Hey guys. Looking great Mike! Yeah the Swifts were a great drop in my opinion. Handled great as well.

While I've been away I got a dry AEM filter and PRL Motorsports intake tube because....racecar lol. Throttle response smoothed out even more and I I listen hard enough...I can hear the spooling and intake sound. Think that's all for 'performance' mods on the Civic. Gotta save my pennies for wheels.

Been using the 3d printer and laser cutter/engraver a bit at work for fun stuff. Lot of random stuff for my paintball group, knick knacks, testing the boundaries of what can and can't be printed. The GF is coming up with ideas for the laser engraver for 'etsy'-like crafts/décor for the house or gifts.

 

Here's how my morning went

Thankfully it was after I dropped my Son off at school. Deer vs Lincoln. Lincoln won, but didn't come out of it without scars.

I swear the deer was at least a foot into the interior. Thank goodness for double thick laminated acoustic windshields!

 

Holy smokes GAFIT!! Glad you are unscathed.

 

Oh my! Hope you're ok! Deer run off? Or got some nice meat for the next few weeks?

 

Everyone asks about the deer. LOL

It was so hard to see out the windshield that I just drove it straight home and didn't look back. Luckily it happened close to home.

I'm getting the run around from my insurance company right now though. They don't want to pay to have it towed. Towing is on my policy. As far as I'm concerned, they can send somewhere here to drive it if they want. Interior is COVERED in glass and I can barely see through the shattered glass.

 

Thanks man! I'm amazed by the difference these 'sporty' all-seasons have made, the car feels so, so, so much better.

Nice! Sound is more fun that speed sometimes haha

I'm glad you're okay dude! GL with the insurance company.*
*

 

Damn, glad you are okay. It looks like it completely missed the hood!!!! A guy I work with swears by those deer whistle things that you put on your bumper. Hopefully the insurance company stops playing games and takes car of everything.

 

Yeah the GE can be a fun car with the right setup. Swear the Fit has the same L-series motor as my civic...if the Fit had the turbo/power my civic has I likely wouldn't have sold it. Granted my civic interior is quieter and more comfy....but the Fit was so versatile and cavernous. Surprised you put All-seasons and not summers on it...don't you have winter tires/wheels as well?

Also just noticed I didn't answer an earlier camera related question. Compact flash to me is phasing out. It is fast, but SDcard is just so much more readily available/compact.

Man hope insurance stops giving you the run around. And yeah GolNat made the same observation I did...it totally missed the hood.

 

It actually hit the hood pretty hard. Score one for modern composites. All the metal around it is damaged, but the composite hood took the blow and has nothing but scrape marks from hooves.

I called the body shop at the dealer I bought the Lincoln from and they sent a flat bed. It's now sitting in their body shop and they are direct billing the insurance company for the tow and starting the repair.

In the meantime, I'm rocking the Fit. Probably good for it to get some use.

The turbo 1.5 in the Civic, Accord, CR-V, etc is an L15 just like the Fit. It's just a modern version of the same design. I think any can swap crankshafts, pistons, and rods. The cylinder head is the drastic difference between them.

Strange thing on the GE and GK Fit is they have the collector style exhaust ports built into the head like you use on a turbo car, but without the turbo. I actually see the GE and GK Fit cylinder head as inferior to the GD design, but it paved they way for turbocharging. Sad that Honda didn't go ahead and add the turbo that they should have. Oh, big difference between the N/A L15 and the turbo L15 is they turned the head around the other way on the turbo cars so they can mount the turbo in the front of the engine instead of behind. My GD will end up with the turbo in the back, by the firewall, whereas the factory turbo L15's are in front.

 

With as early as I put the all-seasons on I wanted something that wouldn't mind dealing with 35ish degree temps once in a while.

With the S2000 I just don't really need to push the Fit too hard haha

 

The joys of having 2 cars I guess.

 

It is absolutely a privilege.

But also super inconvenient.

 

I'm sure glad I have a spare right now. Granted a rental car on occasion would be cheaper than insuring the Fit year round, but it's nice to just have my own vehicle ready to go when needed.

