Automobilia etc....

Yes, I should have specified that model. Curious to read more on the aforementioned design flaws. Most early reviews I've seen ranked it over the comparable Benz AMG and M series Bimmer.
U.S. News car rankings had it as best in class, but it seems like that happens often with a new car. The base model is reasonably priced and has 280 horsepower.
 
Getting a 2016 ss camaro the interior upgrades in the 6th generation are huge in comparison to the 2015 and below

Bought a Camaro SS convertible mid-February and absolutely love it. I can see the complaints about driver visibility. I'm 6'-1 and I feel like I'm sitting in a tank, but I'll make the sacrifice as it's a beautiful car on the outside.
 
Drove an old Miata today. Man, I love those cars. Something about a lightweight car is fantastic. You can always add power to a car. Making a car lighter, but still be practical is supremely difficult.

Even a 500lb difference is really noticeable. My old Miata weighed about 2300lbs and my Honda weighs about 2800lb. The feel is very different.
 
Drove an old Miata today. Man, I love those cars. Something about a lightweight car is fantastic. You can always add power to a car. Making a car lighter, but still be practical is supremely difficult.

Even a 500lb difference is really noticeable. My old Miata weighed about 2300lbs and my Honda weighs about 2800lb. The feel is very different.
I'm with you. Two of the most fun cars that I have ever owned were a 95 Miata, and a 2005 Scion XB. They were both 5 speeds and about 2,400 lbs. I now have a 2015 VW Golf 5 speed. It is about 2,900 lbs.
 
I remember learning, and the car lurching forward and dying when I let the clutch out too quick. That was 50 years ago, and sticks are pretty much all I have ever driven. I still drive one every day.

It's easy, but the only way to learn is to do it. We talkin' about practice. Don't worry. Most everybody looks like an idiot the first couple of times. One catches on pretty quickly.

I think most cars now don't even roll back on a hill for a second or so. When I first learned, it scared me when somebody stopped real close behind on a hill. I was afraid I would roll back into them, or kill it.

Yeah i remember turning 16 and going into Knox with my buddy's custom truck without much practice with a manual. Coming up from the river on those steep hills was sketchy when a cop pulled up on my bumper, so I pulled the e-brake and pulled up the hill.
 
How I learned to drive stick:

When I was still in high school my father bought himself a 2004 Honda S2000, and ended up being the car he left to me. That was his baby and for some reason he was brave/crazy enough to teach me on that car. I never really got decent at it because I could only drive it about once a month. Tons of stalling and bucking starts. I felt terrible because I knew how much the car meant to him. Eventually I stopped asking, I don't think I ever took it out on public roads.

Fast forward 3-4 years and Dad had a 2000 model acura integra that he used as a daily driver. Fantastic car, GSR model, nice little 1.8l producing 170hp with a redline around 8000rpm. Whenever I was in town from school he would let me drive it. Eventually in 2007 he let me have the car. It was at that point I started to get good at driving stick shift because I was doing it every day. I also was able to learn advanced stuff such as heel-toe and rev-matching, something that is becoming a lost art. It also helped because I had a much better understanding of the physics and engineering of a manual transmission.

Since that integra, every car I have owned has been a manual.

I've successfully taught a few people how to drive stick shift. I encourage them to watch YouTube videos so they can learn about what the clutch does and how it works. That was something I didn't understand when dad taught me. The other thing I do when I teach someone is to not allow them to use the gas pedal to get the car moving. I want them to get a good feel for the engagement point of the clutch. That has worked very well.
 
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How I learned to drive stick:

When I was still in high school my father bought himself a 2004 Honda S2000, and ended up being the car he left to me. That was his baby and for some reason he was brave/crazy enough to teach me on that car. I never really got decent at it because I could only drive it about once a month. Tons of stalling and bucking starts. I felt terrible because I knew how much the car meant to him. Eventually I stopped asking, I don't think I ever took it out on public roads.

Fast forward 3-4 years and Dad had a 2000 model acura integra that he used as a daily driver. Fantastic car, GSR model, nice little 1.8l producing 170hp with a redline around 8000rpm. Whenever I was in town from school he would let me drive it. Eventually in 2007 he let me have the car. It was at that point I started to get good at driving stick shift because I was doing it every day. I also was able to learn advanced stuff such as heel-toe and rev-matching, something that is becoming a lost art. It also helped because I had a much better understanding of the physics and engineering of a manual transmission.

Since that integra, every car I have owned has been a manual.

I've successfully taught a few people how to drive stick shift. I encourage them to watch YouTube videos so they can learn about what the clutch does and how it works. That was something I didn't understand when dad taught me. The other thing I do when I teach someone is to not allow them to use the gas pedal to get the car moving. I want them to get a good feel for the engagement point of the clutch. That has worked very well.
That S2000 has so little torque off idle, that I'm surprised you could get it rolling without touching the gas pedal.
 
Day 2 of stickshift went very well much improved. My car has rev matching enabled automatically so when I downshift the car revs up on its own and it sounds absolutely incredible love this car
 
That S2000 has so little torque off idle, that I'm surprised you could get it rolling without touching the gas pedal.

Lol. It takes very little torque to get a car rolling. But yeah, the S2000 is the sort of car you have to wring out to get the best from it.
 
I know my Camaro goes easy without gas whenever I hit the breaking point on the clutch. I almost took out a mailbox today backing out my driveway which is on a downward hill. I was going up hill in reverse
 
Decided to go on a little late night spin since traffic would be minimal. I was doing fine then I went to turn into a grocery store and for some reason when I turned my car had trouble getting over this mini bump it was a very small bump but it almost rolled me backwards. Maybe I didn't have enough gas applied? I was in 2ND gear
 

IIRC - the placement of the B pillar was a particular issue he mentioned. Further forward than most cars making getting in and out and adventure for a big fella.

There were a few other things - if you note this quote from the link
“If you’re going to form a relationship with a car, if you’re going to develop a bond, it’s got to have human qualities, and if it’s gonna human qualities its got to have faults.”

The article doesn't mention any of the faults but Clarkson noted a few (clearly they didn't bother him).

I'm not trashing the car - just reporting what I recall.
 
Decided to go on a little late night spin since traffic would be minimal. I was doing fine then I went to turn into a grocery store and for some reason when I turned my car had trouble getting over this mini bump it was a very small bump but it almost rolled me backwards. Maybe I didn't have enough gas applied? I was in 2ND gear

I give you a lot of credit..buying that nice of a car, in a stick....
stay with it you'll be fine

I was 16 almost 17, and wanted a Jeep....we found one ('78 CJ7 renegade) , out on a farm in south Knoxville..drove out with my Mom, and took it around his field for a couple of laps, paid him $1500 bucks for it, and then it was back on the road to head home....

I looked at my mom, and said are you driving it back, and she said NO, you wanted it and bought it better learn to drive it
 
I give you a lot of credit..buying that nice of a car, in a stick....
stay with it you'll be fine

I was 16 almost 17, and wanted a Jeep....we found one ('78 CJ7 renegade) , out on a farm in south Knoxville..drove out with my Mom, and took it around his field for a couple of laps, paid him $1500 bucks for it, and then it was back on the road to head home....

I looked at my mom, and said are you driving it back, and she said NO, you wanted it and bought it better learn to drive it

That's awesome
 
My dad got a totalled out Suzuki sidekick and cut the top off it. I hopped us all around the back roads figuring out how to drive a stick. Those were some good times.
 

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