CARS BANNED IN THE US - 2014

There are not many countries on Earth that make a habit out of banning certain vehicles like the United States of America, my homeland. Today, I thought I'd share a few of the more significant bans in the hopes that you too will write your local congressman. Obviously everyone knows about the ban on the Nissan Skyline and the Land Rover Defender, but I'm not sure everyone is aware of why. I know I wasn't, so I did some research today to solve these mysteries.

First, lets start with everyones favourite car to b*tch about, the Nissan Skyline. While I'm sure we have all seen the banned models (R32-R34's made from 1989-1999), be it on the big screen or at a local car meet, they are illegal, and if found, will not be exported to their original nation, but crush, shredded, then incinerated, all while you watch in tears before being sent to jail for breaking one of the stupidest laws. My personal favourite of the banned range is the 95 GT-R (pictured below)

Coming with the 2.6 RB26DETT 6 cyl engine that was only in this and 4 other skyline models, including the less popular Stagea, brembo brakes, which became standard on all skylines after this one, 4WD and a 4-wheel steering system that I really don't understand (assuming it just sends more power to certain wheels while cornering), this is a pretty quick car, but not really much different then other AWD tuners that are available in America. So why is the Skyline illegal here? Many reasons. It doesn't meet our emissions standards, its available only in RHD which the DOT doesn't allow....most of the time, and the DOT has not and WILL not crash test it. There are a couple of ways you can acquire a skyline though. Our Infiniti G series is the new version of the Japanese Skyline, so anyone that owns a G35 or G37 can be happy knowing they actually kinda sorta own a Skyline in a real stupid way. Also, many people import Skylines without the motors, ship the motor separately, and then reinstall the motor once it has arrived, because then it can be registered as a track only, kit car. So there are ways. The late Paul Walker owned a Skyline or two through the second method I just described. Also, there is a law saying you can import a car that is 25 years or older, so technically, you could bring over an 89 R32 if you really wanted to, but I'd just wait a decade and get an R34 if you are that desperate.

Next, lets go with the ever popular off-road favourite, Land Rover's Defender. (land rover defender destroyed by customs) US Customs takes this car pretty seriously. Even though I did find a Land Rover Santana (which were the Defenders made in Spain) for sale at a dealer in Washington DC, (see below), the Defenders have never been sold new here.

They are illegal because the safari style seats in the back do not have seat belts, which seems like an easy enough fix, but whatever. My guess as to why this Santana made its way here safely is because it is not technically called a Defender #loopholes. But if you've just watched, or seen the above video before, you know it is not worth the money just to have it destroyed as soon as it reaches our shores. Also, the big V12 biturbo G63 AMG Mercedes has been banned as of this year due to....EMISSIONS. Big surprise there.

Another one that has been recently added to US Customs shitlist is any Lotus Elise from 1996 to 2001. The earlier models are easier to spot because of the headlights, but the 2001 Elise looks the same going up to 2005 or so, so if I can't tell the difference by sight, the government wont either.

1996 Lotus Elise  Type 49

What's funny though, is that the headlights, and actually the bumper height as well, is what makes the lightweight superhero illegal. Back in 2004, the new style of Elise was also made illegal, but as of 2007, the NHTSA certified the Elise thanks to Lotus paying a hefty $27 million to make it so. 

A rather useless ban is the Exclusive edition of the 1989 Honda CRX which was an extremely popular car in its day due to excellent gas mileage (42 city/51 hwy) and its spritely quickness. This edition was banned due the glass roof not allowing the right type of airbags to help the car pass crash tests. A few have been found on the internet, going for a surprisingly high price, but thats probably due to the government not realizing theres a difference without checking VINs. 

Also, don't bother with any 97-00 Accord or Civic Type R's. They don't pass emissions some how and to be honest, I'm not upset at all.

A couple popular European cars that I wish we got, but unfortunately didn't make it due to emissions are the late 80s BMW M6 and Audi RS2 Avant.

The last car I'm going to talk about today is one that I have always been fascinated by, and have never seen being driven in person, and probably never will. One of the greatest supercars the world has ever seen, even to this day. It is the Porsche 959. Originating from a concept car made by Porsche in 1983. 

Then turning into a Dakar rally car.

