Best pilot cars

[Salty Dog]

As a mid-life career changer I prepared for the inevitable by buying two cars new to pay off and keep for at least ten years:

Hers: 2000 Mercury Mountaineer leather everything sweetmobile
Mine: 2000 Ford Focus Sony Limited Edition. Cold A/C and b!tchin' boombox from the factory. A true airport beater of the future!

Toy I bought before I got married and had the sense to hang on to ever since: '63 Corvette convertible.

Then there's the '64 Impala convertible 409 that's still in pieces over at my parents' house...

Standing by for incoming Jekyl & Hyde Ford/Chevy flames...

 

[bluffs4U]

I have a 2003 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Still needs more horse power - 405 is not enough. My airport car is a 2002 Ford Mustang Cobra. My spare time car is a 2000 Porshe Boster, it is a beater. I am thinking about buying a 350Z?

 

[WrightAvia]

Did you hear the one about the 2003 Chevy Vega? No? Hahahahah. How about the new American Motors Javelin?

Now they soup up little geo's and honda civics, the poor bastages.

In the service I had 67 GTO with glass packs, keystone rims and the hurst dual gate shifter. After that, a 76 Torino police package with a 351 cleveland. It was a Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Authority car before I bought it. You could drive that thing through a bridge abutment and never even spill your beer. Once I had to toss a 500 CC motorcycle in the trunk and 5 people sitting in the car for a trip from norfolk to richmond virginia and I bet the car didn't even look like it had a load in it. Try that with your SUV.

 

[enigma]

My home car is a year old Mazda P5, it handles quite well, doesn't look like everybody elses sedan/SUV, and gets decent milage as well as holding all three kids. Most importantly, it was quite reasonable priced new.

The airport car is a early 90's Nissan 240SXse. I was looking for a small somewhat sporty commuter car and lucked into the 240. It turns out to be one of the most refined, well behaved chassis available in its class. They are rear wheel drive with an independent rear suspension. The se version features four wheel steering and posi-trac. The 240 is not a drag car, especially stock with the emissions stuff hooked up, but it will stay with traffic. Its only real drawback is its complexity and repair cost. The cars handling qualities make up for those short comings. I bought it to make a weekly long distance commute for a job that didn't pan out. So I sold it. The new owner wrecked it, and I bought it back from the insurance company for $300. After a days work and a junkyard front end ($500) the car was back on the road. As soon as I find the money, I'll buy a Japanese home market engine and install it in place of the stock, 140horse 2.4liter. The home market engine is a 2 liter intercooled turbo that makes about 220horses and changes the character of the car.

When I finish the Nissan, I'm going after a FactoryFive Cobra Coupe kit. http://www.factoryfive.com/table/ffrkits/coupe/coupekit.html

It may be time to rotate avatars!

So you see, not all pilots are cheap sobs who drive beaters. Some of us are car guys. I can't run with the Porsche, BMW crowd, but I refuse to drive bland cars.

regards,
enigma

 

[av8raaron]

At the risk of earning the dumbarse of the night award, what is an "airport car"?

 

[enigma]

I can't believe the thread has gone this long without mentioning the Chevy Chevette. All these playboy hot shot pilots and no one with a studly Chevette? Of course, mileage unknown, bonus points if you have any of the hub caps left.

During my past life as a professional mechanic, I had the unfortune of working on these P'sOS. I would rather drive a Citroen Deux Chevo (sp?) than a Chevette. I'd almost rather walk.



enigma

 

[Booker]

I'm not cheap but I sure as hell am not going to waste $$$ with the industry in the tank like it is unless I've got a year's worth of cash in the bank.

True, but I knew senior UA captains (before 9-11) who in a month made double what I make in a year, and they were still cheap as heck.

Once I've got the emergency fund set, I'll get the Vette.

Now that's what I'm talking about!

 

[crash-proof]

Mine's a 2000 Ranger, with the small V6, runs like a dream. The only car (or truck) Ford got right.

Just got my wife a 1984 Mercedes 300 turbo diesel-knocker! She's lovin that car so much. You look at a mercedes diesel engine, it looks like a was taken off a WWII german tank.

0-60 in whatever time it takes.

 

[sbav8r]

Just got my wife a 1984 Mercedes 300 turbo diesel-knocker! She's lovin that car so much. You look at a mercedes diesel engine, it looks like a was taken off a WWII german tank.

If the woman in your avatar is your wife, I think you should look into getting a flatbed trailer to tow behind that mercedes.

 

[crash-proof]

don't talk about my wife like that! She worked very hard at losing 200lbs, you should have seen her before.

 

[SuperFLUF]

At the risk of earning the dumbarse of the night award, what is an "airport car"?

An "airport car" is a car that you don't mind leaving at the airport for days or weeks at a time while you're away on a trip. Usually its a beater considering the relative insecurity of airport parking lots (in Newark BMW stands for Break My Windows) and the paint damage that comes from the constant shower of jet fuel from aircraft with full wing tanks venting over the lot on takeoff.

 

[jbDC9]

Cheap captains?

Top this: A few months back I flew with a capt. that drove a '78 Datsun B210 with 2-300,000 miles and is held together with 8 gallons of Bondo! He was pretty proud of this old rust bucket piece of crap, bought it new and is too cheap to part with it. And this was his main transportation, not just the airport beater!

For my ride, I used to have an '88 Ford Bronco II with some 115,000 miles; paint looked like crap but it ran pretty well... most of the time. Had lotsa clutch/transmission/drivetrain problems with it, over the course of 3-4 years I spent close to 5 grand in repairs. Ouch! Got hosed pretty bad on it. After the last problem I got rid of it and bought an Xterra instead. Nice to finally have a reliable car... 'cept that the gas mileage sucks!

 

[blott]

I gave a guy that lived in our "crashpad" a ride to the airport a year or so ago. He said something about it being nice to have a crashpad car. I never gave him a ride again-it is still my daily driver...LOL...

 

[jergar999]

Two words:

Chrysler Imperial.

Sorry, two more words:

Le Car!

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

So you see, not all pilots are cheap sobs who drive beaters. Some of us are car guys. I can't run with the Porsche, BMW crowd, but I refuse to drive bland cars.

regards,
enigma [/B]

Does a 99 Buick LeSabre qualify as a bland car ?

Actually living in Orlando the Buick is quite at home mixing it in with the Beemers and Mercedes that are a dime a dozen here. My kids tease me all the time about driving an old person's car. As punishment, this car will be theirs when they get old enough to drive.

BUICK the only car endorsed by the AARP and the Social Security Administration.