Damn Sentra!
Kinda reminded me of that time a pretty cool young man said to an even younger and cool JB; JMC's are for people who know how to race. Now I know where you got the idea for this story, and I like it.
You've called that story back into existence now... expect me to tell it in the near future!