The street version of the 959 came into production in 1986. Immediately being refused certification for street use in the US due to Porsche refusing to build four test samples for the DOT to test, they were only made legal for US sales in 1999 when the Boston Museum of Fine Arts wanted to put one on display, as seen here in 2005.

Of course the year being 2014, the Porsche 959 just now meets the 25 or over rule, so import away, if you can find one of the 337, AWD, twin turbo 6 powered examples (including prototypes, race models, and concept models) that aren't already on display in some museum or gallery and have the million or so dollars they're going for nowadays. Personally, I say its more worth it then most of the million dollar hypercars of today, not just for the performance, but also for the sake of automotive history. And considering that like Lexus with the LFA, Porsche never made any money off a single one they made (they sold them for half of what they cost to make), this is a true example of the pure and simple soul of performance cars and the people that make them. An interesting case to look up about the 959 is the Gate's 959, which is the story of Bill Gates Porsche 959 which led him to help get the "Show and Display" law passed. But I won't tell everyone about that. 

Many cars were, are, and probably will be on this banned list. There are dozens other then what I've talked about here, but given time, they will all slowly make their way off the list and possibly into our driveways

THE SAABARU

THE SAABARU

My first entry is going be about my favourite car, The Saabaru. Once again, I'm not calling anyone stupid, but in case you don't know what the Saabaru is, it is the Saab 9-2x, which is a rebadged 2nd gen Subaru WRX wagon with a different interior trim, different wheels and front fascia. (compare below)

As you can all see, they share all but the front bumper set up and the WRX edition of the Subaru shares the hood scoop feature, although the Subaru's sticks up more. Now, everyone always asks me, "If you want the Subaru, why not get the Subaru?" There is one easy answer. MONEY! Right now I am looking into this saabaru located in Lombard Illinois (Saab 92x ad) and it states it is $5750 while a Subaru WRX wagon with the same miles, in the same condition, being the same exact thing for the most part, costs nearly double, on average, at $9897 according to some research on autotrader.com and kbb.com. Why pay the extra money? For the Subaru emblems? So people don't claim that I'm stupid for buying the wrong car? No. Now, I've always been a strong volvo guy, which means I am anti-saab and I threw a small party when they went out of business a little while back, but this is a Subaru. They were both owned by GM at the time and they both have the same 2.5 boxer engine and the same AWD system and brakes and were made in the same factories. So what if it says Saab. I've always been taught that its whats on the inside that counts. And saying that, I even think the Saab looks a little bit better. 

UNDER $100,000 GARAGE

I know this was supposed to be a weekly thing, but I've decided it's going to be whenever I feel like doing something. So, I was reading through some old CarThrottle posts and I found a post that I found very interesting. It was a question for all car enthusiasts to really think about. The idea is: You have a ten car garage and only $100,000 to fill it, what would your ten cars be?  This was a very interesting concept, so immediately I started thinking about what cars I would put in there, and this is what I came up with. All prices are the average price of an excellent condition, low miles, used example according to KBB.com. Also, I'm trying to think of cars available here in the US, so don't think I've forgotten about every amazing car we never got, *cough* EVO II, Mitsubishi Pajero, Renault Clio V6 *cough*

1. 2006 Saab 9-2x = $5706

My first post was on this car, so I don't really need to say anymore about it, but its a Subaru for half the price and its sexy as f*ck.

2. 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege = $3177

The Mazda Protege (or Familia to almost the entire rest of the world) is, as a basic sedan, fairly boring with the exception of a pretty aggressive front fascia and nice smooth riding but tight suspension. But then Mazdaspeed took the Protege MP3 from 2001, which was already sporty with a 170 hp turbo and Racinghart wheels and made everything tighter and more race car...ish. With minor changes from a 2003 to a 2003.5 model year, which just included color changes to the body and wheels and a new, more aerodynamic body kit, its a fun car for the price and easy enough to improve upon from where it is, if you feel the need to do so.

3. 2005 Mazdaspeed 6 = $8610

Yes, another Mazda. Deal with it. A car that I've had a real eye for in the last year, the 6 (or Atenza to the rest of the world), is another Mazdaspeed work of art, having a 274 hp turbo 4cyl and AWD, it is easily comparable to an Evo or STI with some minor tuning. But being as sporty as it is, it stays subtle and is an unexpected surprise to those that pull next to you in another, more popular, more expensive AWD sedan and scoff at the thought of a Mazda defeating them.

