PirateMcFred

Yep, I've had a conflicted experience with cars growing up.

The family did '30s hotrods but in 420-school/college I drove jalopies, then I made my first poor financial decision (albeit a fun one) and got a Yamaha R6 which ruined me for straight line acceleration and speed. The jalopies failed and I got the Prelude. Between tinkering/tracking the Prelude and racing the bike I was pretty distracted until I got a dedicated track car. I'm not old enough yet to drive a Cadillac so road legal things like these sporting mid-engine LS V8s still interest me:



Speed and cornering at the expense of creature comforts are still where it's at. I still love my motorcycles, but getting rained on sucks and they're crap once there's ice on pavement.

-P

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

Then why are u riding in the rain or especially on ice?

My old CBR600 was a pleasure/daily rider but never an only-transport-I-own type thing. That's foolish, imo. Bikes are relatively safe.. in the dry pavement. Although it takes about an act of divine intervention to save u if ur coming around a corner and there's a civic on the wrong side of the road. After that..yeah I'm comfy in my car these days.

PirateMcFred

As fun as a decently tuned Prelude is, a motorcycle makes a commute 100x more interesting than a car. So the MC gets the most mileage.

Living in the southwest you get 30-35°F temperature swings most days and the mountains make weather a little unpredictable. Mornings are mostly cool, clear and calm. A brisk 20°F Winter morning commute would normally get you up to the mid 50s by the time you'd get off work which is plenty comfortable riding weather for the scenic route home. But working in a basement w/o windows or internet all day might not tell you about that snow/thunderstorm that came in. Forecasters in the SW are worthless anyway. Getting caught in a late afternoon "monsoon" shower is equally unpredictable in the Summer which is freezing cold. Nothing like the same event in Houston which drops 85°-90° water.

Motorcycles are generally safe, it's the other idiots that do most of the damage. I've opted for the ditch over a delivery truck's front bumper crossing the line 'round a blind turn before. Get out of the water if you can't take the heat, right?

-P

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

Pretty much. Idk. We were low in the turn when I saw the car coming right at us. I tried to power out to a wider radius track and ended up highsiding. Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe I had space to lay it down without getting hit. Luckily the soft hill caught us but don't think I haven't replayed that 1000x. Self doubt is a powerful thing.

I got nothing against bikes. Can't even say I shouldn't have been out that day. It was MotoGP weekend in Monterey. But the stakes are too high for me personally to ride again. Gotta watch my kids graduate someday.

thirsk66

iTrader: (2)

Glad you were able to walk away from that crash. Bikes are no joke I have a 08 gsxr-600 and that thing scares the **** out of me, but I don't ride like an ******* like some bikers do weaving in and out of traffic and just being reckless. I still cannot stand people who just want a liter bike right out of the gate, and yet they have never even ridden a 600 or any bike for that matter. Its like if you want to kill yourself or hurt someone else because you were to damn stupid to ride safely then go ahead and do that somewhere in a more controlled environment. I completely respect the fact you do not want to ride again after that accident, plus FAMILY is more important and you cant be replaced like a bike can be.

danteisme

iTrader: (2)

am i an old-timer? i've been here since 2003

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

Exactly. Yknow, we were on Highway 1 too just south of Carmel. Coulda been a cliff to the right, not a grassy hill. Lucky in every way possible. Though that gf never really emotionally recovered enough to look at me again. I don't blame her. It was too close. I've ridden exactly once since that crash.. I was seeing ghosts, twitching everytime someone changed lanes. No thanks. Gotta get home to my babies lol. The irony is we pretty much walked away from a 50mph highsider and a week later my roommate broke his kneecap trying to jump kick the wall in our rented house. Life works in strange ways.

I've never ridden anything bigger than my old CBR600. If a 600 isn't fast enough, you've already got a death wish. Reckless riders always get what's coming to them. So I don't trip. Darwinism at its finest.

On a lighter note.. I got my retrofits done and my HID kit arrived today install will be Monday night. Got bday parties for friends kids and the fight tomorow, Warriors and beach sunset Sunday. For those with families.. cherish every moment it goes by roo fast

AndyD

iTrader: (1)

Neat thread.

I came back recently because I started to restore my '97 Accord wagon. I noticed several old names still playing with Preludes. I think that is awesome!

