Nick

As a kid, easily one of these two:

*ahem* Unless they own the ultimate driving machine on two wheels, it is "Bimmer".

America!

Not at all. I thought you meant the baby lived because of global warming. After reading the story though...

wut

As much as I dislike Toyota in general, an old 4-runner or hilux would make a cool offroading rig. There is a major aftermarket for those things, and they are pretty tough.

CALL DA AMBER LAMPS!

Saw this last night...thought it was an interesting find. Plates straight out of Michigan. Only got one crummy picture of it though:

People like to bad mouth Toyota...I'm not a huge fan of Toyota personally, and it is always nice to see a rival get their "just desserts" every now and then, but to seek death for Toyota is ignorant. American or not, Toyota still contributes a great deal to this economy, and I would go so far as to say they are the number one reason GM (and any other company for that matter) has finally started to get a clue and build higher quality vehicles. The fact of the matter is Toyota built cars for a while that were arguably more reliable and higher quality than the competition. Customers took note of this and so their perception developed. It was well earned for the most part, though the latter half of this past decade has definitely shown a significant change in what appeared to be at one time an invulnerable Toyota. Toyota isn't going anywhere. Their image will falter, as it already has, but they will recover. The competition they provide to the market has proven to be invaluable in terms of progress in the automotive industry, and ultimately, it just means better product for the consumer, regardless of which company it comes from. Funny how defensive people get at the thought of GM going down, but Toyota? Burn it to the ground!

...and incorrect offset.

It wasn't originally engineered with those features so they wouldn't implement them without doing a completely new LSx series I would imagine. It doesn't need it. If it did have those features it would be undeniably more powerful and more efficient than it currently is. Considering the current specs of the engine and how its performance is arguably superior to most of its competition, adding those features would widen the gap by an even larger margin. Just because it is more complex does not mean it is better. You are right about perception, and unfortunately, ignorance is bliss among consumers. Throwing more technology at something, and over-engineering is a tactic the Germans are famous for. If only they spent more time perfecting a technology before moving onto something else. That is their downfall. They are horribly unreliable (especially the V8s in regards to BMWs which I have experienced plenty first hand). The upkeep and maintenance costs associated with those German V8s (or anything German for that matter) can be astronomical, and with the addition of new technology, costs are going nowhere but up. Also, your "refined" argument is quite vague. I've driven LS2 equipped vehicles against my M62B44tu, as well as a buddy's S62, and I found the LS2 to be very smooth with a significantly more linear, consistent power delivery. If it was possible on an OBD2 car like mine, without question I would've swapped out for an LS when the vanos killed my engine a couple years ago. But consider this, isn't it interesting that dohc engines require all this technology thrown at them to remain somewhat competitive with a "simple" engine such as the LS series?

Fixed. I love that guy's logic. Honda gets better mileage than Chevy because Chevy gets better mileage than Honda. (but not by a lot, ok?)

I don't know how you have the patience for that. The individuals you are arguing with keep reiterating the same tired lines...some of those comments...there isn't a facepalm big enough.

It would be a shame to see NASA go. The space program has inspired me so much throughout my life, and there is no questions the technology and developments that have surely stemmed from NASA have contributed in unimaginable ways to our world. I feel there is a lot that can be exploited with NASA, but much of it is just stagnant at the moment, and it is a damn shame to see such an epitome of progress go to waste. It is a dream of mine to be involved in such a program, which is why I see Richard Branson as one of my idols. I know he isn't really affiliated with NASA, but perhaps privatization is the future.

Please share with us more delicious wine from your mind grapes.

I hear ya. Whatever can go wrong, has gone wrong with my car. BUT, if you know where to find parts, and know your way around a tool box, then upkeep isn't a huge concern. Parts can be found relatively cheap, and they are easy to work on.

:3

Currently listening to Bad Romance in flac through my RS1s and glow audio amp one tube amp. A bit of a guilty pleasure, no doubt. Though, I don't think I would've admitted that if I wasn't slightly drunk.

Happy birthday!

I prefer Break My Wallet. Granted, the fact that it is a BMW and the problem with the tires are two separate things.

I hear ya. I don't know how many times I have ripped apart the interior of my car to cut down on creaks. My car is pretty solid, and is still holding up extremely well for being 11 years old with 160k. I can't say I have had any issues with rattling, but the creaking from leather/rubber rubbing against plastic/wood/metal has always driven me insane. One day I just ripped off all the door panels and applied pieces of material to act as a layer between the metal and the panels. This cut down on a lot of the creaking. I still get a few creaks here and there, and I have had to do some major dissection to get rid of a few other issues (like one in between the edge of the sunroof and the headliner which was making this sticky tacky clicking noise). I don't tolerate that stuff. No car is perfect though. I remember an old manager of mine back at an old job picked up a new Lexus GS a couple years ago. He switched from an older Infiniti Q. He is one of those guys who is kind of a douche and was proud of his "solid, reliable" Japanese product, and was quick to shoot down anything else. A couple days after his purchase he actually pulled me away from my duties at work to have me drive around with him in his car to see if I could identify where all the rattles and creaks were coming from.

I really want to like it, but I can't. The rear is horrible, the profile is not good. That chassis really shows through. The interior... nice materials and attention to detail. Some nice design cues, but lacking, in my opinion. Especially the rear (kind of bland...an extended center console could've added some nice touches, although that would take away from the middle passenger, but I'd say it would be worth it for the sake of design and luxury features.) That high beltline creates the need for such vast surrounds which ultimately create a lot of empty space. I suppose it is absurd to consider that every square inch should be sculpted somehow...more of a drawback due to the chassis than anything else I'd imagine. It's a nice DTS replacement.