4. 1998 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 = $8480

In the past year, I have been driving an 03 Eclipse GT along side my Volvo, and as unimpressive as that car is at some times, being heavy and FWD, this car makes up for that one hundred times over. AWD with a twin turbo v6 and pretty decent handling for how big it is, this car is, in my opinion, one of the most under-appreciated, underrated cars ever. Being more then a match for the much more popular 300Z, these go for much less, and also have a slightly more available convertible version than the Datsun, although both are QUITE rare and a lot more pricey. You can also get the Dodge Stealth, just being a rebadged Mitsubishi, but I feel that getting the Dodge form of this car defeats the purpose. It is kind of like getting the Eagle Talon over the Mitsubishi Eclipse. Some names just hold better reputations than others. 

5. 1997 BMW M3 E36 Sedan = $5044

I am sure anyone reading this is more then aware of the technical specs for an E36, so I'm going to explain why I chose the sedan over the coupe. Practicality for one, and the fact that on average, they are 23 whole dollars cheaper then the 2-door. If you never expect to have kids or back seat passengers with normal size legs, then sure, get the 2-door, but having the exact same specs except for the wheelbase, it shouldn't make a difference to anyone whether you have a 2 or 4-door. An M3 is an M3.

6. 1999 Volvo V70R AWD = $5440

Anyone thats read my blog, even after just two entries, or just knows me in general, knows I love Volvos more than any car, and that I have been lusting after one of these for a long time. One like the example above has a 247 hp T5, which is the same basic engine in my C30 but for some reason, the V70R has 20 more horses, and is fully loaded for the price, leaving very few extra options, having luxuries like leather and sunroof standard. 

7. 2004 Pontiac GTO = $8688

For some reason, I like the unusual or rare, but strange rare, so unique...I guess, so I have always had a fascination with Holden, the Australian GM company not available anywhere else (except Europe as Opel or Vauxhall or the American markets as Saturn or the Pontiac GTO above). This is a rebadged third gen Monaro, which when they introduced here, made me absolutely ecstatic, however they didn't last long due to its lack in sales followed by being deemed unsafe for continued sales because of a "faulty" seatbelt design. Although you can find a used example at almost any used car store because people are trading in for the new Camaro, and they are easy enough to tune having either the LS1 or LS2 V8. I went for the LS2 which even still goes for the modest price shown above. The only bad thing is that it handles like an aircraft carrier, but what else do you expect from a huge, Australian muscle car? Still a good, cheaper alternative to the Camaro if the you dont have the coin for the comparable ZL1. 

8. 1999 Plymouth Prowler = $8911

Look at the cycle fenders and the obnoxious plastic body panels and tell me that despite only having a 3.5L V6, you wouldn't want to own Chrysler's desperate attempt to save it's Plymouth division. It's either that or this is Pymouth's equivalent to when a TV show knows its going to be cancelled, so they say "f*ck it, cursing and sex and violence everywhere, because what are they going to do, cancel us? HAHAH!" When I was about 6 or 7, my neighbor had one of these in purple, and it's the car that he kept the longest, only getting rid of it in January of 2012, probably for a huge loss, for a Challenger SRT8, then a Viper a month later, then a Taurus SHO by the end of 2012. This tells me that despite the technology and the constant #TBT car makers are doing nowadays with every single muscle car on the market, Chrysler had it right before anyone else and that this car is an icon not to be messed with. Pick one up if you can find one because I guarantee they are as cheap as KBB says they are and will one day be a very valuable collectors item. 

9. 2004 Jaguar X-Type = $3734

I used to see these everywhere. The Jaguar everyone could buy, so everyone did. The one I'm interested in is the 2.5L V6 which made 191 hp. With the AWD and how light it was for being a fully loaded Jag, it was damn quick. If you find a FWD example, which there are a few of, don't bother. Not worth it. But these have the same motors as the European Ford Mondeo, so they're extremely easy to tune to your liking even with the simplest of modifications. And if you find the wagon version, grab that because they added such little weight for so much more space. It makes a very sexy, sporty estate.

AND FINALLY

10. 1995 Land Rover Discovery = $1430

My favourite 4X4 of all time. And I'm a sucker for a tough Brit. Being Land Rover its functional, luxurious, all the while being impervious to anything short of an Roland Emmerich style apocalyptic situation. Definitely go for the V8 though. Even though its a Rover engine, they're bulletproof, though hard to work on. Its worth not being able to work on easily to avoid the nasty I4 option. And for the price, adding a lift kit, off road tires, a snorkel, and some push bars with fog/spotlights, will get you a tough-mudder to fight with the best of them. 