My wagon has been neglected much of its life. The previous owner was not nice to it, neither was I. I use it as a daily driver. I knew it needed a clutch and timing belt replacement soon so I got AAA and waited for the engine to blow. It was burning a lot of oil (261K miles on it) and needed A LOT of maintenance. I worried every time I took it close to 4K RPM! One day I was forced to take it on a long trip one summer day. Went to the beach and sat in heavy traffic for 2-3 hours! I normally take my 325. At the end of the 120-mile trip to get to the beach, the car started overheating! Coolant was pouring out of it! I was fortunate and was able to limp it home. As soon as I got home, I ordered an F23A longblock. I purchased a VERY low-mileage F23A and replaced almost everything in the engine bay while I was there so I didn't need to work on it anytime soon.

I didn't even check to see what was wrong with the engine to find out where the coolant was leaking from. I assumed it was a rusted water pipe at the back of the engine block, or even the block might've had a crack in it. When I pulled the engine, it turned out to be a $5 rubber hose on the back of the intake manifold!! lol I needed to pull the engine though. It was in too bad shape for it to ever be reliable! Too far gone to ever be able to trust it.

I will never be without a wagon ever again! This thing has paid itself just in the utility I have gotten out of it! I paid $2500 for it 4 years ago. I only had to replace the exhaust and a wheel bearing up until the engine swap. Around $500 of maintenance and got 30K miles out of it!

While I replaced the engine, I changed soooooo many things! Steering rack, tie rods, ball joints, fuel filter, ALL gaskets, engine mounts, clutch, flywheel, ROH brake conversion, brake pads, upper control arms, shocks, springs, OEM hubcaps!, tires (205/55's now), radiator, hoses, water pump, timing belt, Forbidden short-shifter....I could go on! Oh, even threw on an AEM short-ram intake!

I hope to keep this as a daily driver for 6-7 years at least. Would love to drop in an H22/F23 hybrid in it with an Accord F23 5th gear in the H22 trans one day. Then it would be perfect!

I got rid of my 1992 Prelude Si 4WS shell 2-3 years ago. I had dreams of restoring it one day, but with limited space and 4 other cars ('01 325ci, '97 M3, '89 240SX) I had to get rid of it. It needed too much money. What a great car. To date, still my favorite car I have ever owned! I would love to own a preserved one again some day!

I have always been good at saving money so I was fortunate to be able to quit my well-paying full-time job to start my own company. Been doing that for 7 months now. Such an awesome feeling! If it takes off and I start making the same, or even more, money I was with my old job, I am planning to get rid of my M3 to pick up a low-mileage NSX or maybe buy a new Z06. I want something stock and fun to drive. Tired of tinkering with my cars for now. Will keep my SR-swapped 240SX as my project car. Slowly rebuilding it. Going for a near-stock restoration, focusing on NISMO OEM style parts, while making slight tasteful mods to the suspension. Going to paint the whole car, putting a NISMO theme on the hood and sides of the car. Has 300 WHP right now. Planning to keep it that way. Should be a fun car when I am done with it.

snobordboy

Sounds like you missed the perfect opportunity to do the egnine upgrade there, even if it was all due to a $5 hose!

Hopefully your business does well for you, and you can reap the rewards of your hard work!

Oh and nice collection of cars for now, glad that you are having fun with cars even if not in a Prelude!

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

Wow way to go man. I don't have the ***** to quit my job and go off starting my own personal training business. Yet. Lol. When the kids are older and I have the time, sure. Good luck!

I envy that collection of cars! We have a new Hyundai Sonata, my project 96 4th gen, the family beater/Chevy Silverado pickup and my 99 325is. Not quite anything awesome lol. Except the Prelude!!!!

PirateMcFred

That's awesome. Striking out on your own is hard.

Not being able to take time off work is why I never went that way. Some family friends owned their own manufacturing business and they could never find a way to take more than a few days off. They were anchored to the spot running their business for 20 years. They've recently sold their baby and can now enjoy a little retirement, but now they're too old to really get out and do what they want. Sounds rough to me.

Then again no one ever got rich working a wage.

I guess I have a death wish.

