Not so much. I'm an insurance agent and I just ran some prices as if I was buying the car. Golf-$1009/yr Civic $1025/yr Corolla $1037/yr Accord $1071/yr Camry $1023/yr While the Golf is cheaper at worst it's $62 more for the Accord. If any Canadians have any questions on their car insurance or car claims feel free to shoot me a pm. I'll answer anything on home insurance too.
Tirerack.com is one of the better tire resources on the internet. You buy the tires from them and they will ship them to an installation shop local to you.
Must have more to do with my age and driving record [21; 1 shared fault accident] then, a Golf for me would be $3480/year and an accord would be $4560. [Full disclosure these are using online quote tools from Desjardin, Belairdirect, and Kanetix and going with the lowest rate with 1000 deductables]
I took my car in for an oil change/tire rotation and they pointed out that my brake hoses were cracking and showed them too me. I know that the rubber hosing around the hose itself protects it from the elements, but is this a fix that should be done right away? I'm trying to pay with cash/debit for everything and don't have much built up for savings yet. Also, is there any difference in the parts that you can order online from rockauto for $24 a hose versus what the shop is charging $60/hose? Thanks
The accident will be the driving force on that one, insurance works through rate groups, the collision portion goes from 1-40 with 40 being the most expensive, the Accord has a 34 and the Golf a 26, so the accident will drive that difference even higher. The Golf rates much better in the injury portion, so chances of injury are reduced.
How long are you looking to keep the car? If it's more than 4 years I'd take a hard look at some of the pre-owned certified cars from which ever brands you like. They usually warranty them for 4 -5 years and up to 100/120k miles. Ridiculous deals out there right now. As for the VW's I like them when they're knew but know them to be expensive to repair once they fall out of warranty. With a Ford, Honda, Toyota, etc you can get replacement parts from any number of manufacturers, not as much with VW/Audi. I second the Mazda 3 as a good bang for your buck car too.
Call me crazy, but the one aspect of my car that I don't fuck around with are the brakes. (I do my own brake work, but I never cheap out on parts or take shortcuts). If they said there are problems with your hoses, there are 2 possibilities; either they're showing you some minor superficial stuff to try and drum up new business, or there are actually some problems with your hoses. I'd go and get a 2nd opinion from another shop, and try and get a feel from them about how far gone they are. After all, without posting pics, or knowing how they felt, etc., it's impossible for us to know how worn out they are or what you should do about it. If it's been decided that you DO need new brake lines, then you have a couple of options. You can do it yourself, or get someone else to do it for you. Brakes are not something to fuck around with if you don't know what you're doing; brake fluid eats paint, it's messy, and you have to be sure you bleed the brakes properly. Oh, and if you do it wrong, you could easily kill yourself and others. Depending on the year/make/model of the car, and the brake system (ABS), it can be technically challenging too. So yeah, assuming you're going to get a shop to do it, ask them for a quote, and then ask them questions about the parts/materials they're using. Not all brake parts are the same. There are cheap parts, and there are expensive parts. I use all custom fabricated brake lines/tubes on my race car, because it makes a world of difference. You, however, may not notice a difference at all. So ask the guy about the cost of the parts, and see what he says. If they're expensive, ask him the same question. He very well might realize you're an intelligent consumer and knock the price back to cost+10 or something. He also might be using some higher quality parts, so explain your situation to him, and see if there are cheaper pieces-parts he can use instead. Again, when it comes to brakes, I'd rather err on the side of caution, but having a reputable and trustworthy shop do the work (regardless of what it is), is key. My mechanic knows that I trust his judgement, and he makes the decisions on my car like it was his car, and I'm cool with that.
You want to turn a G37 intro a track car? Why? You might as well buy something that looks like shit but goes awesome around a track (like, believe it or not, a Civic or a Mustang V8) and keep the G37 as a daily driver. Trust me, having a hardcore car for your everyday grind is not as cool as idiots on the internet make it out to be.
I hear you, I have called around and it seems like it's about $400 either way. A friend of the family is a mechanic and said he'd do it for cost +10% on the parts. They did show me the lines and that the rubber part around the hose had started to crack and you could see the actual hose? underneath. I am going to get it repaired by the end of the month. Thanks for the help, let me know if you need any general tax advice and I'll see what I can do.
