Comments on: In Defense of Crappy Cars http://www.pansypatrol.com/in-defense-of-crappy-cars/ News, technical articles, and lessons for those who own, fix, race, modify, or beat their 3000GT or Stealth. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:38:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Noah http://www.pansypatrol.com/in-defense-of-crappy-cars/comment-page-1/#comment-5041 Noah Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:20:37 +0000 http://www.pansypatrol.com/in-defense-of-crappy-cars/#comment-5041 Alright, I for the sake of argument I spoke in absolutes before. Yes, any driving experience can tempt me to drive sportively and/or beat on the vehicle. I just found that the vast majority of the time in the Saturn, I didn't have any inclination to do this, versus driving the CRX for 10 min or driving my Miata. Alright, I for the sake of argument I spoke in absolutes before. Yes, any driving experience can tempt me to drive sportively and/or beat on the vehicle. I just found that the vast majority of the time in the Saturn, I didn’t have any inclination to do this, versus driving the CRX for 10 min or driving my Miata.

]]> By: Clint http://www.pansypatrol.com/in-defense-of-crappy-cars/comment-page-1/#comment-5040 Clint Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:15:47 +0000 http://www.pansypatrol.com/in-defense-of-crappy-cars/#comment-5040 I too am uneasy with what I took away as one of the main points of that article. You've reiterated it in this comment string: "I would never be tempted by ANY ramp in the Saturn, and that is a characteristic that, by definition, you cannot find in a nicer beater" While I was not generally tempted by ramps while driving the Saturn, the reason was that the Saturn had troubling mechanical problems: The brakes didn't work or made noise, the suspension clunked, etc. However, the week that I borrowed it from you, I absolutely beat it on some ramps, ended gears, sped on the highway--and I did all these things about as frequently (and to similar extremes) as I do them in the Protege when the Protege is having mechanical problems. Had the Saturn been in good working order, I would have beaten it as frequently as I beat the Protege when it is in good working order. In other words, I wouldn't say that I spend more time driving aggressively or illegally in the Protege than I did in the Buick or in your Saturn. I'm not disputing that the CRX (or the Protege) is more fun to drive, or that it is capable of more. But that doesn't mean that the Saturn is so shitty that there is no temptation to beat it. Depending on the definition, we've beaten shittier cars than the Saturn: The corolla in its last days, the Legend, my old Dodge truck, Chris's Explorer, Volvo, and Camry, the 626, the Buick, the '89, and the U-Haul. The Buick, in fact, sucked in pretty much every way that the Saturn sucks--and it was an automatic. Yet I beat that thing as hard as I beat the Protege. The problem with the Saturn is that the return on investment is low: For what you pay to get a Saturn of that year, you can get another car that is more fun to beat. However, I can concieve of no car so shitty that I will not beat it. I too am uneasy with what I took away as one of the main points of that article. You’ve reiterated it in this comment string: “I would never be tempted by ANY ramp in the Saturn, and that is a characteristic that, by definition, you cannot find in a nicer beater”

While I was not generally tempted by ramps while driving the Saturn, the reason was that the Saturn had troubling mechanical problems: The brakes didn’t work or made noise, the suspension clunked, etc. However, the week that I borrowed it from you, I absolutely beat it on some ramps, ended gears, sped on the highway–and I did all these things about as frequently (and to similar extremes) as I do them in the Protege when the Protege is having mechanical problems. Had the Saturn been in good working order, I would have beaten it as frequently as I beat the Protege when it is in good working order. In other words, I wouldn’t say that I spend more time driving aggressively or illegally in the Protege than I did in the Buick or in your Saturn.

I’m not disputing that the CRX (or the Protege) is more fun to drive, or that it is capable of more. But that doesn’t mean that the Saturn is so shitty that there is no temptation to beat it. Depending on the definition, we’ve beaten shittier cars than the Saturn: The corolla in its last days, the Legend, my old Dodge truck, Chris’s Explorer, Volvo, and Camry, the 626, the Buick, the ‘89, and the U-Haul. The Buick, in fact, sucked in pretty much every way that the Saturn sucks–and it was an automatic. Yet I beat that thing as hard as I beat the Protege.

The problem with the Saturn is that the return on investment is low: For what you pay to get a Saturn of that year, you can get another car that is more fun to beat. However, I can concieve of no car so shitty that I will not beat it.

]]> By: Noah http://www.pansypatrol.com/in-defense-of-crappy-cars/comment-page-1/#comment-5039 Noah Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:05:41 +0000 http://www.pansypatrol.com/in-defense-of-crappy-cars/#comment-5039 I think you missed my main point. I'm not saying that all beaters are best when they suck and you don't want to drive them hard. I'm saying that the one thing that shitty cars let you do that any other car does not is to NOT be tempted by any road. I would never be tempted by ANY ramp in the Saturn, and that is a characteristic that, by definition, you cannot find in a nicer beater. I think you missed my main point. I’m not saying that all beaters are best when they suck and you don’t want to drive them hard. I’m saying that the one thing that shitty cars let you do that any other car does not is to NOT be tempted by any road. I would never be tempted by ANY ramp in the Saturn, and that is a characteristic that, by definition, you cannot find in a nicer beater.

]]> By: Tim http://www.pansypatrol.com/in-defense-of-crappy-cars/comment-page-1/#comment-5038 Tim Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:57:48 +0000 http://www.pansypatrol.com/in-defense-of-crappy-cars/#comment-5038 It sounds like you missed the part about comparing beater that could be fun to drive with a unrewarding beater... the CRX is still about as beaterly as it gets. Although I would also disagree about being content tootling under the speed limit in a Saturn. It's pretty difficult to be content tootling at any speed in such a vehicle. It sounds like you missed the part about comparing beater that could be fun to drive with a unrewarding beater… the CRX is still about as beaterly as it gets.

Although I would also disagree about being content tootling under the speed limit in a Saturn. It’s pretty difficult to be content tootling at any speed in such a vehicle.

]]> By: Henry http://www.pansypatrol.com/in-defense-of-crappy-cars/comment-page-1/#comment-5037 Henry Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:57:18 +0000 http://www.pansypatrol.com/in-defense-of-crappy-cars/#comment-5037 The whole point of owning a beater, in my mind, is to be able to drive as aggressively as possible all the time w/o going to jail. There are plenty of onramps which I take in my Miata at the absolute limit of the car which I would think twice before doing in my Stealth. -- Henry The whole point of owning a beater, in my mind, is to be able to drive as aggressively as possible all the time w/o going to jail. There are plenty of onramps which I take in my Miata at the absolute limit of the car which I would think twice before doing in my Stealth.

– Henry

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