S2K learner car
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 34,131
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From: Canton, MA
Originally Posted by parkerdt,Oct 1 2006, 04:44 PM
Picked up the Black Cherry - got them down to $14.5k. It's a realy stunning color - hope she likes it 
We'll know soon enough it's gettting delivered in a few hours...
Runs really nicely tho the lack of power and stiffness is immediately evident. Still a year left on factory warranty so I can get the few nits taken care of.
Of course, being black, it needs a good deswirling treatment, but there are only two tiny chips that I could find that will need professional attention. I'm definitely getting a PC now with two sports cars to maintain....
Dave
We'll know soon enough it's gettting delivered in a few hours...Runs really nicely tho the lack of power and stiffness is immediately evident. Still a year left on factory warranty so I can get the few nits taken care of.
Of course, being black, it needs a good deswirling treatment, but there are only two tiny chips that I could find that will need professional attention. I'm definitely getting a PC now with two sports cars to maintain....
Dave
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,087
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From: 297 Miles E of the Dragon
She's stunned. VERY afraid that she won't be able to master the stick, very in love with the color and the cuteness of the car. I've arranged with some of the ladies in our neighborhood who drive sticks regularly to help her out; I gave her the basics this evening when we took it for a moonlight drive.
Fun car! It needs stiffer shocks for sure, though, once she learns to drive it. It's a 5-speed so the gearing is rather radically different from the S - 3rd seems very high. But the driving experience is quite similar, and I wanted a car that would provide that.
It was an eye-opener getting back into my car after driving hers :-)
Dave
Fun car! It needs stiffer shocks for sure, though, once she learns to drive it. It's a 5-speed so the gearing is rather radically different from the S - 3rd seems very high. But the driving experience is quite similar, and I wanted a car that would provide that.
It was an eye-opener getting back into my car after driving hers :-)
Dave
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 65,419
Likes: 4,701
From: Smalltown
Originally Posted by parkerdt,Oct 1 2006, 11:11 PM
She's stunned. VERY afraid that she won't be able to master the stick, very in love with the color and the cuteness of the car. I've arranged with some of the ladies in our neighborhood who drive sticks regularly to help her out; I gave her the basics this evening when we took it for a moonlight drive.
Fun car! It needs stiffer shocks for sure, though, once she learns to drive it. It's a 5-speed so the gearing is rather radically different from the S - 3rd seems very high. But the driving experience is quite similar, and I wanted a car that would provide that.
It was an eye-opener getting back into my car after driving hers :-)
Dave
Fun car! It needs stiffer shocks for sure, though, once she learns to drive it. It's a 5-speed so the gearing is rather radically different from the S - 3rd seems very high. But the driving experience is quite similar, and I wanted a car that would provide that.
It was an eye-opener getting back into my car after driving hers :-)
Dave
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Registered User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,087
Likes: 0
From: 297 Miles E of the Dragon
Went out for the first drive with +1 tonight. I had her recite to herself all day "I will not be intimidated by the car, I will not be intimidated by other cars, I WILL stall this car many times, and that is OK". I drove it to work today to show it off to my co-workers, and to get the insurance squared away, find the nits that need fixing under warranty, etc. By about 3pm, knowing my +1; I figured she'd be out in the S. I had chalk marked the tires just in case...
She didn't drive the S, but had practiced with the shifter and clutch pedal, engine off, and was ready to roll when I got home. We took 6 laps around our moderately hilly neighborhood, and she only stalled once, and was well into figuring out how to upshift properly. She's a lot more relaxed now For the first time she talked about naming her car and what vanity plate she wanted. Tomorrow, one of the experienced stick-driving women in the neighborhood are going to ride with her in case she has any questions, but basically just let her drive.
She finally admitted she thought the car was cute, and that she was happy to have it. That she didn't want to like it or own it because she was afraid she couldn't drive it, and now, she's more confident that she can! Not bad for the first time EVER behind the wheel of a stick. At this rate, she'll be driving the S by the weekend, and my work will be done :-)
Thanks all for the advice and encouragement, I think this is going to work just fine. And an S and a Miata in the family is not a bad combo. 
I will say that after driving the Miata all day, had I not had 5 months and nearly 14k miles in my S behind me, I could have lived with a Miata for a long time, quite happily. An impressive little car!
Dave
She didn't drive the S, but had practiced with the shifter and clutch pedal, engine off, and was ready to roll when I got home. We took 6 laps around our moderately hilly neighborhood, and she only stalled once, and was well into figuring out how to upshift properly. She's a lot more relaxed now For the first time she talked about naming her car and what vanity plate she wanted. Tomorrow, one of the experienced stick-driving women in the neighborhood are going to ride with her in case she has any questions, but basically just let her drive.She finally admitted she thought the car was cute, and that she was happy to have it. That she didn't want to like it or own it because she was afraid she couldn't drive it, and now, she's more confident that she can!
Not bad for the first time EVER behind the wheel of a stick. At this rate, she'll be driving the S by the weekend, and my work will be done :-)Thanks all for the advice and encouragement, I think this is going to work just fine. And an S and a Miata in the family is not a bad combo.
I will say that after driving the Miata all day, had I not had 5 months and nearly 14k miles in my S behind me, I could have lived with a Miata for a long time, quite happily. An impressive little car!
Dave
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 33,171
Likes: 1,639
From: Randolph, NJ
Originally Posted by parkerdt,Oct 2 2006, 07:26 PM
I will say that after driving the Miata all day, had I not had 5 months and nearly 14k miles in my S behind me, I could have lived with a Miata for a long time, quite happily. An impressive little car!