Yeah, that's why I typed possibly. I know nothing about racing or tracks or what goes into a car that can race, so it's looking like a big not gonna happen. I can pretty much guarantee the only thing I'll do to the car is get intake, some cats, and maybe the exhaust, which is the advice I'm currently looking for.
A G37 is likely a poor choice for a racecar. The saying goes that its easy to make a light car fast, but hard to make a fast car light. The G37 may have the engine but I suspect its weight is going to make it a handful in almost any performance-oriented driving. If you want a pure trackslut car, pick up a 89-94 Nissan 240sx, any Mazda RX-7, older Mazda Miata, old Toyota Supra, etc. Something under 3000 pounds, rear wheel drive, cheap to find/modify/replace if wrecked, etc. You won't have much fun racing if you're worried about wrecking your expensive daily driver. If you're talking about building a drag racer, forget the cars I mentioned. Cheapest bang for the buck is going to have a V8 in it. Mustangs, Camaros, that kind of stuff. Again light weight is still key and the heavy G37 with a V6 isn't going to be extremely competitive. And the previos posts are spot on: the basic bolt on mods won't do a whole lot. Maybe 10hp at MOST and a lot more noise. You'll think you're going faster but its just because its loud. Reconsider your actual goals and post up.
Pick up an old Datsun 240Z for cheap. You and your new roommate can have dozens of hours of fun get the car in working order, or drop in any fucking motor you would ever desire. Everything from Jag V12s to Chevy small blocks have been done. Its easy and cheap, the car has looks that are timeless sports car and are infinitely adaptable. On another note, I get to see my first Carrera GT in person this Saturday at the Indy Cars & Coffee. A 2004 CGT, silver. Came out of Dallas, a friend of mine just picked it up -- he's got a nice garage: NSX Zanardi edition, 2001 Lamborghini Diablo 6.0 and now a Carrera GT.
There is a HUGE insurgence in the Pro3 class around the Pacific Northwest, and they run old-school BMW's. A fully built-out, competitive car is under $12k, and they are FUN as hell to drive. http://www.pro3-racing.com Probably the cheapest and best way to get a fun car on the track. And don't kid yourself, the slowest thing about ANY car will be the driver for the first few years. Get instruction. I can run 4 seconds a lap faster than guys in brand-new Porsche GT3's with $30k of go-fast bits on them, in my old 1979 relic. They have twice the horsepower, way better suspension, and modern close-ration gearboxes. I have experience and training. Take the car you have NOW to the track and to some training, and it'll do you way better in the long run. It'll also help to introduce you to guys that can help you with what and when to do what to your car. A lot of people don't realize that those fancy R-compound tires actually impede your instruction, and you'd be better off on normal street tires to learn things like slip angle, etc. $0.02
Its a coupe, manual 6 speed, and I'm 24. And what I'm looking for is the slight boost in power and a deeper growling exhaust/engine. The mpg boost I hear that comes from the CAI doesn't hurt either.
The only mod that I made to my '06 G35 6MT was replacing the baffled intake with a Z-Tube. It made a huge difference with the engine noise/exhaust note. It growled at low revs and screamed at high revs with the sweet spot at 3-4k. I miss that car. Doesn't look like Z-tube is compatible with the G37, but replacing the stock baffled intake with a CAI should make a big difference in the noise.
I just got a cool new job, but the downside is I have am awful lot of mileage to do everyday just to get to work (Around 110 miles round-trip). I'm looking to get a car that's going to be confortable (for those long drives) and have a good gas mileage. Any suggestions? I was thinking of the Hyundai Sonata, any experiences with this car?
It is not uncommon for the rubber on the outside of brake lines to crack, especially on older vehicles. Keep in mind that brake lines are braided steel on the inside surrounded by rubber, I would assume to prevent rusting. If you look at any vehicle that has been on the road for ten years or more, I would bet that all of the brake lines have cracks in the rubber. I have never seen a brake line that does not have cracks in the rubber, unless it is a vehicle that is sitting on a new lot. I wouldn't sweat it too much.
Thanks, that is exactly what I was wondering. It's a 2003 and I would assume that the rubber would have cracked due to being exposed to WI winters for the last 4 years, but wasn't sure how much they protected the brake lines.