Thank goodness I wasn't working on the Fit at the time. I have everything I need to start the brake upgrades and was planning on tearing into it this weekend. That plan is delayed.

Vehicle shopping now. I might trade in the Lincoln before it's repaired.

 

At which cars are you looking?

 

Probably going with an F150. I miss the utility of a truck for chores and we have the Golf and Fit for car duty. Plus I have an open car trailer and a Mustang that haven't been getting used. I'm getting the itch to start drag racing again. Considering setting up the Mustang for 1/2 mile events. Was only shopping new, but test drove a 2015 3.5 Ecoboost Platinum last night. Going tonight to look at the same truck, but 2016 with less miles. My original idea was a new XLT, but the interior is pretty poor and the features are super, super lacking. Loaded XLT's for $50k lack half the stuff that we have in our Golf and lack practically everything I have in the Lincoln. So, I'm considering $40k for a used Platinum instead.

Have also been looking a slew of other things...Jeep Grand Cherokee with the hemi and Ram 1500 are probably the strongest other two contenders. Test drove a Tacoma and Tundra and don't understand why anyone buys those things. Ultra reliable, but archaic with downright crappy/useless tech. 2019 Ram 1500 has the nicest interior by a large margin, but I've owned a Ram and the quality/reliability just wasn't as good as the Ford's I have owned. Also, I downright hate the rotary shift thing in the Ram. I know it frees up space, but it's an assault to my masculinity. LOL

The costs of all of them have my head spinning. My car payment will likely be higher than my mortgage. Guess that means I should be thankful for a low mortgage.

Somehow I was able to afford new trucks in 1996, 2000, 2003, and 2008, but now they are just insanely expensive.

 

Agree on all counts for trucks. Granted Im a GM guy at heart. Sure the Fords sell more...and maybe the select F150s I've actually been in have all been...lack-luster in comparison to the Silverados I've driven.

As for Toyota's, yeah they are ultra reliable but I was never a fan of the materials they used for the interiors. Just felt cheap. Don't get me wrong I like the new Tacoma, Tundra and 4runner...but it goes back to why the F are all these things $40k+!?!?

I bought my 2006 Frontier crew cab LE (top trim under Nismo) and it was $24k out the door. I can barely configure a base model crew cab Frontier for $24k lol.

 

Worst truck I've owned was a Silverado, but it still was pretty darn good. All domestic full size trucks have their faults, but are pretty amazing in what they can do when called upon.

For political reasons, I won't own another GM product unless the entire top 1/4 of the company is lopped off. They are practically draining American customer and tax payer money into the pockets of the Chinese government. That being said, I think the 6.2 LS motor is the best truck motor currently built. 5.3 is anemic, but the 6.2 is fantastic!

I just watched a YT video on the new IIHS test for trucks. The Ram, Titan, and F150 are the only current pick up trucks to score "good" in all crash test ratings. Others were "acceptable" or "marginal" in at least one category. Most score low marks for headlights, but I suspect they only look at the base model halogen lights.

The Frontier's are a good value and, I think, are now rated higher in reliability than the Tacoma.

 

Yeah I'd rock a frontier all over again...I just wish they got the same MPG as full size trucks are capable of. I mean I was eyeing that Colorado/Canyon with the diesel motor 19/28 with 7k towing? Yes please.

 

I read that there was a "truck tax". Not an actual tax but auto companies know trucks sell so they charge a premium for them. I would love an older Tacoma or Tundra but don't need a truck that often.


A co worker has a 2500 Dodge Diesel that was like over 60k!! I guess if you have one car payment at $600+ a month it is just like having 2 $300 a month cars!!

 

Just so we're all on the same page...$60k plus 7% tax, assuming no dealer fees or tag fees, financed for 60 months at 3.9% interest is $1182/month.

I have a few friends that are still in the car business and all say that $1,000+ vehicle payments are just normal.

Think of just how many Tahoe's and Expeditions you see ALL over the place. Those people likely have $1,000 - 1,200 per month car payments. Same with all of the new full size trucks and "less" expensive luxury cars. Mid and high level luxury stuff is a whole other story. Those customers likely lease for $1,500/month or pay cash.