quote:

Originally posted by bob ramberg:
1981 ALFA Romeo GTV6/2.5. It was like having a beautiful exciting girlfriend that cheated on you. Most of the time it was awesome, but every now and then it would do something that pissed me off.

Small world. Same for me, except mine was a 1983. Besides a lot of shit that broke and left me stranded, it was slow accelerating, handling sucked, so did the brakes and transaxle. More like a fat girlfriend who was lousy in bed.

My previous Italian car was a 1974 Fiat 124 Special TC sedan that was a lot sportier despite half the horsepower, in part because it was nearly 1,000 pounds lighter than the GTV6. And no reliability issues, either! Great to throw into a high-speed curve, and I raced it in SCCA Showroom Stock.

I complained to the dealer that I couldn't hit 3rd gear either up or down, without double-clutching. They called in the Midwest Alfa factory rep who said I just didn't know how to drive stick-shift, despite being licensed to race by SCCA, IMSA and FIA. The dealership tore down the gearbox and found that 3rd gear was not finished before installation, the Apes at the factory left it straight-cut, not beveled. The dealership mechanic (also a licensed race driver in Mid West Council and SCCA) said it was amazing that I could engage 3rd at all.

I won't go on, since even after 40 years I'm still trying to forget!

Love everything about the truck except the paint. Had the hood and roof redone when I first got it used and now a year later the passenger side clearcoat is going bad. Like you said, no other vehicles on the road meets the requirements these do.

Volvo for me. We have had three. Two were XC 70s. Loved the ride. All the bells and whistles of most limited vehicles. The body doesn’t rust, or is more resistant. The Engineers were smart enough to run the gas and break lines in the frame tube to prevent rust.
Now let’s talk about electrical issues. Wait, my BP just spiked!

quote:

Originally posted by TBH:
Volvo for me...

In about 1971 I had an opportunity to buy a 123GT but stupidly passed, bought an MGB instead. Even though the MGB was only six years old, it didn't last more than a few months. If I chose the 123GT instead, there's a fair chance I'd still be driving it!

VW Passat. Bought it new. First day I drove it, I lowered the driver door window at a toll booth. Window would not go back up. Raining heavily. Called U.S.A. VW to ask what to do. "Take it back to the dealer where you bought it," they said.

I was several hundred miles from that dealer.

The vehicle was constantly plagued by problems, mostly electrical. Door lock system that might or might not work. Alarm system that had a mind of its own. Alternator that sometimes charged the battery. Speakers that quit working.

I actually drove more days, and put more miles, on service loaners than I did on my own car. I dumped it the week before the warranty expired.

The "love" part? It was a delightful car to drive, the rare times that it was working. Acceleration, handling, braking, all the mechanical things were great, but the electrical gremlins were horrible.

Love/Hate…Absolutely!!

Two vehicles, both Jaguars from the 1960’s

#1. Jag XK140 Drophead Coupe - stunningly beautiful in a deep red with real wood interior, red leather seating

#2. Jaguar 3.8 Saloon - fantastic metallic silver paint and the wonderful real wood trim and leather seats

So…why the hate? Both required essentially a riding mechanic! English Electrical Systems designed by the Prince of Darkness, hydraulic systems by Lord Leakmore!

My Heavens, I wish I still owned them - I simply could not afford the maintenance costs at the time

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
The 22” wheels drastically degrade the ride around town but switching to Michelin Defenders from the OEM Bridgestones did help quite a bit.

How much would you say the tires made a difference in the ride? I still have bridgestones and have heard a lot of good about the Michelin defender series on these trucks.

quote:

Originally posted by Tuckerrnr1:

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
The 22” wheels drastically degrade the ride around town but switching to Michelin Defenders from the OEM Bridgestones did help quite a bit.

How much would you say the tires made a difference in the ride? I still have bridgestones and have heard a lot of good about the Michelin defender series on these trucks.

SUBSTANTIAL!!! Those OEM Bridgestones are complete and utter garbage.

The Michelins are so much more quiet, smoother, worlds better traction in all weather.
You still know you are riding on 22s but the Michelins are excellent. Expensive but worth every penny.

My love-hate was with the 3 different Fiat X1/9s that I've owned (1974, 1977, and 1978)! Good looking little car and an absolute BLAST to drive, both on the road and on the track!!!