I rode an 1199 Ducati a while back. I could see it killing, me but the way it accelerates in the low to middle of the powerband is phenomenal. It would really not be much different than a 600 if you kept it below 7000rpm; higher it shows you a whole new world. It sure runs hot though with that rear header just under your nuts. :D

After that I hopped on a BMW S1000RR and was actually a little let-down. It rode exactly like a 600: felt gutless until after 7500 rpm where it picked up. The problem there I think is just the gearing. 1st was so long you could hit 100. I imagine going down a tooth in the front would fix some of that. It's either a testament to how composed the chassis/suspension is or how boring the power delivery is. Perhaps both. It was just not fun until you were approaching 100mph; where the cops like to throw you in jail.

Either way a squid with a liter bike is a liability, if you're more proficient and can practice a little restraint then they are wonderful machines. With some of the more modern ones their tech nannies will probably keep a ham-fist in check (ABS/traction control/maps of various conditions).

-P

AndyD

iTrader: (1)

I had to get my wagon back up and running as soon as I could. I quit my job in Oct and got my first client at the end of Oct. They are 90 miles away from me one-way. I needed my wagon to be reliable. I had to get the car done ASAP so I could focus my time on the new customer. No regrets on that.

Thanks! As I said before, of all the cars I have had/have, the Prelude was the most fun! I would love to get another one some day!

Trust me, I was sooo scared when I quit. I made a 6-figure salary!! As I mentioned before, I have been VERY good with personal finances so I saved up a lot. Call it a mid-life crisis (I am 38 now), I realized I am not getting any younger and I can't expect anything to change if I keep doing the same thing over and over again. You have to make a change. I am a single guy with no kids. There's no reason for me to be working a 9-5'er if I have business ideas. I used to worry about failing. I am actually fine with failing now. I want to at least try and see if any of them work before I die. If I don't, I will have nothing but regrets in life. I didn't realize this. Once time passes by, you'll never get it back! Our health each day is getting worse and we aren't gauranteed tomorrow. As Pirate wrote in the quote below, you will never be wealthy working for someone else. No risk, no reward!

I don't want to waste my youth working a 9-5 job and HOPING when I am at retirement age I will have a lot of money. I want to try now while I still have time on my side. With each passing day, time will no longer be on my side!

Also, there wasn't a '99 325is. Do you have an E46 323i or 328i sedan or is it an E36 coupe? Either way, E36 96-99 coupes were either 323's or 328's. E46 99-00 were also 323 or 328. 325 was produced again in 2001.

Pirate,

I actually reached out to you a while ago about helping me build an H22/F23 hybrid. I would love to work with you in the future about doing that again. I would love to have that hybrid in my wagon!

I was raised by parents who are entrpreneurs. I know how a business becomes your life. One nice thing about my situation is I don't need to make a lot of money. I got roommates to pay my whole mortgage and I don't have a car payment. Haven't had a car payment since 2004! My new business is an IT consulting company so I get contracts and employ people to work those contracts. I am fine with just managing them and making around $50K/year. With no house payment and no car payment, I can live a pretty good life without having to work full-time. That's the plan at least. Will see how it goes!

Yes, you are absolutely right! It's very rare someone becomes rich by working for someone else. Even when I was making 6-figures, I was limited on how much time I could take off and traveling. I wanted to try something new, even if I fail and I have to go back to a regular job.

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

Pirate- I didn't quite mean that you in particular have a death wish. It was more a generalization. A skill-less squid is certainly a liability.

It is indeed the 323i sedan. Weird. The trunk marking isn't there so I assumed it to be the 325.
You actually made me look up the 3 series there cause I always thought it went 318, 325, M3, and the 's' designation meant sedan. Wow, talk about confusing. They sold the E36 older body style the same year as the E46 newer style (the one my fiancee has). So many different trims. I'd probably shoot myself if I had to remember every trim and difference and model year.

I'm happy that Honda makes it simple. Their three trims of any model are Slow, Kinda Slow, and Fast (relatively). Lol

And you're right. The time to take risks in life and truly live without worry of fail is when you don't have to worry about the risks. Being single has its perks, eh?

AndyD

iTrader: (1)

Yes, BMW is VERY confusing. They make two different models in the same year. Like the E93 BMW was still produced in the same year the current model came out. Only the convertible was produced while the new model came out.