GRAND TOTAL = $59220

As I was compiling my list, I thought why would I spend this money on ten cheap cars instead of a Nissan GTR or used Audi R8, and I've always thought about having tons of money and buying every cheap car I liked to fix it up. Quantity over quality I always said. But this little scenario proves that you don't have to choose one or the other. All these prices were of excellent condition examples according to the KBB average value. Plus, since I have $40K left, I got money for the insurance, gas, and a little upgrade money for the lot. Quantity AND quality. 

2014 VOLVO NEWS

2014 VOLVO NEWS

So I just started this blog and it was supposed to be weekly, but I just got home from work and the first thing I see as far as car news goes is the new Volvo Concept Estate seen below. So I figured it was time for an emergency entry.

This is the third and final of Volvo's "peek at the future" concept cars. The other two were the Volvo Concept XC Coupe and the Concept Coupe. 

The first concept revealed 6 months ago was the Concept Coupe, which was announced to be powered by a gasoline-electric hybrid 4 cylinder motor that Volvo claims will make power like that of a V8. The Concept XC Coupe was unveiled at the beginning of 2014 and was Volvo's attempt to show that they could make a cool, functional, sporty, sexy car with the same styling as the regular Coupe, which they did. The XC coupe featured the same kind of fold down double rear seat that my C30 has, but with a more durable interior that can handle dirt and snow and water or anything else you might pick up while extreme sporting. Now while this new estate (or wagon in America) hasn't been fully revealed yet (the pics are compliments of the Swedish clothes company that made the cover), its clear that it shares all the same stylings of the first two concepts, while also keeping with some of the traditional, evolutionary Volvo design elements we see on the current V60 and on the obsolete V50 and back to the V70 and 850 and so on backwards through the Volvo wagon timeline. Seeing the brilliant cars Volvo already produces both on their own and in conjunction with the Volvo tuning company, Polestar, I'm imagining that these cars are going to be close to their production equivalents, because judging by the new Polestar V60 and S60 and the 2014 C30 Polestar, Volvo is trying to change their image from just "soccermom-mobile" and into the leagues of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes, because although I feel like they were always there, they just never had it all. All these other companies always had their base models and the sporty versions ("S/RS, M, AMG" respectively), and sure, Volvo had the R series, but they always were more show then go. The 850 Turbo R was really just lowered with low profile tires and the S60/V70 R were just lowered and given suspension adjustments which having driven a S60R, I can't tell the difference. And the S60R's turning radius!! My god! Good luck making U-turns in that. Then they just changed it to R-Design, like they had given up hope and just thought, "Hey, we'll make them look cool, but really....its the same car". Now I'm not dogging on Volvo. I love Volvo. I always have, ever since I was a young boy driving with my dad in his Copper 98 V70R. Its just that until now, I've never hoped they would make things this astounding, with Polestar winning races constantly and everyone getting hyped over the new Volvo. I haven't known anyone to get psyched over a new Volvo since the C30, XC60 and S60 were in the Twilight movies. These cars give me the hope that Volvo won't be the next luxury car manufacturer to go under. And in case someone hasn't seen the new Polestars, here they are. 

INTRO TO THE BLOG

Hey. I'm Steve and this is a blog I'm starting because I'm tired of posting my opinions about cars and car related media on other sites just to have my opinions called wrong and stupid and whatever. So now, whoever wants to read can and whoever doesn't, doesn't have to. Each post will be about a new car that has been revealed, a car I saw, a car I want, a car I got, an event such as a race or race movie or game, and maybe just a stupid for sale ad on craigslist or ebay. Starting tomorrow, there is going to be a new entry every friday, so if you're interested, keep a link to my blog somewhere where you can easily get to it every friday, and hopefully you'll enjoy what I have to say and possibly start a fun discussion in the comments. The first entry tomorrow will either be about my new favourite customization style, bosozoku, or about my favourite car recently, the Saab 9-2x, or as its more commonly known among car communities, the Saabaru. And yes, I'm aware my grammar may not always be correct, I'm not an english teacher, I'm just a simple forklift operator that drives a turbo 5 volvo c30.