Reliability was horrible and something was always having to be "fixed". There is a reason why FIAT stands for Fix It Again Tomorrow...

quote:

Originally posted by Tuckerrnr1:

How much would you say the tires made a difference in the ride? I still have bridgestones and have heard a lot of good about the Michelin defender series on these trucks.

Do it and do not look back! Same truck, same switch for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

2015 Chevrolet Suburban LTZ 113,000 miles

I had the exact same truck, exact same color, slightly different wheel, until March of this year. It had 229,000 miles. It looked awesome and was solid as could be. Then I got rear ended at a stop sign so it went bye bye and I upgraded to a 2022 RST in red.

 
My first car, a 1953 MG-TD. Loved the car, grew to loathe Lucas electrical stuff.

Same answer as the “What was your first car” and “What did you learn to drive a manual transmission in.”

1964 Ford Falcon
That rattling turd left me stranded so many times. Got hideous gas mileage. It was ugly. I loved it.

2003 Pontiac Grand Prix GT. Spacious car, large gas tank and it got great (for 2003) mileage. But little things went wrong with it: AC knob broke, pulley seized and snapped the belt, rear brake rotors wore very quick.

2003 Corvette Z06. Something kept draining the battery, if I went a week without driving it, I'd have to jump start it. Cheap plastic interior pieces would brake. Rattles and squeaks (not as bad as a C4 Corvette, though). But it was a fun car to drive!

quote:

Originally posted by Alyron:
Every older/classic car I've ever owned. MG's, Jags, Lotus, Alfas. There is a reason I would never keep them very long. Loved them until they felt like they were more trouble than they were worth. Then after they're gone for a while I only remember the good parts, miss them, and buy another. It's a terrible cycle-

BTDT, two TR-250, TR-4, Spitfire, MGB-GT and a TR-7> When they ran, they were great fun.

I finally kicked the habit after one incident. I was leaving for a date in my TR-250 and a diaphragm on a Stromberg carb blew out. How did I know? Years of experience. I always had a spare set, mounted on a spare manifold, ready in the garage. I swapped to the spare setup and was on my way in 20 minutes. At first I was proud of my feat, then I realized that many people don't need to do this on a regular basis. Within a week I bought an F-150 as my daily driver.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
2003 Corvette Z06. Something kept draining the battery, if I went a week without driving it, I'd have to jump start it. Cheap plastic interior pieces would brake. Rattles and squeaks (not as bad as a C4 Corvette, though). But it was a fun car to drive!

Were these the ones that had to be parked in Reverse to fully shut down the electronics?
Can't remember if that was a C5 or C6 thing, or just a myth.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:

quote:

Ever had a love/hate relationship with a vehicle??

I didn't know there was any other kind?

If you do your own work, no

Seriously, my wife's Tesla.

I love the power, it handles well for the weight, it's very crash-safe, it's been zero maintenance.

Things I hate:
-UGLY
-It blasts you with music half of the time you get in.
-Center mounted instrument-tablet thing
-Tire life SUCKs
-all the personality of a cheapo chinese coffee maker.
-Charging complicates long trips AND you have to deal with all the other dipshits that drive Teslas
-Everybody hates you

Still better than my 90's turbo DSM. Those who know...know...

quote:

Originally posted by holdem:

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

2015 Chevrolet Suburban LTZ 113,000 miles

I had the exact same truck, exact same color, slightly different wheel, until March of this year. It had 229,000 miles. It looked awesome and was solid as could be. Then I got rear ended at a stop sign so it went bye bye and I upgraded to a 2022 RST in red.

Did the transmission last the whole time?

My 1999 International 4700 Crew Cab with Wiers Tow Body. It had the 7.3 IH diesel. Replaced the Air Ride front captain chairs covered in Imitation Mouse Fur witH Full leather Bostrom seats. Truck towed my 20k pound 5th wheel easily. Rear self leveling air bags and the air ride seats made bumps disappear. Loved it (and the air horns were a big PLUS
HATED filling up 120 gallons of $4.00 gallon diesel. On yeah,, 6 new Michelin truck tires. And 11 million gallons of Rotella for an oil change.

I also had a Fiat X/19. Super fun to drive, on the rare occasions it was drivable.