Also, the 96-99 323is actually had a 2.5L 6-cyl and the 328 had the 2.8L 6-cyl. They designated it as a 323 simply for marketing reasons. 325 was too close to 328. Also, the E9X 328s had 3.0L NA engines while the E9X 335's had 3.0L turbo engines. E46 323's also have 2.5L 6's. The 328 had a 2.8 and and the 330 had the 3.0L 6.

The 'is' nomenclature designates coupes for the E36 model. 'i' was used in both the E36 and E46 chassis's to designate the sedan. 'is' came back in the last year or two of the E92 to designate a sport model of the 335 coupe.

How is that for confusing! lol

yes, not having kids or a wifey makes life sooooo much easier. I literally still feel like I did when I was 18! I like having few responsibilities. I don't want anyone depending on me either. That's why I want to take some risk!

PirateMcFred

Backinblue92, I know. I'm just BSing. If you haven't ridden one just for a test ride, I suggest you do.

I remember. The offer still stands. I'd be happy to help anytime. Well, anytime I'm not on another continent.

For self-employment, software's an easier thing to make work. Not a lot of overhead on inventory, hardware, or tooling. And you're absolutely right about time, you can't get it back. It's foolhardy to wait to the end of one's life to enjoy it.

I too am good at saving money, single, homeowner, without debt, never had a car payment, and am a salaried 'consultant' overseas now making more money than I ever expected to, but it won't be for too long, it's just not the kind of work I'm interested in and the location's just too alien for me. I just want enough money to let it manage itself so I can pursue other interests. I'll probably get my pilot's license when I get home. $50K a year would leave me very comfortable in the Southwest. Last I looked, the cost of living on the east coast really takes the edge off a 6 figure income.

Godspeed, Andy.

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

I wish I still felt 18 lol. Most days I'm just tired. Lol. Colin (our 17month old) is a crack baby. His motor never stops Running lol. Throw in a 10 yr old girl with an attitude, and voila.

I don't even do the maintenance on her bmw. I take it to jiffy lubes and stuff. Haha.

Acidcrakker

Honda VTAK,

I still got a lude working on getting it running so I can use it drive around jersey estimating jobs at 30 mpg instead of 12 with my truck

crazes

It scares me every time I debated about looking at purchasing a home. I make fairly decent money but spending 450k on 2,000sqft home is just insane. That's not even including the taxes and all the robbery charges of bs city bills they charge.

crazes

If you need some stuff, I have some parts still laying around that you can take off my hands for a fairly decent price.

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

450k is cheap! Comparitively. We live in the Northern Bay Area, California. Looking at 600 easy for even 1800sq ft last I checked. Though my parents own an incredible, highly renovated house and have talked about giving us a great deal when they're ready to move out someday. Given that we are 32, and my parents are almost 70, I figure its 10 years before we could buy their house. Home ownership in today's world is tough. I don't mind our townhouse for now. But by the time I'm 45, I think that'd be a reasonable age to expect to own a keeper home by. We've talked about a smaller cheap starter house though. While we live comfortably, my fiancee and I also work lower paying jobs we love in lieu of higher paying jobs we don'r. Day to day happiness is a premium for us. I'm not one for material things anyways. Our new LCD tv was a fight that lasted 3 weeks. My side of the story is "look at the sky not the tv". She only won because I got a $600 bonus allowance on car parts in return. Haha. Compromise is the spice of life!

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

Damn. When I first found ya'll on the Honda scene, I was 22 and in college.

Now we talk about family, our kids, our own businesses and houses. Life's a trip.

98vtec

snobordboy

For some reason I thought it was worse than that in your part of the country.

Up here, or at least in the area I live in, prices have shot through the roof. My neighborhood is homes around 2200 sq feet, and we bought in 6 years ago at just over 300K, and there are currently 2 houses within a block of us asking nearly 600k! We need a bunch of renos to match them, but that is a work in progress. I think our taxes are lower, our property tax was ~2400 last year, but may be higher this year, as it is based on our assessed value, which jumped 140K this year.

snobordboy

Damn that must be exciting Blake, did Howard do all the bottom end assembly, or are you going to double check it all and do final asembly?

98vtec

bottom end and head (in the box) are completely assembled. I literally only have to put a headgasket on and torque it down. but im waiting until all the eggs hatch lol.

https://www.facebook.com/HowardsHotR...type=2&theater