Budget Rental blah blah boring cars NOT!

[motohorseman]

Landed in Harrisburg, PA and went to pick up a rental car.

"How's a Volkswagen Passat sound"

I guess from the look on my face, and not that there is anything wrong with a Passat, he came back with "Or a BMW or a brand new Mustang"

"Only be about $50.00 more, with tax".

Mustang - That gets my attention. Then he tosses in the

"It's a GT and only has 22 miles on it"

I'm a sucker for a 'stang - But I never, ever expected 425HP & 400 ft/lb of torque with the slickest shifting 6 speed manual transmission I may of ever driven -

And to top it all off - IT HANDLES!

If I make it through this week without a ticket, wrecking that car - or worse, it may be a miracle......

[Bill_Rockoff]

You found a manual-transmission car at a rental?  I didn't even know that was an option.  That's worthy of news all by itself!

[~JM~]

You found a manual-transmission car at a rental?  I didn't even know that was an option.  That's worthy of news all by itself!

No Shit!!! It even had the V-8! Every Mustang I've ever rented had a V-6 & an auto trans. Even with the V-6, they are peppy.

[pdxfj]

Nice!

When I was in S. Cali this summer for work I got to the Avis counter and they asked me "Would you like to upgrade to a Chevy Camaro SS today for no charge?"  Uhh.. Gee.. Pull my arm!

Was the 2SS package with an automatic transmission.  Turn off all the traction and vehicle dynamic controls and it would leave rubber for a block.  Only had it for about 36 hours, but got really crappy gas mileage for some reason..... 

Not a bad car, but didn't like the fact I couldn't see anything behind me on the drivers side.

[spsmith_fj1200]

Nice!

When I was in S. Cali this summer for work I got to the Avis counter and they asked me "Would you like to upgrade to a Chevy Camaro SS today for no charge?"  Uhh.. Gee.. Pull my arm!

Was the 2SS package with an automatic transmission.  Turn off all the traction and vehicle dynamic controls and it would leave rubber for a block.  Only had it for about 36 hours, but got really crappy gas mileage for some reason..... 

Not a bad car, but didn't like the fact I couldn't see anything behind me on the drivers side.

I have a 2011 V-6 Camaro and agree that the rear visibility is not great, so I do lots of head turning to check the other lanes like I do when I am on two wheels.  I bought the V-6 to help check my speed down and for the "better" fuel mileage, but the tires in the RS package (245 front and 275 rear) hurt the mileage somewhat.

[~JM~]

I too was offered an upgrade on two occasions. The first time was an orange & black Dodge Challenger & the second time was one of the new Camaros. So I have driven the V-6 examples of the new Mustang, Challenger & the Camaro. Out of the three, I like the Challenger the most. The Camaro was cool, but it does have limited visibility with the low roof line. I received many thumbs-up & the most looks while driving the Challenger. Of course it was that bright orange. All 3 are very cool cars!

[Pat Conlon]

I have not driven a Camaro with the new 3.4l LFX V-6 engine yet, but everything I've heard and read about this new all aluminum DOHC 7200rpm 320hp engine is promising.

Start with the weight...This little guy weighs the same as the Mazda BP 1.8l iron block 4 cylinder in my Miata....why do I mention this?
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=553881

Camaro/Mustang/Challenger's all nice cars, but too heavy for my taste...but a V6 LFX Camaro engine in my little 2400lb Miata would be very tastey.. Yumm
Turbo/supercharger's are ok, but for all day reliability at the track, normally aspirated is the way to go.


Also the ability to get CARB approval on this conversion is a plus...at least for us in Calif.

[pdxfj]

Actually my comment about bad gas mileage was somewhat sarcastic since I was having fun driving the car in a very "spirited" manner...

Pat:  Folks put a LS1 into the 944's.  Would be a very nice sleeper.    I know Cali is more strict than other states, but from what I've seen if the swap is setup correctly it will pass most emissions testing.

[Pat Conlon]

Hey Garth, yep, plenty of LS1 and LS3 Miata's are out there.
http://www.flyinmiata.com/V8/
They have the conversions pretty much dialed in. All the components you need are off the shelf.
Surprisingly the issue is not the added weight...the additional 150 lbs or so on the front end can be compensated with heavier springs and shock valving. They make awesome track cars, 450hp/430ft.lbs of torque, normally aspirated is most definitely a E ticket ride...the power to weight ratio is crazy..

The Achilles heel in the Miata with a engine with that much hp/torque is the available tire size....(or lack of tire size)
Track use, no problem, they run the 275/40-15 Hoosiers or Avon gum balls on 10" wide rims...however..
For a daily driver on DOT rubber, the maximum tire size is limited (by selection) to 225/45-15's with a tread wear rating of below 200...that is, IMHO too little tire for that much power..especially in a light weight car like the Miata.
Now, if the tire manufacturers came out with a wider 245/45 or 265/40 15"or 16" inch street tire I would feel more comfortable.

Lastly, alas no CARB Executive Order (EO) stickers for the LS Miata conversions due to the exhaust headers needed in the conversion. There are no aftermarket headers that will fit with a EO.

The CARB EO is no problem with the new direct injected V6 LFX engine because the exhaust manifold is cast in to the design of the head.

320hp/278ft.lbs of torque on the new LFX is just fine with the currently available 225/45-15 street rubber

[motohorseman]

I was/am stunned, I had no idea. Upgrade cost me less than $48.00, a deal IMO.

They said earlier in the year they had new Corvettes -

And more were on order for next spring.

I've seen the Camaro's - SS, RS, never thought to ask how much more - going to start now!

And honestly, it brought more than one prospective customer out to look at it - I'll be sure to mention that to the boss.

According to the gauge - 16.7mpg overall - not bad considering  

435hp, 6 speed stick, 3:73 rear end, line lock, launch control, an acceleration timer, and an accelerometer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3nbwCjZKk8#t=28

2015 Ford Mustang: Track Apps—Launch Control

[Pat Conlon]

So....how did you like it Steve? Would you buy one?
Juicy details please...kill stories are allowed on this forum.

[Capn Ron]

It's got a front line lock???  THAT is awesome!   

[motohorseman]

So....how did you like it Steve? Would you buy one?
Juicy details please...kill stories are allowed on this forum.

I would buy one in a heartbeat.

The best handling Mustang I've ever driven, the independent rear axle made a difference.

The motor makes all the right sounds, the transmission shifted incredibly well. Surprisingly, I found visibility to be better than on many other cars.

I was even COMFORTABLE! That being said, the back seats are useless for anything but qualifying the car as a 2+2 for insurance purposes.

The gauge package is incredible, I'm sold -

No tickets, no accidents, overall a great week (if a couple of internal work issues had not occurred, it would of been close to the perfect week!)